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Congratulations to Caitlyn Black and Alastair Wriglesworth of Loris High; Nicholas Wnuk of St. James High; and Anthony Giorlando, Robert Hucks, and Alexander Nikolov of Scholars Academy High!

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®) has awarded these students National Merit Scholarships in recognition of their superior academic achievements.

Last fall, NMSC named more than 16,000 Semifinalists. Over 15,000 students met the very high academic standards and other requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. While the NMSC also offers business- and college-sponsored scholarships to finalists, only 2,500 students each year receive the organization's premier scholarship. These individuals are the finalists judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

This prestigious award recognizes schools that offer excellent instruction and outstanding leaders, augmented by strong family and community involvement and a supportive business community.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of 21 Horry County Schools students as Finalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These HCS students will have an opportunity to win one of over 6,900 National Merit Scholarships worth a combined total of nearly $26 million. 

Horry County Schools’ performance on the 2025 state report cards, based on overall ratings, shows that 38 out of 57 district schools were rated as Excellent or Good. Of those, 16 HCS schools were rated Excellent and 22 were rated Good, while 18 earned a score of Average.

HCS Scholars Academy High School is ranked #1 of all 1,309 schools in the state, earning a report card score of 99.7 out of 100!