Six Lindbergh High School students have been named semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

National Merit semifinalists are high school seniors who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. Lindbergh’s honorees include Rounak Bera, Nathan Collins, Kaitlyn Crutchley, Brett Kim, Shalaka Nimmagadda and Samantha Sample.

Roughly 16,000 students earned the honor nationwide.

“Being named a National Merit semifinalist requires a tremendous amount of both work and ability on the part of each student,” Lindbergh High Principal Eric Cochran stated in a news release. “It also reflects significant support from many people, including the parents at home and the outstanding teachers who help these students along the way.”

These students were among 1.6 million juniors in over 22,000 high schools who entered the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2015 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest scoring individuals in each state.