College Board National Recognition Programs recognize students from Malibu, Santa Monica high schools
Staff Report
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) congratulated 40 students last month from Malibu High School (MHS) and Santa Monica High School (Samohi) who earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These programs celebrate students’ hard work in high school and showcase their strong academic performance. The academic honors for rural area, Black, Indigenous, and/or Latino students are an opportunity for students to share their strong academic achievements with colleges and scholarship programs that are seeking to recruit diverse talent.
The Board of Education recognized the students at the Oct. 19 school board meeting for their accomplishments.
“We’re delighted to commemorate our 40 students and acknowledge their remarkable achievements. We take pride in their impressive academic accomplishments within the classroom and their success in assessments such as the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10 and AP exams,” said SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton. “Our students possess an array of distinctive qualities, and this recognition serves as a validation of these attributes that will undoubtedly enrich their journey ahead.”
High-achieving students from all 50 states and U.S. territories were eligible to apply to four programs: National African American Recognition Program, National Hispanic Recognition Program, National Indigenous Recognition Program, and/or National Rural/Small Town Recognition Program.
The criteria for eligible students include:
- GPA of 3.5 or higher.
- PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 assessment scores that are within the top 10 percent of assessment takers in each state for each award program or earned a score of three or higher on two or more AP Exams in ninth and 10th grade.
- Attend school in a rural area or small town, or identify as African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino, or Indigenous/Native.
“It’s becoming increasingly hard for students to be ‘seen’ during the college recruitment process. We’re exceptionally proud of the National Recognition Programs for celebrating students who are at times overlooked but have shown their outstanding academic abilities,” said Tarlin Ray, senior vice president of BigFuture at College Board. “This is a benefit not only for students but also for colleges and universities committed to recruiting diverse and talented students.”