Ten seniors from Plymouth-Canton Educational Park have earned National Merit Scholarships this year, more than any single graduating class in recent district history, according to Plymouth-Canton Community Schools.

The district announced Monday, July 20, that Samendu R. Manoj, Hasan Rizwan, and Riley J. Silverman were named scholarship recipients in the program's final selection round. They join seven classmates who won earlier in the cycle, including Aarush Kumar, John Collins, and Andrew Tai, whose awards were reported at the May 26 Board of Education meeting.

All three P-CEP high schools, Canton, Plymouth, and Salem, appear on the National Merit Scholarship Corporation's list of schools with 2026 winners, as reported by Patch Michigan. The three latest honorees were among just 12 Michigan students chosen in the final round, out of 70 total winners from 40 schools across the state.

Manoj plans to study biochemistry, Rizwan intends to pursue public health, and Silverman will major in chemistry. Their awards are college-sponsored Merit Scholarships, funded by the institutions they will attend.

"Samendu, Hasan, and Riley exemplify the dedication, perseverance, and academic excellence that define so many students across our district," Superintendent Dr. Monica L. Merritt said in the district's announcement.

The path to a National Merit Scholarship started with the 2024 PSAT. Michigan's cutoff score for the Class of 2026 was 220 on the Selection Index, one of the higher thresholds in the Midwest. In October 2025, Superintendent Merritt reported that 25 P-CEP students had been named semifinalists. By March 2026, 22 of those students advanced to finalist status, according to board meeting records.

According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, approximately 6,930 scholarships were awarded from a pool of 1.3 million entrants nationwide.

The 10-winner milestone caps a strong two-year stretch for the campus. The Class of 2025 produced six National Merit Scholarship winners, itself a record at the time, including Siddharth Iyer of Plymouth High School and Jusnoor Dhillon of Salem High School, whom Superintendent Merritt recognized at the board's July 2025 meeting. Combined, the two graduating classes account for 16 winners.

The district has not identified which of the three P-CEP high schools each of the newest winners attends. The scholarship competition for the Class of 2026 is now complete.