American Heritage Schools is the No. 1 School in Florida for the Highest Number of Presidential Scholar Candidates in 2025

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. and BOCA RATON, Fla., April 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- American Heritage Schools, the top-ranked Private K-12 School in Florida according to Niche, is pleased to announce that 16 students from the Class of 2025 (12 from the Broward Campus and four from the Palm Beach Campus) have been named semifinalists for the U.S. Presidential Scholars program. The program is the nation's most prestigious recognition for distinguished graduating high school seniors.

The two campuses of American Heritage Schools account for 11% of all Presidential Scholar candidates in the state of Florida. The Broward Campus is the No. 1 school in Florida with the highest number of Presidential Scholar candidates. The Palm Beach Campus is the No. 1 school in Palm Beach County and the No. 3 school in Florida with the highest number of Presidential Scholar candidates.

"Being named a Presidential Scholar candidate is an extraordinary honor that reflects the dedication, intellect, and perseverance of our students," said Dr. Doug Laurie, president of American Heritage Schools. "We are incredibly proud of these outstanding young leaders whose commitment to excellence and service sets them apart on a national stage."

The United States Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 by Executive Order of the President to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. Each year, approximately 500 students from across the country are named semifinalists and forwarded to the Commission for further review. In April, the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars will select 161 outstanding students to receive the U.S. Presidential Scholar Medallion, the nation's highest scholastic honor awarded by the U.S. government.

Scholars are selected based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations, community service, and leadership. Those selected will be invited to Washington, D.C., in June for a national recognition program, which includes a series of events and the official medallion presentation during a White House-sponsored ceremony.

The students from American Heritage Schools who have been named 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars Candidates are:

Broward Campus:

• Rajam Arunprakash
• Lila Cohen
• Sebastian Estrada
• Jack Finneran
• Junsouh Hong
• Timothy Kong
• Chunyu Li
• Rolando Perez
• Samuil Petrov
• Yusuf Sheikh
• Roshini Shivakumar
• Emily Wang

Palm Beach Campus:

• Julius Kulla
• Ryan Weissblum
• Jeffrey Yu
• Catherine Zhao

For more information about the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program and American Heritage Schools, please visit: https://www.ahschool.com/presidential-scholars.

About American Heritage Schools:
American Heritage Schools is a college preparatory day school for students in PK3-12th grades, known for academic excellence and top rankings across multiple disciplines. With two 40-acre campuses, one in Broward County and another in Palm Beach County, American Heritage Schools provides a diverse and inclusive environment for almost 5,000 students from more than 100 countries. Dr. Douglas Laurie, a distinguished educator and visionary leader, is the president and co-owner of American Heritage Schools. American Heritage Schools is nationally and internationally accredited by the following associations: Association of Independent Schools of Florida (AISF), Middle States Association (MSA-CESS), and National Council for Private Schools, among others. The Lower School includes advanced classes and 15 electives, and the Upper School offers over 300 courses with 145 honors classes, 31 Advanced Placement classes, and 130 fine arts classes. Pre-professional programs are offered in pre-med, pre-law, pre-engineering, biomedical engineering, business & entrepreneurship, and computer science with classes taught daily by doctors, surgeons, lawyers, judges, engineers, and computer scientists currently practicing in their fields. American Heritage Schools was named No. 1 Private K-12 School in Florida and No. 1 College Prep Private High School in Florida, according to Niche.com, ranks as the No. 1 high school in Florida for the highest number of National Merit Scholars for 15 years, and the No. 1 school in Florida for the most Presidential Scholars. The Math Competition team is No. 1 out of all private schools in the nation, Model UN team is top 3 in the nation, and the Speech and Debate team is in the top 1% in the nation. In their recent "Book of Lists" rankings, South Florida Business Journal (SFBJ) recognized American Heritage Schools as No. 15 in Corporate Philanthropy in South Florida and No. 21 Largest Employer in South Florida.

For more information about American Heritage Schools, visit its website at www.ahschool.com

Broward Campus: (954) 472-0022 ext. 3021 or email [email protected].

Palm Beach Campus: (561) 495-7272 ext. 219 or email [email protected].

Media Contact:
Durée & Company, Inc.
954.723.9350 / [email protected]

SOURCE American Heritage Schools