Hillel Adler and June Criscione are among the 1.5 million students nationwide that took the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Their stellar scores place them in the top 1 percent of students in both New York state and the U.S.

In order for Adler and Criscione to become National Merit Scholarship finalists, they must have outstanding academic records throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the high school principal and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

The National Merit Scholarships will be awarded in the spring.

In addition to her outstanding performance on the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, Criscione earned a perfect score on the ACT, a standardized test that measures a student's ability to do college-level work. Criscione took the test in June.

The mission of the City School District of Albany is to educate and nurture all students to be responsible citizens, critical thinkers and lifelong learners to successfully compete in the global community by providing an academically rigorous and safe environment in partnership with parents, students and the community. The district serves about 8,600 students in 15 elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to neighborhood schools, the district includes several magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic opportunities for students, including four themed academies at Albany High School.