The Two American Heritage Campuses Account For 13-Percent Of All Presidential Scholar Candidates In Florida.
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher | DELRAY BEACH, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — It’s another major accomplishment for American Heritage School — with campuses in Delray Beach and Plantation. The top-ranked Private K-12 school in Florida — according to Niche — just announced that 26 students from the Class of 2026 (15 from the Broward Campus and 11 from the Palm Beach Campus) have been named semifinalists for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.
In a part of South Florida where there are several well-regarded private schools and public schools, American Heritage continues to lead the pack. The two American Heritage campuses rank #1 in Florida for the highest number of U.S. Presidential Scholar candidates, and #3 in the nation with the most Presidential Scholar candidates. The two campuses of American Heritage Schools account for 13% of all Presidential Scholar candidates in the state of Florida.
“Earning a spot as a Presidential Scholar candidate is a remarkable achievement that speaks to the consistent academic rigor and character of our students,” said Dr. Doug Laurie, president of American Heritage Schools. “We are proud to see the Class of 2026 uphold our tradition of excellence, proving once again that our graduates are prepared to lead at the highest national levels.”
Established in 1964 by executive order of President Lyndon B. Johnson, this program recognizes students for outstanding academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, and commitment to service. Only 500 students are selected as semifinalists from across the country. From the 500, roughly 160 will receive the U.S. Presidential Scholar Medallion — the highest scholastic honor awarded by the U.S. government.
Palm Beach Campus Candidates:
Kersh Besharat, Palm Beach Gardens
Omar Dahabra, Boca Raton
Ziping Dai, Delray Beach
Siyuan Du, Boca Raton
Joseph Levenston, Boca Raton
Michael Mikati, Palm Beach Gardens
Ryan Rohit, Delray Beach
Sonya Singh, Delray Beach
Daniela Staton, Delray Beach
Rishan Thangaraj, Wellington
Cole Zuckerman, Boynton Beach
Broward Campus Candidates:
Aaron Alter, Parkland
Daniel Cai, Weston
Zayn Charania, Weston
Lindsey Cheng, Coral Springs
Samuel Danzig, Davie
Ishika Gadani, Parkland
Anisha Garg, Miramar
Alexey Guydouk, Plantation
Kaitlyn Lee, Sunrise
Yechang Liu, Weston
Rishitha Marri, Weston
Kelsey Montgomery, Plantation
Henry Nathanson, Plantation
Darsh Patel, Parkland
Elizabeth Xiao, Weston
