DARTMOUTH — Bishop Stang student Kathleen Downey, of Mattapoisett, has been commended by the National Merit Scholarship Program for her performance on the 2018 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

A total of about 34,000 students across the nation have been commended for their “exceptional academic promise. More than 1.5 million students took part in the contest by taking the test. Commended students placed in the top 50,000 overall.

“Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” commented a spokesperson for the scholarship program. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation.  We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”

Bishop Stang is a catholic school in Dartmouth. Fellow Stang Students Cameron Garde, of Fairhaven, and Quinn Sullivan, of Westport were also among the 34,000 commended students.