Thirty-two Pine View School seniors have earned Commended Student honors in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program, the Osprey school announced Wednesday, Sept. 16.

The designation places those students among the top 5% of more than 1.2 million students who took the 2025 PSAT/NMSQT. About 34,000 students nationwide received the Commended title in the 72nd annual competition.

35 Semifinalists Already Named Earlier This Month

The recognition is separate from the 35 Pine View seniors already named National Merit Semifinalists, a higher threshold representing less than 1% of all U.S. high school seniors. Pine View announced those semifinalists Sept. 9.

Together, the two groups account for 67 of the school's 167 seniors. That means roughly 40% of the Class of 2027 earned some form of National Merit recognition.

School Ranked No. 1 in Florida This Year

Pine View, a public gifted-magnet school in Osprey, serves grades 2 through 12. Its high school enrolls about 700 students, according to Sun Newspapers.

The school held the No. 1 ranking among Florida high schools in the 2025-26 U.S. News & World Report survey and ranked No. 13 nationally. It scored 97.8 out of 100 for college readiness and posted a 100% graduation rate.

Principal Points to Semifinalist Track Record

Principal Stephen Covert has pointed to the school's National Merit track record as a measure of its approach. "It's the highest number it's ever been. 21% of the senior class is a national merit semifinalist, which is just amazing," Covert told WWSB in August, referring to the Class of 2026.

The Class of 2027 is keeping pace. Its 35 semifinalists also represent 21% of the senior class, matching the mark Covert cited.

What Comes Next for Semifinalists

Commended Students do not advance to the semifinalist-to-finalist scholarship track. For the 35 Pine View semifinalists who do, the next step is a detailed application covering academics, activities, leadership and a qualifying SAT or ACT score.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation will announce winners in four rounds from April through July 2027. About 6,700 scholarships worth approximately $24 million will be offered to finalists nationally.