Three Don Soffer Aventura High School seniors scored among fewer than 1% of U.S. high school seniors and were named 2027 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.

Three Aventura Seniors Make National Merit Cut

Uriel Lustgarten, Mark Moscovici and Olivia Obadiah earned the distinction through their performance on the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, or PSAT/NMSQT. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced more than 16,000 semifinalists nationwide Sept. 9, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, which published the statewide Florida list.

The three Aventura students were selected from a pool of more than 1.2 million juniors at roughly 20,000 high schools who entered the program, according to the Daily Commercial.

Path to Finalist Status Requires Detailed Application

Semifinalists who want to advance to finalist standing must submit a detailed application endorsed by a school official. That application includes their academic record, an essay, SAT or ACT scores, community involvement and leadership experience.

Finalists will compete for about 6,700 scholarships worth roughly $24 million total. The awards break down into three categories: 2,500 National Merit Scholarships of $2,500 each, about 700 corporate-sponsored awards and about 3,500 college-sponsored awards.

Winners will be announced between April and July 2027.

Charter School Builds on Recent AP Success

The recognition adds to a string of academic milestones at the Aventura charter school. DSAHS landed on the College Board's AP School Platinum Honor Roll in both 2023 and 2024 and earned the College Board Access Award, placing it in the top 2.5% of high schools in North America, according to a Charter Schools USA announcement in November 2024. At that time, 98% of seniors had taken at least one AP exam, and 73% had scored a 3 or higher.

"Success in these courses empowers our students to earn preferred admission and scholarships to top universities," Principal Geoff McKee said in November 2024, when the AP honor roll was announced.

Corporation Warns Against Comparing Schools by Count

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation cautioned that semifinalist totals should not be used to compare schools, districts or states because the program recognizes individual student achievement. Families looking for updates on the finalist process can check with DSAHS directly as the April 2027 announcement window approaches.