Graduation Photos: North Port High School 2024

North Port High School graduated its senior class during a ceremony at the school's football field on Thursday evening.

With more than 2,500 students, according to an estimate from U.S. News and World Report, the school ranks as the seventh-best high school in Manatee County.

More Graduation Photos: See photo galleries of all high school graduations in Sarasota and Manatee counties

Michael Kent, an 18-year-old senior graduating from North Port High, plans to attend Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale on a pre-med track. Kent also plans to compete on NSU’s swim team.

During his time at North Port, Kent said his science classes with Sean Naeger stood out as an impactful class.

"Going into pre-med hopefully in college and then medical school, I think I going to need a lot of science background, of course. So that was big for me," he said.

Kent said he works at the Venice YMCA as a lifeguard and has helped teach children how to swim during the last two summers.

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.