We are excited to announce the winners of the 2022 Florida FAFSA Challenge, a statewide campaign to increase the proportion of high school seniors completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
As of April 1, 33.1% of Florida public high school seniors have completed a FAFSA and are one step closer to getting the money needed to pay for education beyond high school. According to an FCAN analysis, this translates to an estimated $148 million in Pell Grant dollars.
Through the end of the FAFSA Challenge, 135 schools and seven districts have increased the percentage of seniors who completed the FAFSA by at least five percentage points over last year.
“We are especially proud to honor these FAFSA Champions during what has been a tough year overall for Florida with FAFSA completions,” said Charleita M. Richardson, FCAN’s Executive Director. Nationwide, Florida is currently 48th in FAFSA completion, a significant drop from its 32nd place ranking in Fall 2020. “This year’s FAFSA Challenge winners demonstrated an extraordinary drive and commitment to supporting students as they pursue their education dreams, which is exactly what we need to help get Florida back on track.”
The highest-performing schools and districts were:
MVP (Highest FAFSA completion rate through April 1, 2022)
Large School: Alexander W. Dreyfoos Junior School of the Arts
Medium School: Florida Southwestern Collegiate High School
Small School: Acceleration East
Large District: Sarasota
Small District: Gilchrist
Most Improved (Highest increase in FAFSA completion compared to March 2021)
Large School: Oak Ridge High School
Medium School: Florida Southwestern Collegiate High School
Small School: Acceleration East
Large District: Brevard
Small District: Gilchrist
The top five contenders in each of these categories are recognized in the Florida FAFSA Challenge Leaderboard.
This year’s FAFSA Challenge winners will be honored during a May 11 Awards Luncheon at the 2022 Talent Strong Florida Summit.
How did your school or district do?
Curious about how your school or district fared in the Florida FAFSA Challenge? You can find out on FCAN’s Florida FAFSA Challenge Dashboard, which includes data for over 600 public schools in the state.
FAFSA completion data for all schools and districts – including all those that exceeded the 5% goal – are available. The dashboard allows users to view school, district, and state-level FAFSA completion rates using nine different filters and search options.
Chart: FAFSA completion among 12th graders attending Florida public schools
The Florida FAFSA Challenge is part of College Ready Florida, a suite of statewide initiatives designed to build a college-going culture and help all students — especially low-income students — continue their educations beyond high school.
FCAN applauds all schools and districts that committed to helping more graduating high school seniors access financial aid for college and congratulates those that boosted their FAFSA completion rates this year!
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