The Florida College Access Network (FCAN) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025-2026 Florida FAFSA Challenge, a statewide campaign aimed at increasing the number of high school seniors completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Through the end of the Challenge, schools and districts across Florida demonstrated significant progress in helping more students access financial aid for postsecondary education.
New this year, Florida House and Senate Districts were recognized for their FAFSA completion rates, as well as the introduction of a new Legislative FAFSA Champion award. A College Ready Florida Innovator and Workforce Education Innovator will also be recognized. Awardees will be announced at the 2026 Talent Strong Florida Summit taking place on May 6-8, 2026 in Tampa, FL.
“Supporting students in completing the FAFSA is a critical step in the college-going process,” said Braulio Colón, FCAN’s executive director. “It opens the door to financial aid opportunities that can make higher education more accessible and affordable, helping students and families better understand their options and reduce financial barriers to enrollment and completion.”
Among the top performers, all MVP school winners were from Miami-Dade County: School for Advanced Studies Homestead (regular sized school), Terra Environmental Research Institute (medium sized school), Coral Reef Senior High School (large sized school), and Hialeah Gardens Senior High School (extra-large sized school). For most improved schools, Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial High School in Miami-Dade (regular), Mast Academy in Miami-Dade (medium), University High School in Orange County (large), and Windermere High School in Orange County (extra-large) showed the greatest gains in FAFSA completion compared to last year.
At the district level, Dixie (regular sized district), Martin (medium sized district), Pinellas (large sized district), and Miami-Dade (extra-large sized district) were recognized as MVPs, while Hamilton (regular), Highlands (medium), Leon (large), and Hillsborough (extra-large) were named most improved for their significant increases in completion rates.
In the inaugural legislative district recognition, House District 100, represented by Rep. LaMarca, and Senate District 39, represented by Sen. Avila, were named MVPs, while House District 65, represented by Rep. Gonzalez Pittman, and Senate District 3, represented by Sen. Simon, were recognized with the highest FAFSA completion growth.
All winners will be celebrated at the 2026 Talent Strong Florida Summit – registration is available here.
The Florida FAFSA Challenge is part of FCAN’s College Ready Florida statewide initiatives, a suite of programs designed to support college and career readiness. To view FAFSA completion data for over 600 Florida public high schools, visit the Florida FAFSA Challenge dashboard.