The Florida College Access Network (FCAN) has wrapped up the 2019 Florida FAFSA Challenge, a statewide campaign to increase the number of high school seniors completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
According to FCAN, through the end of March, 72 schools representing 27 counties across Florida met the campaign’s goal to increase the number of seniors who completed the FAFSA by at least 5% over last year. As a result, Florida seniors qualify for an estimated $143 million in Pell Grant dollars.
The program was started in 2015 in an effort to boost the statewide FAFSA completion rate. Despite the state having a high number of students eligible for federal grants, Florida ranks 31st in the nation for FAFSA completion, with fewer than 50% of students completing the application each year.
Locally, the top three “most improved” schools and the “MVP” school (school with the highest FAFSA completion rate) were recognized for their efforts.
“MVP” (Have the highest FAFSA completion rate through March 2019)
Hillsborough:
Robinson High School (53.8% completion)
Pasco:
Wiregrass Ranch High School (45.0% completion)
Pinellas:
St. Petersburg High School (55.3% completion)
“Most improved” (Compared to last year, through March 2019)
Hillsborough:
Tampa Bay Technical High School
Strawberry Crest High School
East Bay High School
Pasco:
Wiregrass Ranch High School
Hudson High School
James W. Mitchell High School
Pinellas:
Northeast High School
Pinellas Park High School
Palm Harbor University High School
To view the real time completion stats by region, county or school, check out the FAFSA completion dashboard.
