There’s only a couple of weeks left until high school graduation and seniors are thinking about what comes next in their futures.
This year, the FAFSA deadline is June 30th. FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
According to Florida College Access Network (FCAN), filling out the FAFSA is the key to finding out how much money you can get to pay for college or technical school.
FCAN recently recognized Parrish Community High School Principal Craig Little and College & Career Advisor Audrey Rife for “Most Improved High School” during the Talent Strong Florida Summit in Tampa.
Nearly twice as many Parrish Community High students completed their FAFSA this year (2022-23) as in the previous year.
So far, 44% of PCHS seniors have filled out their forms.
FCAN hosts an annual challenge to encourage schools to boost their participation by 5% each year.
To date, Lakewood Ranch High (46% total), Braden River High (42% total), Palmetto High (35% total), Bayshore High (29% total) have all increased their completion rates over the previous school year.
35% of Manatee High and 34% of Southeast High seniors have submitted their FAFSA.
According to FCAN, more than half of Florida seniors who complete the FAFSA qualify for the Pell grant, which is one of the largest forms of federal aid available to low-income students.
Completing the FAFSA form is free. Here’s a link to get started: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.