Coral Reef High School is the winner of the Florida College Access Network Florida CAN Challenge. Specifically, the school has won the top award in the state for large high schools in the category of MVP— Highest FAFSA Completion Rate.
The Florida FAFSA Challenge is a statewide campaign that aims to increase the proportion of Florida high school seniors who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by encouraging schools, districts and communities to set bold and attainable FAFSA completion goals for their students.
Through Mar. 31, 54 school districts and 390 high schools have increased the number of seniors who completed the federal financial aid form by at least 5 percent over last year, contributing to a statewide gain of 9.1 percent. This translates to over $37 million more in Pell grant dollars alone for graduating seniors to help pay the cost of college.
“The boost in Florida’s FAFSA completions this year is phenomenal and a credit to the schools, districts, and community partners who have worked passionately to ensure all of our students have the resources to attend college,” said Laurie Meggesin, Florida CAN’s executive director. “This is a real game changer for the thousands of students and families impacted by this collective effort.”
In addition to bragging rights, Coral Reef’s award included:
2017 Florida College Access and Success Summit on May 10-11 in Orlando (The program agenda can be viewed at fcansummit.org.) and trophy for the school.
The mission of the Florida College Access Network is to create and strengthen a statewide network that catalyzes and supports communities to improve college and career preparation, access, and completion for all students. The goal is to increase the percentage of Florida residents who hold a high-quality postsecondary degree or credential to 60 percent by the year 2025.
For more information, visit www.floridacollegeaccess.org.
(Mrs.) Lou Gilman is CAP/college advisor at Cora Reef.
