May 31, 2017
The Community Foundation of North Central Florida, Alachua County Education Compact, and Business in Greater Gainesville are thrilled to announce the winners of the local 2017 Florida FAFSA Challenge.
Jennifer Taylor, Supervisor of Guidance and Student Services and the seven Alachua County Public high schools Guidance Counselors, had a goal to increase the number of seniors completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by 5% through March 31, 2017. The Guidance Counselors reached their goal, having increased the number of seniors who completed the Federal Financial Aid form by 9.6% contributing to a statewide gain of 9.1%.
All seven high schools hosted a Financial Aid night, and the district hosted a community-wide Financial Aid night at Buchholz High Schools in late March.
“The credit for the increase in the FAFSA Completion rate this year was a result of the shared vision our community had for increasing the number of seniors that completed the Financial Aid application, said Ian Fletcher, Vice President of Education and Talent Alignment for the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce. “The School Board, Superintendent, Schools, Guidance Counselors and Community Partners worked together to enhance the lives of these graduating seniors.”
Learn more about the challenge and which schools received “MVP” and “Most Improved”.