The Iowa Department of Education (DoE) recently recognized five local high schools for their dedication to ensuring students’ access to post-secondary education is not blocked by financial reasons via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is the first step for universities, community colleges, and work-study programs in determining financial need and helps access billions of dollars in aid from federal, state, and institutional sources. Kuemper Catholic High School received the FAFSA-Focused School of Excellence award by having more than 70 percent of students in the class of 2025 complete the FAFSA, joining just 27 other schools in Iowa. The FAFSA-Focused School of Achievement award recognizes schools that met or exceeded their completion goals. Locally, recipients included Greene County High School, Panorama Community High School, Paton-Churdan High School, and South Central Calhoun High School. DoE Iowa College Aid Chief David Ford says, “This is the first time we have publicly recognized schools for their FAFSA completion efforts. We’re eager to expand this program and assist more school in reaching these thresholds and earning honors in the coming years.” Moulton-Udell High School was the top performing school in the state with a FAFSA completion rate of 89 percent. Statewide, just 52 percent of students in the class of 2025 completed the FAFSA as of July 31. Local schools and their recorded completion rates are included with this story on our website.
_____
