Spartanburg High Schools above state average for FAFSA completion

Spartanburg Academic Movement in partnership with Spartanburg high schools are continuing to make strides on FAFSA completion as more than half of students in all districts have completed the application.

Local FAFSA (free application for federal student aid) completion rates are higher than the state average of 42 percent. Broome High School is in the top 8 percent of districts statewide with 60% of their students completing the FAFSA.

SAM Director of College and Career Readiness Meghan Smith said completing the FAFSA is a priority since it unlocks funding for postsecondary education and helps students and their parents with affordability. Students who complete the FAFSA are more likely to enroll in college. For the Class of 2022, almost 86 percent of students who completed the application enrolled in college compared to only 25 percent of students who failed to complete the form. The results were similar for the Class of 2020.

SAM supports student-led initiatives by supporting high schools with student-level data, so district staff can assist students who need help with their FAFSA. SAM issues weekly reports to schools on FAFSA completion.

Although schools have made strides in increasing the number of students who complete the FAFSA, there are still barriers. School guidance counselors aren’t specifically trained in FAFSA components, and many don’t have time to interact one-on-one with students. In addition, completing the FAFSA requires parental or guardian involvement for household financial information and some parents have misgivings about providing financial information to federal and state entities.

SAM has provided financial incentives for schools that meet their FAFSA goals during March Blitz annual campaigns to promote innovative ways to increase FAFSA completion.

The Blitz had mixed results as participating high schools had 217 new applications (about half of their goal). Smith said SAM will continue to work to define the metrics and goals for the Class of 2024 and convene high school administrators, guidance counselors, teachers, and students to determine how to proceed with incentivizing FAFSA completion.