Pictured (left to right): Yasmine Pena, 8th & 9th Grade Counselor; Andre Gutierrez, 12th Grade Counselor & CAP Advisor; Alicia Rivas, Student Services Department Head; and Margie Rodriguez, 10th & 11th Grade Counselor at Mater Lakes Academy High School.
Congrats to Mater Lakes Academy High School in Miami-Dade County! The school received two trophies as a part of the 2016 Florida FAFSA Challenge for its efforts to increase the number of its students completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
From January to March this year, the school increased its FAFSA completion rate by 15.4% compared to last year, raising its overall completion rate to 51.7%.
Some of the school’s FAFSA completion efforts included holding daily office hours to help students complete the form, sending students weekly alerts, posting a FAFSA completion guide on the school’s website and inviting representatives from the Florida Department of Education Office of Financial Student Assistance to present information on the FAFSA application process.
Florida CAN applauds Mater Lakes Academy High School on this success!
For a full list of 2015-16 Florida FAFSA Challenge winners, click here.
The Florida FAFSA Challenge strives to boost the number of 12th graders who complete the FAFSA, which helps students qualify for financial aid like Pell grants to pay for college expenses. Registration for the 2016-17 Florida FAFSA Challenge is now open, which will begin when the 2017-18 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opens on October 1, 2016.