Today, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Antoinette S. Mitchell recognized the top DC schools that made significant gains in the number of students who completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a key step in the college application process for thousands of DC student each year, as part of the DC FAFSA Completion Initiative.
“At OSSE, we are driven by the belief that every student who wants a college degree should have the opportunity to pursue one—and completing the FAFSA is a crucial first step,” said State Superintendent Dr. Mitchell. “Congratulations to the DC schools that have made remarkable gains on the DC FAFSA Completion Initiative – you are literally opening doors to higher education for students through this initiative. We are proud to stand with you in making college more accessible for all.” ?
To help boost the number of high school seniors applying to colleges and universities each year, the 乌鸦传媒 of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) launched the DC FAFSA Completion Initiative. The initiative encourages public and public charter schools, as well as and community-based organizations that serve DC high school students, to set a goal to increase the proportion of their high school seniors who complete the FAFSA by 3 percent from the prior year.
To celebrate DC’s college-bound students and recognize schools for their efforts in boosting FAFSA completion among students, OSSE awards a trophy to schools in three categories: MVP Award for highest FAFSA completion rate; Most Improved Award for improving their FAFSA completion rate the most compared to last year; and Biggest Boost for schools with the largest week-to-week improvement in FAFSAs completed.
OSSE is excited to announce the FAFSA Completion Award winners for the 2024-25 school year – including H.D. Woodson, which won in two categories:
MVP Award
- Large High School* – Benjamin Banneker High School
- Small High School* – BASIS DC Public Charter School
Most Improved
- Large High School – H.D. Woodson High School
- Small High School – Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School
Biggest Boost
- Large High School – H.D. Woodson High School
- Small High School – Capital City Public Charter School - High School
*Please Note: Large Schools have at least 100 students enrolled in grade 12; Small Schools have fewer than 100 students enrolled in grade 12.
For more information on the DC FAFSA Completion Initiative and resources for students pursuing a two- or four-year degree, visit OSSE’s FAFSA Completion Awards.