Information is knowledge; and knowledge is power. That’s the whole idea behind the new Cash for College Data Dashboard that tracks FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) completions each week for every high school in our region. It’s an empowering tool for schools, students and parents.
In partnership with Alabama Possible, the FAFSA Action Network for Bold Goals Education has been using a data dashboard for the past few years to track completed applications, but this new dashboard makes the data easier than ever to navigate and understand. In addition to a statewide overview, you can select and view information for individual schools, school systems and counties.
We’re particularly interested in, and focused on, FAFSA completions because we know that nine out of 10 high school seniors who complete the application actually go on to enroll in college the next fall. The new data dashboard is a great tool to help us all monitor and understand this important community-level outcome.
Having the data available to the public in an easy-to-use format has been transformative in our region. Many high schools have seen dramatic increases in FAFSA completion after signing up for Cash for College, using the data and implementing best practices. FAFSA completions have also increased throughout the Bold Goals region and statewide. Last year, Alabama was among the top 10 states in the nation for improvement in FAFSA completion rates!