FAFSA Completions Down In MA: How Boston Area Schools Compare

Boston MA

23 April, 2021

4:22 PM

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BOSTON, MA — Among the many disruptions caused by the pandemic is a decline in the number of students filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is used to apply for college financial aid. FAFSA form completions are often seen as a harbinger of future enrollment. The decline of applications this year, especially among low-income students, has some experts worried. "This year is clawing back relative to last year, but it's still not a good FAFSA completion situation," said Bill DeBaun, director of data and evaluation for the National College Attainment Network. Nationally, the total number of FAFSA completions is down 6.7 percent through the week ending April 9 compared with the same date last year; there were 1.88 million applications last year compared with 1.75 million this year. There has been improvement in recent weeks and the situation is looking more optimsitic compared to the fall; in November 2020 there was a year-over-year percent drop of 16.8 percent in FAFSA completions. In Massachusetts, there were 36,388 FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021, compared with 38,665 completions at the same point last year, according to an Associated Press analysis of FAFSA data. That is a 5.9 percent drop. (See how Boston area high schools did at bottom of article.) At this point, it's hard to say whether the decline in FAFSA applications suggests a decline in college enrollment for the fall 2021 semester, DeBaun said. "If we don't help students complete the milestones now, there is no guarantee that they will hop on a postsecondary path in the fall," he said. Freshman enrollment dropped 13 percent nationally in fall 2020, according to the National Student Clearinghouse. The largest decrease occurred at community colleges. Total undergraduate enrollment was down 4.4 percent in the fall. Other changes are at hand in the college application process this year. Many top-tier schools made test scores optional and saw a massive surge in applications, according to The New York Times. At the same time many smaller schools and state colleges reported a drop in applicants. The decline in FAFSA applications is owing largely to the coronavirus pandemic, DeBaun said. The high school senior class of 2021 experienced disruption for part of its junior year and all of its senior year, including restricted access to high school-based help with completion of FAFSA forms. The FAFSA process isn't intuitive for many students and their families. Primary support often comes from school-based financial aid events.  Completion rates have declined even faster at Title 1 high schools, meaning those where low-income students make up at least 40 percent of enrollment. The completion rate dropped 9.4 percent this year at Title 1 schools as of April 9, compared with 4.6 percent for non-Title 1 schools, according to NCAN's FAFSA status tracker. In Massachusetts, there was a 9.9 percent drop among completed applications from Title 1 schools compared with a 4.9 percent drop for non-Title 1 school applications as of March 26. The widening gap is largely due to the disruption in support that schools give families in completing the FAFSA. Here is how schools in the Boston area are doing with FAFSA completion as of March 26. See more Boston area high schools here. Note: Percent changes can be affected by a relatively small difference in completions, especially for smaller schools. School: BOSTON DAY AND EVENING ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL District: BOSTON DAY AND EVENING ACADEMY CHARTER (DISTRICT) Municipality: ROXBURY Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 10 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 26 Percent change: -61.54 Title 1 status: Title I schoolwide School: LYON UPPER 9-12 District: BOSTON Municipality: BRIGHTON Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 8 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 19 Percent change: -57.89 Title 1 status: Title I schoolwide School: COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL OF CAMBRIDGE District:COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL OF CAMBRIDGE (DISTRICT) Municipality: CAMBRIDGE Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 26 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 45 Percent change: -42.22 Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: CHELSEA HIGH District:CHELSEA Municipality: CHELSEA Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 75 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 128 Percent change: -41.41 Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: BROOKE CHARTER SCHOOL District:BROOKE CHARTER SCHOOL (DISTRICT) Municipality: ROSLINDALE Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 27 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 45 Percent change: -40 Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: EAST BOSTON HIGH District:BOSTON Municipality: EAST BOSTON Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 67 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 109 Percent change: -38.53Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: MARGARITA MUNIZ ACADEMY District:BOSTON Municipality: BOSTON Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 23 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 36 Percent change: -36.11 Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: BOSTON INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL District:BOSTON Municipality: DORCHESTER Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 21 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 32 Percent change: -34.38Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: BRIGHTON HIGH District:BOSTON Municipality: BRIGHTON Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 33 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 50 Percent change: -34Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: COMMUNITY ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AND HEALTH District:BOSTON Municipality: DORCHESTER Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 26 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 38 Percent change: -31.58Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: TECHBOSTON ACADEMY District:BOSTON Municipality: DORCHESTER Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 52 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 74 Percent change: -29.73Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: CODMAN ACADEMY CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOL District:CODMAN ACADEMY CHARTER PUBLIC (DISTRICT) Municipality: DORCHESTER Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 16 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 21 Percent change: -23.81Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: NEW MISSION HIGH SCHOOL District:BOSTON Municipality: HYDE PARK Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 46 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 55 Percent change: -16.36Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: CHARLESTOWN HIGH District:BOSTON Municipality: CHARLESTOWN Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 52 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 61 Percent change: -14.75Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: EXCEL ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL District:EXCEL ACADEMY CHARTER (DISTRICT) Municipality: EAST BOSTON Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 90 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 105 Percent change: -14.29Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: DR. WILLIAM HENDERSON UPPER District:BOSTON Municipality: DORCHESTER Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 31 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 36 Percent change: -13.89Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: SNOWDEN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AT COPLEY District:BOSTON Municipality: BOSTON Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 42 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 47 Percent change: -10.64Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: BOSTON COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ACADEMY District:BOSTON Municipality: HYDE PARK Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 51 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 57 Percent change: -10.53Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: BOSTON ARTS ACADEMY District:BOSTON Municipality: BOSTON Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 62 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 68 Percent change: -8.82Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: ROXBURY PREPARATORY CHARTER SCHOOL District:ROXBURY PREPARATORY CHARTER (DISTRICT) Municipality: ROXBURY Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 88 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 95 Percent change: -7.37Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: PIONEER CHARTER SCHOOL OF SCIENCE District:PIONEER CHARTER SCHOOL OF SCIENCE (DISTRICT) Municipality: EVERETT Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 40 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 43 Percent change: -6.98Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: EVERETT HIGH District:EVERETT Municipality: EVERETT Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 173 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 183 Percent change: -5.46Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: ACADEMY OF THE PACIFIC RIM CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOL District:ACADEMY OF THE PACIFIC RIM CHARTER PUBLIC (DISTRICT) Municipality: HYDE PARK Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 39 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 41 Percent change: -4.88Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: EDWARD M. KENNEDY ACADEMY FOR HEALTH CAREERS (HORACE MANN CH District:EDWARD M. KENNEDY ACADEMY FOR HEALTH CAREERS (HORACE MANN CH Municipality: BOSTON Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 62 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 65 Percent change: -4.62Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: MATCH CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOL District:MATCH CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOL (DISTRICT) Municipality: BOSTON Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2021: 62 Total FAFSA completions as of March 26, 2020: 64 Percent change: -3.12Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide Click here to see the numbers for more Boston area high schools. Any student who is even remotely considering attending college in the fall should fill out the FAFSA, DeBaun said. Some colleges have been more flexible with their aid deadlines. "If you have any aspiration for attending in the fall, it's still important to fill out the FAFSA," he said, "and it's not too late to do so." Editor's note: This list was automatically generated using FAFSA data analyzed by the Associated Press. Information isn't available for all schools. Schools with fewer than five completions are omitted from the data. Please report any errors or other feedback to [email protected].