2021 College Aid: How Boston Area Compares In Application Rates

Boston MA

24 November, 2021

12:11 PM

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BOSTON, MA — Just as high school seniors are starting to apply for federal financial aid for college next year, nationwide figures that show applications are down about 3.1 percent compared with the same time last year. About 660,000 students completed the application as of Nov. 19 for the 2022-23 aid cycle, compared with 681,000 for the same time last year, according to an Associated Press analysis of data on the Free Application For Federal Student Aid. In Massachusetts, 15,670 FAFSA applications were completed as of Nov. 19 for the current cycle, compared with 16,291 completions at the same point last year. That is a 3.8 percent decrease. (See how Boston area high schools compare below.) It's unclear whether the high school class of 2022 will reverse negative trends in FAFSA completions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, said Bill DeBaun, director of data and evaluation for the National College Attainment Network. "Many schools, and students, are re-adjusting to being back in person, and students who have lost 20 months of building 'college knowledge' about the process for applying to college are likely to be slow, or reluctant, to complete the FAFSA," DeBaun told Patch. "That said, there's still a lot of time left in this cycle for the class of 2022 to catch up to, and surpass, previous classes." College enrollment figures have slipped in recent years. Fall 2021 enrollment was down 3.2 percent from fall 2020 and down 6.5 percent from fall 2019, according to the NCAN. Last cycle, the decline of FAFSA completions was steeper among Title 1 high schools, meaning those where low-income students make up at least 40 percent of enrollment. However, the decline is steeper for non-Title 1 schools so far this cycle. So far Massachusetts is following the national trend. Completed applications dropped 1.9 percent from Title 1 schools, compared with a 4.2 percent drop for non-Title 1 school applications as of Nov. 19. Here is how schools in the Boston area are doing with FAFSA completion as of Nov. 19 for the 2020-21 cycle compared with the 2019-20 cycle. See more Boston area high schools here. Note: Percent changes can be affected by a relatively small difference in completions, especially for smaller schools. FAFSA data only counts students who are no older than 19. School: Community Academy of Science and Health District: Boston Municipality: Dorchester Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 5 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: Percent change: Title 1 status: Title I schoolwide School: The English High District: Boston Municipality: Boston Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 5 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 5 Percent change: 0 Title 1 status: Title I schoolwide School: Brighton High District:Boston Municipality: Brighton Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 5 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 7 Percent change: -28.57 Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Neighborhood House Charter School District:Neighborhood House Charter (District) Municipality: Dorchester Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 6 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 17 Percent change: -64.71 Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Margarita Muniz Academy District:Boston Municipality: Boston Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 7 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: Percent change: Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Jeremiah E Burke High District:Boston Municipality: Dorchester Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 9 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: Percent change: Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Boston International High School District:Boston Municipality: Dorchester Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 9 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: Percent change: Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: City on a Hill Charter Public School Circuit Street District:City on a Hill Charter Public School Circuit Street (Distric Municipality: Roxbury Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 10 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 9 Percent change: 11.11Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Lyon Upper 9-12 District:Boston Municipality: Brighton Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 10 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: Percent change: Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Boston Preparatory Charter Public School District:Boston Preparatory Charter Public (District) Municipality: Hyde Park Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 10 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 12 Percent change: -16.67Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Boston Community Leadership Academy District:Boston Municipality: Hyde Park Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 10 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 11 Percent change: -9.09Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: TechBoston Academy District:Boston Municipality: Dorchester Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 11 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 11 Percent change: 0Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Charlestown High District:Boston Municipality: Charlestown Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 12 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 12 Percent change: 0Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Dearborn District:Boston Municipality: Roxbury Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 14 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 8 Percent change: 75Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Boston Collegiate Charter School District:Boston Collegiate Charter (District) Municipality: Dorchester Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 16 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 17 Percent change: -5.88Title 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 Nov. 19, 2021: 20 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 16 Percent change: 25Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Excel High School District:Boston Municipality: South Boston Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 21 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 13 Percent change: 61.54Title 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 Nov. 19, 2021: 24 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 27 Percent change: -11.11Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Brooke Charter School District:Brooke Charter School (District) Municipality: Roslindale Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 25 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 20 Percent change: 25Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Snowden International School at Copley District:Boston Municipality: Boston Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 26 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 13 Percent change: 100Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Quincy Upper School District:Boston Municipality: Boston Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 26 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 19 Percent change: 36.84Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: East Boston High District:Boston Municipality: East Boston Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 27 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 16 Percent change: 68.75Title 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 Nov. 19, 2021: 29 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 35 Percent change: -17.14Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Winthrop High School District:Winthrop Municipality: Winthrop Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 29 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 39 Percent change: -25.64Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: Excel Academy Charter School District:Excel Academy Charter (District) Municipality: East Boston Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 31 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 30 Percent change: 3.33Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide Click here to see the numbers for more Boston area high schools. The FAFSA deadline for the 2021-2022 academic year is June 30, 2022, while the 2022-23 deadline is June 30, 2023. Many states and colleges set their own deadlines for aid applications. There has been a push in recent years to have students fill out the FAFSA earlier in their senior year. Editor's note: This list was automatically generated using FAFSA data analyzed by the Associated Press. Federal high school counts don't include students over the age of 19. 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].