2021 College Aid: How Charlotte Area Compares In Application Rates

Charlotte NC

24 November, 2021

12:11 PM

Description

CHARLOTTE, NC — 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 North Carolina, 21,161 FAFSA applications were completed as of Nov. 19 for the current cycle, compared with 23,805 completions at the same point last year. That is an 11.1 percent decrease. (See how Charlotte 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 North Carolina is not following the national trend. Completed applications dropped 11.9 percent from Title 1 schools, compared with a 10.7 percent drop for non-Title 1 school applications as of Nov. 19. Here is how schools in the Charlotte area are doing with FAFSA completion as of Nov. 19 for the 2020-21 cycle compared with the 2019-20 cycle. See more Charlotte 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: Performance Learning Center District: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 6 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: Percent change: Title 1 status: Title I schoolwide School: J T Williams Secondary Montessori District: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 11 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 11 Percent change: 0 Title 1 status: Not Title I schoolwide School: Olympic High - Renaissance School District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 11 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: Percent change: Title 1 status:NA School: Charlotte Teacher Early College District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 12 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: Percent change: Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: Charlotte Engineering Early College-UNCC District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 17 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 32 Percent change: -46.88 Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: Harper Middle College High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 18 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 25 Percent change: -28Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: Cochrane Collegiate Academy District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 19 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: Percent change: Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Cato Middle College High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 21 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 50 Percent change: -58Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: Northwest School of the Arts District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 24 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 49 Percent change: -51.02Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: Queen's Grant Community School District:Queen's Grant Community School Municipality: Mint Hill Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 25 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 29 Percent change: -13.79Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: Levine Middle College High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Matthews Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 28 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 24 Percent change: 16.67Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: Sugar Creek Charter District:Sugar Creek Charter Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 30 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 37 Percent change: -18.92Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Bradford Preparatory School District:Bradford Preparatory School Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 33 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 24 Percent change: 37.5Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: Garinger High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 34 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 53 Percent change: -35.85Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Harding University High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 34 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 46 Percent change: -26.09Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: West Mecklenburg High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 50 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 39 Percent change: 28.21Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: West Charlotte High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 50 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 28 Percent change: 78.57Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide School: Rocky River High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Mint Hill Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 51 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 55 Percent change: -7.27Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: Independence High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 68 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 91 Percent change: -25.27Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: East Mecklenburg High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 86 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 130 Percent change: -33.85Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: Butler High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Matthews Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 116 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 101 Percent change: 14.85Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: Mallard Creek High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 146 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 164 Percent change: -10.98Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: Myers Park High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 162 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 230 Percent change: -29.57Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: South Mecklenburg High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 168 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 193 Percent change: -12.95Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide School: Providence High District:Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Municipality: Charlotte Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2021: 187 Total FAFSA completions as of Nov. 19, 2020: 186 Percent change: 0.54Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide Click here to see the numbers for more Charlotte 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].