CUMBERLAND – Blackstone Valley Prep High School is planning a major expansion on Broad Street, a move leaders there say will allow the school to get to its capacity and
How 5 Rhode Island high school seniors made it through the pandemic Dan McGowan
If you have friends or relatives who would like their own free copy of this daily briefing about Rhode Island, tell them they can
LEADING OFF
Happy Friday and welcome to Rhode Map, your daily guide to everything happening in the Ocean State. I’m Dan McGowan and I can’t even explain how giddy I am to watch the Knicks in the playoffs this weekend. Follow me on Twitter
.
ICYMI: Rhode Island was up to 150,948 confirmed coronavirus cases on Thursday, after adding 84 new cases. The most-recent overall daily test-positive rate was 0.7 percent, and the first-time positive rate was 6.6 percent. The state announced no new deaths, keeping the total at 2,703. There were 71 people in the hospital, and 523,474 residents were fully vaccinated.
Rhode Island schools come up with fresh ways to get seniors to apply for federal financial aid
PROVIDENCE The pandemic has wrenched so many high school students off course, but one of the most devastating side effects has been the drop in federal student aid applications, considered a must for students from low-income families.
Rhode Island has seen a 12.5% decline in use of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, compared with a drop 10% nationally. That said, Rhode Island has the seventh-highest rate of completing the application nationwide, ranking right behind Massachusetts and Connecticut.
A 2018 study by NerdWallet estimated that by not completing the FAFSA, Rhode Island students left $6 million in federal Pell Grants “on the table.”