A low local FAFSA completion rate isn’t just seen in BCS. Henderson County Schools spokeswoman Molly McGowan Gorsuch said HCS has about 1,083 graduates for the 2020-21 school year. U.S. Department of Education data reported only 448 FAFSA applications from Henderson County public high schools as of May 7. That’s only 41%.
According to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, HCS had 1,035 graduates in 2020. Federal education data showed 434 FAFSA applications by May 7, 2020, putting the completion rate before graduation at about 42%.
Asheville City Schools has 324 students who could graduate this May, district spokeswoman Ashley-Michelle Thublin said. Federal data shows 181 ACS students or 56% having completed the FAFSA by May 7.