Lucerne Valley High School receives high marks for helping students prepare for college

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·2 min read

Lucerne Valley High School was recently recognized for helping prospective college students complete their Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms.

The Lucerne Valley Unified School District-based school was recognized by the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten for having a 94% FAFSA completion rate. The completion rate is currently the highest this year, according to Marten. FAFSA forms determine students’ eligibility for student financial aid.

Lucerne Valley High School was recently recognized for helping prospective college students complete their Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms.
Lucerne Valley High School was recently recognized for helping prospective college students complete their Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms.

“Great job by our High School team!” said Superintendent Peter Livingston in a written statement. “The FAFSA completion gives students the access to Federal Financial Aid should they choose to go to college.”

Livingston added that FAFSA “keeps the door open” for students should they choose to go to college to get financial aid.

The school's FAFSA team is composed of school counselors Ashley Ackerman and Kevin Barda and is overseen by Assistant Principal Jessica Haecker, district officials said.

Using the most recent data available, the National College Attainment Network calculated that 57% of high school graduates from the class of 2021 completed a FAFSA.

District officials said the school's rating was announced via a group affiliated with the California School Boards Association and the Association of California School Administrators.

National College Attainment Network 

Completion of the FAFSA is one of the best predictors of whether a high school senior will go on to college, according to the National College Attainment Network.

Seniors who complete the FAFSA are 84% more likely to immediately enroll in postsecondary education. For students in the lowest socioeconomic quintile, FAFSA completion is associated with a 127% increase in immediate college enrollment.

The 57% FAFSA completion rate in 2021 was four percentage points higher than the 2015-16 rate, and significantly higher than the 44% rate that was previously reported by the National College Attainment Network.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Lucerne Valley high recognized for helping students prepare for college