As the Class of 2015 gets set to begin its senior year, the final scholarship numbers for their predecessors set a high bar for the incoming seniors to attain.
Members of the Class of 2014 received more than $136.1 million in scholarship offers, a record for the school system and an amount that is nearly 7 percent higher than the Class of 2013. Eight of the county’s 13 high schools pulled in more than $10 million in offers, with South River’s $18.6 million leading the way. On a per-senior basis, 10 of the county’s 13 high schools garnered more than $25,000 per student.
In an effort to ensure equitable opportunities are being presented to all students, school counselors across the county have placed an increased emphasis on working with African-American students and those students eligible for free and reduced-price meals to help them secure scholarships. The more than $19.6 million in scholarship offers to African-American students this year is a 10.5 percent increase over the 2012-2013 school year. This increase reflects a targeted and strategic approach to providing scholarship information, monitoring applications for accuracy and quality, supporting students’ completion of applications, and tracking application information.
“The fact that scholarship offers continue to rise year after year is a tribute not only to the quality of our students, but to the teamwork of students, parents, teachers, counselors, and other school staff who work tirelessly to explore every conceivable opportunity,” Superintendent George Arlotto said. “This is a tribute to every one of them.”
Scholarship and other post-secondary plan information is provided by seniors and collected through Naviance, an innovative school system program which allows school counselors to monitor the college application process for students and provide ongoing advice with regard to scholarships and other matters.
The data also indicates that 88 percent of graduating seniors plan to attend a two- or four-year college, 21 percent plan to work full-time, 10 percent plan to enlist in the military, and 4 percent plan to attend a private career school.
More information about the scholarship offers and post-secondary plans for the Class of 2014 can be found by clicking the link below.
Class of 2014 Scholarship Offers