FAFSA Completions Down In OH: How Cincinnati Area Schools Compare

CINCINNATI, OH — Applications for federal college financial aid are notably lower this year, and that could mean fewer freshmen when classes begin this fall.

Prospective college students can fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to qualify for subsidized student loans and other forms of aid. FAFSA applications declined 5.8 percent nationally this year compared with the same time last year. About 1.72 million students completed the application as of June 25, compared with 1.83 million in 2020, according to an Associated Press analysis of FAFSA data.

As of February this year, FAFSA applications were down 10 percent from last year. But the completion rate increased in the spring, when schools could hold more in-school FAFSA help events that were canceled last year because of the pandemic.

A decline in the FAFSA completion rate could be a harbinger of lower enrollment in the fall. The class of 2020 had 3.7 percent fewer FAFSA applications than the class of 2019; postsecondary enrollment dropped 6.8 percent between the class of 2020 and 2019, according to the National College Attainment Network.

In Ohio, 56,162 FAFSA applications were completed as of June 25, compared with 59,704 completions at the same point last year. That is a 5.9 percent decrease. (See how Cincinnati area high schools compare below.)

The decline is steeper among Title 1 high schools, meaning those where low-income students make up at least 40 percent of enrollment. Title 1 high school completions dropped 8.83 percent, compared with a 3.86 decrease for non-Title 1 schools.

In Ohio, completed applications dropped 11.5 percent from Title 1 schools, compared with a 3.6 percent drop for non-Title 1 school applications as of June 25.

Here is how schools in the Cincinnati area are doing with FAFSA completion as of June 25. See more Cincinnati 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: Walnut Hills High School
District: Cincinnati Public Schools
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 406
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 399
• Percent change: 1.75
• Title 1 status: Not Title I schoolwide

School: Oak Hills High School
District: Oak Hills Local
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 277
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 275
• Percent change: 0.73
• Title 1 status: Not Title I schoolwide

School: Wyoming High School
District:Wyoming City
Municipality: Wyoming

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 134
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 127
• Percent change: 5.51
• Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide

School: Mariemont High School
District:Mariemont City
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 83
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 84
• Percent change: -1.19
• Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide

School: Norwood High School
District:Norwood City
Municipality: Norwood

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 47
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 62
• Percent change: -24.19
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Gilbert A. Dater High School
District:Cincinnati Public Schools
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 45
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 72
• Percent change: -37.5
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Clark Montessori High School
District:Cincinnati Public Schools
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 44
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 46
• Percent change: -4.35
• Title 1 status:Not Title I schoolwide

School: Withrow University High School
District:Cincinnati Public Schools
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 40
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 80
• Percent change: -50
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Western Hills University High School
District:Cincinnati Public Schools
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 39
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 40
• Percent change: -2.5
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Hughes Stem High School
District:Cincinnati Public Schools
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 39
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 48
• Percent change: -18.75
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Reading Community High School
District:Reading Community City
Municipality: Reading

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 35
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 55
• Percent change: -36.36
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Shroder Paideia High School
District:Cincinnati Public Schools
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 32
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 44
• Percent change: -27.27
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: St Bernard-Elmwood Place High School
District:St Bernard-Elmwood Place City
Municipality: Saint Bernard

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 29
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 18
• Percent change: 61.11
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Bellevue High School
District:Bellevue Independent
Municipality: Bellevue

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 28
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 26
• Percent change: 7.69
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Woodward Career Technical High School
District:Cincinnati Public Schools
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 28
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 45
• Percent change: -37.78
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy
District:Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 25
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 13
• Percent change: 92.31
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: North College Hill High School
District:North College Hill City
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 25
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 27
• Percent change: -7.41
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Dayton High School
District:Dayton Independent
Municipality: Dayton

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 24
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 21
• Percent change: 14.29
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Virtual High School
District:Cincinnati Public Schools
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 23
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 19
• Percent change: 21.05
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Robert A. Taft Information Technology High School
District:Cincinnati Public Schools
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 20
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 27
• Percent change: -25.93
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: James N. Gamble Montessori High School
District:Cincinnati Public Schools
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 19
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 32
• Percent change: -40.62
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Dohn Community
District:Dohn Community
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 17
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 18
• Percent change: -5.56
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Lockland High School
District:Lockland Local
Municipality: Lockland

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 14
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 16
• Percent change: -12.5
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Riverview East Academy
District:Cincinnati Public Schools
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 13
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 19
• Percent change: -31.58
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

School: Oyler School
District:Cincinnati Public Schools
Municipality: Cincinnati

• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 11
• Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 8
• Percent change: 37.5
• Title 1 status:Title I schoolwide

The FAFSA application for the 2020-21 academic year closes June 30 at 11:59 p.m. CT, according to the U.S. Department of Education. 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 content@patch.com.