SEATTLE/SOUTH KING COUNTY – A major push is under way to make sure eligible students are signed up for the College Bound Scholarship, an opportunity that could pay for their college tuition.
The College Bound Scholarship promises tuition (at public institution rates) and a small book allowance for low-income students who sign up by June 30 of their 7th or 8th grade year, work hard in school, stay out of legal trouble and successfully enroll in a participating higher-education institution when they graduate. Although the deadline to sign up for the scholarship is June 30, it is much easier to reach eligible students before school lets out for summer – so time is running out!
The Road Map Project, a region-wide effort aimed at improving education to drive dramatic improvement in student achievement from cradle to college and career in South King County and South Seattle, is working collaboratively with school districts, community partners and others to coordinate a sign-up campaign for the third year. As part of the campaign, sign-up data for the Road Map Project school districts (Auburn, Federal Way, Highline, Kent, Renton, Seattle – south-end schools only – and Tukwila) is being regularly updated on the Road Map Project’s College Bound Scholarship web page.
According to data received June 10 from the Washington Student Achievement Council, 85 percent of the region’s 5,189 eligible students have signed up for the College Bound Scholarship. The Road Map Project’s goal for the region is 90 percent.
Here are the latest sign-up rates for individual districts in the Road Map Project region:
- Auburn School District: 90 percent of 551 eligible students
- Federal Way Public Schools: 79 percent of 1,004 eligible students
- Highline Public Schools: 84 percent of 840 eligible students
- Kent School District: 94 percent of 1,134 eligible students
- Renton School District: 83 percent of 600 eligible students
- Seattle Public Schools (south-end schools only): 84 percent of 894 eligible students
- Tukwila School District: 53 percent of 166 eligible students
Great work is being done in schools across the region to make sure students don’t miss this amazing opportunity. Two examples of excellence are the Kent and Auburn school districts. Kent had already reached 90 percent in March, when the Road Map Project started publishing weekly data reports, and remains at the top of the pack. Auburn has made incredible progress in its sign-up efforts: The district’s current rate is more than 40 points higher than where the district was in late May of last year.
The College Bound Scholarship Program is administered by the Washington Student Achievement Council. Students and families may apply at http://www.wsac.wa.gov/PreparingForCollege/CollegeBound.
Posted in: College and Career Readiness