Director’s note
Dear partners,
Two years ago, my son and I sat at our kitchen table, wrestling with the FAFSA. The form had been delayed. We couldn’t log into his account. The process was confusing. We were both frustrated, and frankly, we weren't alone—thousands of Washington families were experiencing the same struggle. That experience, combined with the struggles we heard from families across the state, stays with me as I read this month's stories about how Washington is working to help more students and their families complete the FAFSA and bridge the gap between student aspirations and postsecondary enrollment.
The good news: the FAFSA is now live and has been simplified, and the state's new FAFSA completion campaign, which you can read about below, couldn't come at a better time.
The broader lesson from our newsletter this month is even more encouraging—when we listen to students and remove systemic barriers, remarkable things happen. Students know what they want. Our job is to make sure the pathways are clear, accessible, and designed with their success in mind.
With gratitude,
Angela Jones
Director, Washington State Initiative
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Students want college. Adults need to catch up.
Surveys conducted over the last three years by the High School to Postsecondary (H2P) Collaborative, led by Washington STEM and spanning 40 schools and nearly 30,000 students, revealed a critical gap: 90% of Washington high schoolers want postsecondary education, but adults believe only 71% do.
What they discovered:
- The aspiration rate holds steady across geography, gender, race, and first-generation status—yet postsecondary enrollment and completion gaps persist across these same demographics.
- Structural barriers prevent schools from accessing their own postsecondary outcome data, despite administrators' deep interest in graduate success.
The H2P Collaborative’s work has helped inform the Gates Foundation’s Limitless Learning Network and Horizons regional grant program efforts.
Why it matters: This isn't just research—it's a blueprint for systemic change. When educators see concrete data showing student aspirations exceed their expectations, they immediately redesign programming. The H2P Collaborative showed that data-driven approaches that put students at the center can unlock potential that was always there.
- Washington STEM has used findings from their H2P Collaborative to advocate for additional programs that support students, like the elimination of fees for College in the High School dual credit, which has led to a 46% enrollment jump in two years.
- The Gates Foundation recently funded WSIPC to expand a platform piloted by the H2P Collaborative that visualizes high school and postsecondary data together to help leaders better understand where students go after graduation—and how their pathways align with their high school experience.
Read more: Washington STEM: The High School to Postsecondary Collaborative
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Governor launches FAFSA completion campaign
The big picture: Washington currently ranks 47th among states for FAFSA completion, with only 45.3% of graduating seniors completing the application this year—despite offering some of the nation's most generous financial aid. Gov. Ferguson signed an executive order at Renton High School launching the "Washington Completes FAFSA" campaign to help flip the script for Washington students.
The details:
- Washington sits alongside states like Wyoming and North Dakota in FAFSA completion.
- Nearly half of families qualify for the WA Grant, yet far too many high school seniors aren't even filling out the FAFSA or the state-offered alternative, the WASFA, to access this funding.
- The Washington Completes FAFSA campaign, which will be led by the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), will specifically target money left on the table: federal and state aid that doesn't require repayment.
Why it matters: Thousands of Washington students are missing out on financial aid opportunities that could make college accessible.
- The Washington Completes FAFSA campaign targets a critical barrier preventing students from accessing the postsecondary education they want: accessing financial aid to make college more affordable.
- The Gates Foundation continues to support efforts across the state—through grants to organizations like WSAC and our Horizons regional partners—to help more students explore financial aid and complete the FAFSA or WASFA.
Read more: WA governor wants to boost state’s low rate of federal student aid applications
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La Cima bilingual leadership camp expands
The growth story: The La Cima bilingual leadership camp served about 260 Latino high school students this summer at Central Washington University—the program’s highest total yet—helping them discover tools and resources to access higher education.
- La Cima, led by the Association of Washington Student Leaders, is a week-long high school summer camp designed to impart leadership and life skills to Latino youth in Washington state.
- The Gates Foundation has provided funding to AWSL to support La Cima for the last two years.
- All content is delivered in both English and Spanish, helping Latino students develop self-identity, a sense of empowerment, and leadership skills to better serve their schools and communities.
- All five four-year public campuses and several community colleges participated in a career fair at the camp.
Why it matters: Latino students are more likely to be the first in their family to attend college than any other student group. For many students, this camp represents their first exposure to college possibilities, delivered in a culturally affirming environment that builds on their strengths.
- "As first-generation kids, you have to learn to figure it out on your own. It's sink or swim," La Cima counselor Morelia Ayala shared with Thurston Talk.
- The camp teaches students to access “navigational capital” within their communities, Ayala added.
- As 11th grader Sheyla Álvarez Gómez shared: “I realized I'm not alone in my struggles or dreams. There's a community that shares similar values.”
- Dr. Bish Paul, who supports this work at the Gates Foundation, said: “Investing in La Cima means building enduring ladders of opportunity by empowering students who, in turn, lift entire communities over time. Each graduate’s success ripples across families and generations—many have become educators themselves, opening more doors and forging a legacy of economic mobility.”
Read more: TOGETHER! Strengthens Commitment to Serving Latino Youth Through La Cima Bilingual Leadership Camp
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School counselors reveal what students need to belong
A League of Education Voters webinar featuring Washington School Counselor Association leaders and four student panelists showed that creating belonging requires more than good intentions—it demands structural changes and constant listening.
What high school students said matters most:
- Jack: Teachers should build club time into the school day and follow up on student feedback.
- CC: Mental health check-ins and discreet support for struggling students are essential.
- Angel: Small gestures like saying "I'm proud of you" can be transformative.
- Daisy: Weekly check-ins and personalized outreach foster trust.
What's working in schools: School counselors highlighted programs that have been successful in creating this environment for students to thrive, including:
- Juanita High School's "affinity homerooms"—weekly 40-minute sessions where students choose interest-based groups like cars, baking, or Brazilian culture.
- Stevens Elementary's peer-led programs where older students are trained to be mediators and tour guides for new, younger students.
- Spokane International Academy's global competence curriculum that culminates in international travel for 8th graders.
Why it matters: This webinar reinforced the month's central theme: students know what they need to succeed, but adults must create systems that actually listen and respond.
- As one counselor noted, belonging isn't a September activity—it's an ongoing commitment that requires real-life stories from students and families, not just assumptions about what support looks like.
Watch the webinar: Strategies for a successful start to the school year
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Community college creates nation's first public airport training program
What's happening: South Seattle College launched a certificate program in Airport Ground Support Equipment, which the college believes is the first publicly offered training program of its kind in the United States.
What makes this significant:
- The program was created to address industry labor shortages and respond to airport workers' requests for upskilling opportunities.
- The certificate takes three full-time quarters to complete and prepares students to become airport ground support equipment technicians, heavy equipment technicians, high-voltage electrical technicians, and mechanical maintenance engineers.
- Industry partners include the Port of Seattle, Port Jobs, and Alaska Airlines.
Why it matters: As South Seattle College demonstrates, community colleges can identify specific local workforce needs, partner directly with industry, and create clear pathways from education to employment.
- This program demonstrates how postsecondary education can deliver immediate, tangible career outcomes when aligned with regional economic needs and worker requests for advancement.
- “By listening to the needs of both industry and our community, we're creating innovative training opportunities that empower students and help meet critical workforce gaps,” says Ferdinand Orbino, Dean of Skilled Trades at SSC.
Read more: South Seattle College program could help Sea-Tac fill workforce gap
What we're reading
- New leaders of WA’s two largest universities navigate tough era for higher education, Washington State Standard
- How education impacted income and earnings from 2004 to 2024, US Census Bureau
- A day in the life of our Student Storyteller studying to become a professional pilot, Ready Washington