San Diego County schools are making significant strides in helping students access financial aid for higher education, with the percentage of students completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) rising from 49% in 2019 to 65% in 2026. This increase mirrors a statewide trend in California, where completing financial aid forms became a graduation requirement in 2022.
The San Diego County Office of Education launched the "Race 2 Submit" campaign in 2023, encouraging schools to compete for the highest completion rates. Winning campuses receive cash prizes and congratulatory banners.
Tanya Bulette, school counseling coordinator at the education office, said the campaign has helped school teams understand the importance of removing barriers to college access, with financial aid being the primary reason students choose not to pursue higher education.
To support these efforts, the county office created a dashboard that pulls completion data from the California Student Aid Commission, allowing counselors, teachers, and students to monitor financial aid completion and CalGrant award rates at school and district levels. Counselors also use the California College Guidance Initiative portal, launched in 2024, to track each student's FAFSA completion status and ensure they meet the March 2 deadline for CalGrant eligibility.
At San Marcos Unified School District, 82% of 1,600 enrolled seniors completed their financial aid forms this year, the highest district completion rate in the county, up from 76% in 2025. The district employed strategies such as teacher and parent nights, a "free pie to apply" incentive for students, and early counseling sessions about state and federal grants for underclassmen.
Monarch School, which serves unhoused students, achieved 100% FAFSA completion among its seniors. Counselor Jessica Ley Nuñez recalled a recent graduate who initially refused all college options, insisting he needed to work.
After Ley Nuñez showed him the full Pell Grant available, they created a budget together for tuition, housing, and meal plans at Southwestern College, leaving him with an extra $3,500. The student is now enrolled in community college.
Other schools also saw significant improvements. Twin Oaks High School, a continuation school in San Marcos Unified, increased its financial aid application completion by nearly 60% compared to last year.
Lincoln High School, partnering with the California Student Opportunity and Access Program, increased its completion rate by 28%. Palomar High School, which enrolls a large undocumented student population, increased its completion rate by nearly 60% through a partnership with Students Without Limits, a nonprofit helping immigrant families with the California Dream Act Application.
The campaign has directly increased financial aid awards. At Carlsbad High School, 91 out of 343 students who completed forms received a CalGrant, a 43.8% increase compared to last year.
Southwest High and Sweetwater High schools, which historically had low completion rates, saw 75% and 65% of their seniors receive CalGrants, respectively.
Ley Nuñez emphasized that the work begins years before senior year, with ninth graders learning about GPA, college prerequisites, and career tracks. She connects students to food, housing, and social services first, then drives to meet unhoused students wherever they are to complete their FAFSA forms.
"Sometimes parents are the ones who are getting hard to get a hold of," she said, relying on the school's parent and family liaison to address obstacles like shelter or computer access.
Data from Pew Research shows that the four-year window after high school largely determines economic mobility for decades. For Ley Nuñez, the competition is about ensuring all students access the funding they need to follow their dreams after high school.