Mayor Ras J. Baraka announced that Newark has topped Camden in the first ever FAFSA Challenge: Newark vs. Camden. The NJ Children’s Foundation also announced the winning schools in each of the four school type categories.

Back in January, Mayor Baraka challenged Camden’s Mayor Victor Carstarphen to a FAFSA competition, vowing that Newark high schools would complete more applications than Camden high schools. Within the city of Newark, high schools competed against each other for thousands of dollars in prizes, agreeing that the losing city would pay the winning city $10,000.

The results are in and Newark emerged victorious, besting Camden by having 55 percent of Newark high school students complete the FAFSA, compared with 48 percent of Camden high schools.

“When we announced this friendly competition back in January, I said Newark would win because I’ve seen firsthand, as a high school principal, the resolute determination of our students to rally for important challenges,” Mayor Baraka said. “In actuality, though, the real winners are each kid who completed the FAFSA form, taking the time to set up the best conditions for affordable academic success. Beyond that, both cities, Newark and Camden, have won the future leadership of college graduates who take the initiative to break down every barrier to achievement. I’m proud of them all, and I thank my good friend Mayor Carstarphen for inspiring this wonderful project.”

The competition was funded by The New Jersey Children’s Foundation (NJCF), a non-profit organization, whose mission is to increase academic achievement for all Newark students, and the Camden Education Fund (CEF), a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating progress in Camden’s public school system.

In Newark, the following schools won in their respective categories:

Winning Schools by Category:

Top Selective School (Public & Private):      St. Vincent Academy

Top Public Charter School:                            North Star Academy

Top Public Specialized/County School:         Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School                                                                           of Technology

Top Comprehensive Public School:               Malcolm X Shabazz High School

“I’m so proud of our schools, who clearly rose to the challenge to win the FAFSA contest. Our students are well prepared to create the futures they want for themselves, and completing the FAFSA form is an essential step in that journey,” said Newark Board of Education Superintendent Roger León. “I want to thank NJCF for this challenge that showed what Newark students are made of. I’m grateful for the commitment of counselors and other educators to ensure our students complete the forms that will unlock the financial opportunities they deserve in order to continue learning and growing beyond high school.”

The three category winners – North Star, Donald Payne and Shabazz – all received $5,000 for their senior class, while overall winner St. Vincent received an additional $10,000 for a total of $15,000. In addition, because Newark bested Camden, the schools will receive an additional $10,000, split evenly among the four group winners.

In total, $70,000 is being awarded to high schools in both cities with NJCF and CEF each contributing about $30,000 apiece. Camden Education Fund will pay an extra $10,000 to the Newark high schools as part of the competition.

“It is so great to be able to recognize the educators and seniors at each of these schools for going above and beyond to complete as many FAFSAs as possible,” NJCF Executive Director Barbara Martinez said. “This was certainly a challenging year, but we know one thing for sure, Newark’s schools – district, charter, public and private – are always up to a challenge.”

“Congratulations to Newark for winning the FAFSA Challenge!” said Robyn Brady Ince, the Executive Director of the Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC) and a Rutgers Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Department of Urban Education. “Newark has maintained a steady focus on FAFSA completion now and in years past. Initiatives like the FAFSA Challenge have only deepened this commitment to ensure that all students have the resources, knowledge, understanding, and supports they need to successfully access sorely needed funds for higher education, which we know hinges on the effective and timely completion of the FAFSA.”

Overall FAFSA completion rates are down across the country from prior years in large part because of issues with what was supposed to be a more simplified FAFSA application rolled out this year by the federal Department of Education. However, glitches, errors, and delays have plagued the process, leaving families nationwide frustrated and confused.

The FAFSA completion rate for Newark was 66 percent as of September 15, 2023, according to data compiled by the NCLC and the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University-Newark. That completion rate – which included district, charter, magnet, specialized, and county high schools—exceeded the national (58.5 percent) and state (64.4 percent) averages. Newark’s 2023 66 percent completion rate was up from 56 percent in 2021 and 63 percent in 2022.

Nevertheless, it remains critical that all high school seniors complete their FAFSA to unlock financial aid for college and technical programs. Even though the competition is over, seniors who have not completed their FAFSA still can and are fully encouraged to do so, even throughout the summer.

“While we are proud to have won this competition, we really win when Newark seniors are once again exceeding the state and national averages every year,” Director Martinez said. “Next year we will come back stronger, start earlier, and improve our game because this gatekeeper form can open doors that our young people deserve to go through.”