As of July 30, 2026, Peoria Unified has surpassed Arizona’s statewide Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion goal by nearly 10 percentage points, with more than 57 percent of the Class of 2026 completing the FAFSA. The state benchmark was 48 percent. Among neighboring school districts, Peoria Unified achieved the highest FAFSA completion rate for the Class of 2026.

This high completion rate is another benchmark of student success in the Peoria Unified School District, and an indicator of how many seniors intend to continue their education after high school graduation. According to the National College Attainment Network, a nonprofit, nonpartisan professional organization aimed at helping students apply for and succeed in college, students who complete the FAFSA are 84 percent more likely to immediately enroll in college after graduation.

“Completing the FAFSA is one step students take in the process of exploring postsecondary education opportunities,” said Jennifer Luque, Peoria Unified lead counselor. “We are proud of the dedication shown by our students in exploring all avenues available to them post-graduation, to their families for partnering in their child’s education and to our counselors and career center specialists on achieving this milestone.”

Peoria Unified remains committed to ensuring students are college and career ready. Through FAFSA information nights, individualized college application support and career planning resources, counselors and career center specialists at the district’s comprehensive high schools help students navigate postsecondary opportunities. These efforts contributed to the district’s leading FAFSA completion rate and directly align with the Student Success priority within Peoria Unified’s Strategic Framework.

Last year, the Class of 2026 earned more than $93 million in scholarships for postsecondary education.