Dresden High School Named FAFSA Champion for 2024-25

Dresden High School has been named a 2024-25 FAFSA Champion by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), distinguishing itself as the only school in Weakley County to receive this honor. The designation celebrates schools that either achieved a 90% or higher FAFSA completion rate or demonstrated significant growth of 5% or more compared to the previous year.

The recognition comes as Tennessee leads the nation in FAFSA completion, achieving a record-breaking 75.7% rate among Tennessee Promise applicants—surpassing its previous record of 75.6% set by the Class of 2020. The announcement was made by THEC in partnership with the National College Attainment Network (NCAN).

Dresden’s recognition underscores the commitment of its staff, counselors, and community to expanding access to higher education through diligent support of financial aid initiatives.

“This recognition reflects the hard work of our schools, counselors, and communities across the state,” said Dr. Steven Gentile, Executive Director of THEC. “Being number one in the nation shows what’s possible when we prioritize student access to financial aid and higher education.”

This year, 158 schools across the state earned FAFSA Champion status as part of the annual TN FAFSA Challenge. The achievement also coincides with a historic TN Promise Class of 2025, which recorded the highest number of last-dollar scholarship applications in program history.

The full list of 2024-25 FAFSA Champion schools is available at CollegeforTN.org.

THEC, created by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1967, oversees the development and coordination of postsecondary education policy in the state, with a focus on increasing the number of Tennesseans earning credentials beyond high school.