Agua Fria board hears update on FAFSA Peer Coach program; district completion rate above state average

Megan Pizzada, introduced as a college and career specialist at Canyon View High School, and student peer coaches described the FAFSA Peer Coach program during the Agua Fria Union High School District governing board meeting on Dec. 10, 2025. The program, now in its fifth year, trains high school students to guide peers through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and requires the peer coaches to attend trainings provided by the Arizona Border Regions.

"Essentially, they train high school students to understand, and complete the FAFSA properly," Pizzada said, describing coaches’ roles in hosting FAFSA completion workshops, running social media outreach and doing community outreach. Each site is allocated roughly one peer coach per 100 graduating seniors; coaches receive a stipend and must meet milestones set by the Arizona Border Regions, she said.

Pizzada told the board the district has a data‑share agreement with Arizona College Connect that supplies FAFSA completion data about every three weeks, enabling staff to identify students who started but did not finish the form and target outreach. "We get it about every 3 weeks. It gets updated," she said.

On metrics, Pizzada reported the district’s FAFSA completion average at about 51%, compared with an Arizona state completion rate she cited at about 32%. Board members thanked the students and staff for the program and praised its role in helping families navigate a complex, time‑sensitive process.

The presentation concluded with board members inviting questions from the peer coaches and thanking them for their work; no formal action was taken during this agenda presentation.