Applying for student aid can require almost as much work as an actual college course.

Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a chore under the best of circumstances. Bureaucratic bungling in the last year resulted in the document, often called the FAFSA, being released late and more complex than ever.

Parents and students need a big assist to deal with the application.

And while dealing with it is a headache, completing the FAFSA is a must because it determines a student’s eligibility for thousands of dollars worth of loans and grants to help pay for higher education.

That’s why it’s refreshing to see that one area school, Southeast Valley High School, is succeeding in a big way at helping parents and students with the application.

The home of the Jaguars was named a FAFSA School of Distinction by the Iowa Department of Education.

It is one of 71 schools in the state to receive that honor.

Southeast Valley was honored in the category of Focused School of Achievement because it met or exceeded its FAFSA completion goal, which was set at the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year.

To do that, the school worked with senior students and families on how to create Federal Student Aid identification, hosted FAFSA Nights where students and families could come in and receive assistance in going through the online form, and met with students weekly to provide additional FAFSA help.

We congratulate the faculty and staff of Southeast Valley High School whose efforts for their students made it possible for a growing number of graduating seniors to successfully complete the application and become eligible for student aid.

We hope other area schools will be able to follow the example of Southeast Valley.