KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A national effort to increase the number of first-generation college students, and increase the number of students from low-income families in college, recognized an East Tennessee school for its work preparing young people for higher education.
The American College Application Campaign is an initiative by the ACT that helps high school seniors as they navigate the college application process. As part of its work, it annually names schools from across the U.S. that offer exceptional support services. It named 27 schools in its 2024 Schools of Excellence awardees — and among them was Austin-East High School.
It was the only school to be recognized in Tennessee. To be recognized for an award, schools could host college application drives, financial aid workshops and offer one-on-one mentoring to help prepare students for college.
The ACT said 9,253 high schools costed a College Application Campaign event — an increase of around 80% compared to last year. It also said 467,000 high school seniors submitted at least one college application during those events. In total, students submitted around 1.4 million college applications as part of the national initiative.
