Press Release Detail
ACT’s American College Application Campaign Names 2025 School of Excellence Winners
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Iowa City, IA — ACT’s American College Application Campaign (ACAC) has named 26 U.S. schools as 2025 School of Excellence recipients. This award is in recognition of their effort to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from under-resourced communities pursuing a college degree or other higher education credential.
“Our national college application campaign is an effort to open additional doors for students who might be the first in their families to attend college,” said ACT CEO Steve Tapp. “We’re immensely grateful to the nearly 10,000 high schools that participate and salute these 26 School of Excellence recipients for their work helping more students take this critical step.”
The winning schools were key contributors to the 2025 national campaign’s success, with record-breaking numbers of students participating across the country in ACAC events and applying to colleges; a tribute to the dedicated investment in resources by educators that prioritize school-day planning and access. These events drive excitement and engagement in postsecondary planning, which led to:
- 9,921 participating host sites – an almost double increase over 2024.
- 1,951,855 participating seniors nationwide – over 4x the number of students participating in 2024.
- 2,602,562 college applications submitted – double the number of applications submitted in 2024.Applying for college can be one of the most intimidating parts of a student’s high school education. This year’s recognized schools proactively worked with students to help them better understand the process, ultimately empowering them to complete an application.
Every year, ACAC works with coordinators in nearly every state and the District of Columbia to host college application events and reach students in their schools and communities, encouraging them to apply to college. Activities in 2025 included career days and fairs, collegiate tailgates, financial aid workshops, college match days, and field trips to colleges, where students could take campus tours.
“Behind every number is a conversation, a completed form, a moment of encouragement, and a student who now sees possibility more clearly,” ACAC Senior Director Lisa Sommer King said. “Thanks to our state campaigns and the participating high schools, students have access to postsecondary pathways, and we will continue to celebrate the impact they’ve made in their communities.”
Nationally, the campaign has served over seven million students who have submitted more than 12 million applications since 2005. This is the seventh year that ACAC has recognized outstanding schools.
2025 School of Excellence Awardees
| State | City/Town | High School |
State Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Pell City | Pell City High School | Alabama College Application Campaign |
| Arizona | Phoenix | ASU Preparatory Academy Phoenix | Arizona College Application Campaign |
| California | Lake Forest | El Toro High School | FutureReady CA |
| Delaware | Middletown | Appoquinimink high School | Delaware Launch into Your Future Month |
| Georgia | Athens | Cedar Shoals High School | Georgia Apply to College |
| Hawaii | Waipahu | Waipahu High School | College Application Exploration Season (CAES) |
| Indiana | New Carlisle | New Prairie High School | Indiana College GO! |
| Iowa | Corning | Southwest Valley High School | Iowa College Application Campaign |
| Kansas | Beloit | Beloit Jr. Sr. High School | Apply Kansas |
| Kentucky | Augusta | Augusta Independent School | KY Goes to College |
| Maryland | Salisbury | Wicomico High School | Maryland Post-Secondary Success Campaign |
| Michigan | Ypsilanti | Washtenaw International High School | College Bound Michigan |
| Mississippi | Kosciusko | Kosciusko High School | College Countdown Mississippi |
| Missouri | St. Louis | Soldan International Studies High School | Jounrey to College: Apply MO |
| Nebraska | Milford | Milford Jr./Sr. High School | Apply2College |
| New Hampshire | Gorham | Gorham Middle High School | ApplyNH |
| New York | Wallkill | Wallkill Senior High School | Wallkill Senior High School |
| North Carolina | Fayetteville | Seventy-First High School | Countdown to College |
| Oklahoma | Waukomis | Waukomis High School | Oklahoma College Application Week |
| Oregon | Klamath Falls | Mazama High School | Oregon College Application Week |
| South Carolina | Columbia | A.C. Flora High School | College Application Month |
| Tennessee | Sweetwater | Sweetwater High School | Tennessee College Application and Exploraiton Month |
| Utah | Provo | Provo City School District | Utah College Application Week |
| Virginia | Newport News | Woodside High School | Virginia College Application Week |
| West Virginia | Paw Paw | Paw Paw High School | CFVW School of Excellence Award |
| Wyoming | Lander | Lander Valley High School | Wyoming College Application Campaign |
For more information, click here.
About the American College Application Campaign
The American College Application Campaign (ACAC), a national initiative of ACT’s Center for Impact and Learning, is designed to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from under-resourced communities who pursue a postsecondary degree. The purpose is to assist high school seniors as they navigate the college application and admissions process and ensure each participating student submits at least one admissions application.
Visit us at https://impactandlearning.act.org/acac/
About ACT
ACT is transforming college and career readiness pathways so that everyone can discover and fulfill their potential. Grounded in more than 65 years of research, ACT’s learning resources, assessments, research, and work-ready credentials are trusted by students, job seekers, educators, schools, government agencies, and employers in the U.S. and around the world to help people achieve their education and career goals at every stage of life.
Contact: publicrelations@act.org
