Bring College Closer
For too many students from low-income and historically underrepresented backgrounds, college feels out of reach – even when support is available. Join us as we use proven strategies to help the students furthest from opportunity apply, enroll, and attend the colleges they’re most likely to graduate from.
Complete a Financial Aid Form
Lay the groundwork for families and students to complete their financial aid applications (FAFSA/CADAA).
Apply to a Balanced List of Colleges
Help students plan and apply to a personalized list of “Safety,” “Match,” and “Dream” colleges.
Why It Matters
College application and enrollment support isn’t always enough. The most historically excluded students also need help believing that four-year colleges are a realistic option.
Students from low-income families are 20% less likely to attend post-secondary institutions than their higher-income peers
About 20-40 percent of high school seniors report college enrollment intentions but never actually enroll
Low-income students who begin at four-year institutions are 3x more likely to earn a B.A. within six years than those who begin at two-year institutions
dollars went unclaimed in 2023 due to a lack of eligible high school students completing the FAFSA
What We Offer
Join a cohort of schools joyfully committed to learning from one another as they identify, test, and scale strategies proven to increase equitable college enrollment.
Evidence-Based Practices
Implement proven practices without starting from scratch. Use what’s working to develop tailored, well-vetted strategies.
Multidisciplinary Improvement Teams
Build capacity by earning trust and buy-in from cross-department teams that practice then help scale proven changes.
Culture of Learning & Joy
Use continuous improvement to focus on what matters most for each school and student, consolidating and testing ideas with peers.
Tailored Coaching & Data Tracking
Create sustainable, timely data collection and analysis processes to guide cross-department coaching.
Our Impact:
Students Who See College In Their Futures
Our network has developed practices and systems that guide students to opportunities they once believed were locked away from them.
Our Reach
We are a network of schools determined to increase college enrollment rates for thousands of students — and we’re growing.
Student Outcomes
Each school in our network’s 2021-22 cohort improved FAFSA application rates and saw higher four-year college enrollment rates than the state average.
of the new schools onboarded in 2021-22 improved their FAFSA rates by an average of 12 percentage points
percentage point increase in four-year college enrollment from the start of the network to 2022
To be honest, I never thought that CARPE would have even a little impact on our school. But actually, a lot of my friends and a lot of other students are taking a lot of words and a lot of knowledge from CARPE.
Student
Senior, Santa Monica High School
Participant Experience
Network participants experience both autonomy and meaningful connections that fuel their joy of teaching.
CARPE holds me accountable and holds the team accountable for the work, but also for the enthusiasm and the energy and the joyful commitment to the work. It’s creative and it’s fun and it’s nuanced.
College Advisor, Nogales High School, Rowland Unified School District
There isn’t this feeling that there’s one person who’s really in charge and that some of us can kind of kick back. We’ve really gotten to a place where every member of the team contributes equally.
of participating educators agree the work is making a difference for the students they serve, exceeding the average of comparable networks
of participating educators agree the data the network collects provides useful insights, exceeding the average of comparable networks
Case Study:
International Studies Learning Center (ISLC) High School
South Gate, CA
Los Angeles Unified School District
928 total students
98% Hispanic or Latino/a/x student body
Opportunity
ISLC Students were making decisions with the assumption that college wasn’t a real choice for them. They closed the door without ever applying because it didn’t seem possible.
Insight
Optional is not equitable. The entire school staff must be proactive, collaborative, and intentional about sharing the commitment to listen to students, change the culture, and strive for improved college enrollment.
Intervention
ISLC’s team facilitated a weekly work group with a detailed student-by-student tracker, sharing ownership and accountability. The school implemented Application Fest, a dedicated time during the school day for students to fill out FAFSA applications and student surveys.
A School-Wide, College-Going Culture
ISLC staff led changes in the school’s college enrollment mindsets and practices, and their students’ mindsets and practices followed.
FAFSA completion rate, a 14 percentage point improvement since ISLC joined CARPE in 2017
percentage point increase in California State University and University of California acceptance rate, from 64% four years ago to 84% today.
Made the California Student Aid Commission Race to Submit Leaderboard 3 year in a row since joining CARPE
Students’ voices and our tracking systems have become part of the whole process. We’re looking at the data and we’re looking at their ideas. I think that is what continuous improvement does for us. It allows us to really look at and reflect on what’s working and what’s not, and then work from there.
The work with CARPE has helped ISLC Teachers, Coordinators, Counselors, and Administrators come together to provide better processes on how to support our college going students! Due to the guidance from CARPE, we have dramatically increased the CSU/UC acceptance rate and we have won the Race to the Top from the California Student Aid Commission for the last three years. These successes have come from the support and guidance of the CARPE Collaborative.
I enjoyed how the staff members walked all the students through the process of applying. This ensures my sisters will have an easy time when their time comes.
If it wasn’t for all the support from the school, I would be so stuck.
Get Involved.
We’re here to support schools committed to bringing college closer—and eager to partner with like-minded funders to make this work possible. Complete this form to start the conversation.
Please select a Everest Forms.