[OKPromise-k12-counselors] 2015 Oklahoma's Promise State Champions

[Alexander, Carol]

Congratulations to the 2015 Oklahoma's Promise State Champions!  As Oklahoma's Promise Champs, these high schools had more 2015 graduates qualify for the Oklahoma's Promise scholarship than any other school their size (using high school basketball classifications).  This was reported to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education at their meeting on January 28, 2016.

Thank you, not only to these schools listed, but to all schools across the state for helping us make a difference in the lives of all of our students.

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release                                                                                  Media Contact: Angela Caddell
Jan. 28, 2016                                                                                                                  Office: 405-225-9346
                                                                                                                                       Mobile: 405-919-5957
                                                                                                                                          acaddell at osrhe.edu

Seven Oklahoma High Schools Named Scholarship Champs
Seven Oklahoma high schools were named "Oklahoma's Promise 2015 State Champions" by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for leading the state in the number of graduates who met the requirements to receive a scholarship through Oklahoma's Promise, a state program that allows students from families whose annual income is $50,000 or less to earn a scholarship for college tuition.
"Recognized by many as America's best college access program, Oklahoma's Promise continues to help thousands of students achieve the dream of a college education by encouraging them to aspire to attend college and prepare themselves for academic success, and by providing them with financial assistance," said Chancellor Glen D. Johnson. "Our Oklahoma high schools have done an exceptional job encouraging and supporting their students' participation in Oklahoma's Promise. The State Regents commend them for their hard work and dedication to students and to Oklahoma's future."
High schools named Oklahoma's Promise 2015 State Champions are:
Class B
§     Champion: Indiahoma with nine Oklahoma's Promise graduates.
§     Runners-up: Asher and Leedey with eight Oklahoma's Promise graduates each.
Class A
§     Champion: Hydro-Eakly with 13 Oklahoma's Promise graduates.
§     Runners-up: Allen, Binger-Oney, Mason and Rattan with nine Oklahoma's Promise graduates each.

Class 2A
§     Champion: Dove Science Academy (Oklahoma City) with 26 Oklahoma's Promise graduates. This is Dove Science Academy's fourth consecutive year as an Oklahoma's Promise state champion.
§     Runner-up: Northeast Academy (Oklahoma City) with 19 Oklahoma's Promise graduates.
Class 3A
§     Champion: Okmulgee with 24 Oklahoma's Promise graduates.
§     Runner-up: Oklahoma Centennial (Oklahoma City) with 23 Oklahoma's Promise graduates.
Class 4A
§     Champion: Santa Fe South (Oklahoma City) with 72 Oklahoma's Promise graduates. Santa Fe South has been the Class 4A champion for seven consecutive years.
§     Runner-up: Broken Bow with 46 Oklahoma's Promise graduates.
Class 5A
§     Champion: Southeast (Oklahoma City) with 70 Oklahoma's Promise graduates. This is Southeast's third consecutive year as the Class 5A champion.
§     Runner-up: Northwest Classen (Oklahoma City) with 56 Oklahoma's Promise graduates.
Class 6A
§     Champion: Union (Tulsa) with 158 Oklahoma's Promise graduates. Union has been the Class 6A champion for four consecutive years.
§     Runner-up: Broken Arrow with 113 Oklahoma's Promise graduates.
Oklahoma's Promise was created in 1992 by the Legislature to help more Oklahoma families send their children to college. The scholarship pays tuition at any Oklahoma public college or university until the student receives a bachelor's degree or for five years, whichever comes first. It will also cover a portion of tuition at an accredited Oklahoma private institution. The scholarship does not cover the cost of fees, books, or room and board.
To be eligible for Oklahoma's Promise, students must apply during the eighth, ninth or 10th grade, and their family's annual income must not exceed $50,000 when they apply. A student's family income also must not exceed $100,000 at the time the student goes to college.
To receive the scholarship at graduation, students must achieve a minimum 2.50 GPA in 17 core courses that prepare them for college and an overall GPA of 2.50 or better for all courses in grades nine through 12. Oklahoma's Promise graduates also must attend class regularly and refrain from drug and alcohol abuse and delinquent acts.
Students completing the Oklahoma's Promise program continue to be successful academically, with high school GPAs (3.41 average GPA) that exceed the state average, ACT scores that exceed those of their comparable middle- and lower-income peers, and higher-than-average freshman college GPAs. The college-going rate of Oklahoma's Promise students exceeds the state average for high school graduates. They also have above-average full-time college enrollment, persistence rates and degree-completion rates. In addition, Oklahoma's Promise college graduates get jobs and stay in Oklahoma after college at a higher rate than non-Oklahoma's Promise graduates.
In order to receive the scholarship in college, students must be U.S. citizens or lawfully present in the United States by the time they begin college.
For the high school graduating class of 2015, approximately 6,100 students met the program requirements to be eligible for the scholarship.
During the current 2015-16 year, about 18,450 students are expected to receive the scholarship in college at a cost of $65.4 million. This is a decrease of about 450 students from the previous year.
For FY 2017, the State Regents have approved a funding estimate for Oklahoma's Promise of $67.8 million. About 18,000 students are projected to receive the scholarship in 2016-17, an estimated further decline of about 450 recipients compared to 2015-16.
Since 1996, when the first students in the program entered college, more than 70,000 students have received the Oklahoma's Promise scholarship. By law, the program has a dedicated funding source that helps ensure that the program is fully funded each year.
For more information about Oklahoma's Promise or to apply online, visit www.okpromise.org. Information is also available by emailing okpromise at osrhe.edu or by calling 800-858-1840.



Carol Alexander
Assistant Director
Scholarship and Grant Administration
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
655 Research Parkway, Suite 200
Oklahoma City, OK  73104
Phone:  405.225.9160
Fax:  405.225.9230

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