Title 22.1. Education
Chapter 13. Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks
§ 22.1-206.4. (Expires July 1, 2031) High school students; completion of certain applications for student financial aid required; opt-out; exemption. (2026 updated section)
A. As used in this section:
"High school student" means any public high school student in the Commonwealth.
"Student financial aid application" means the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education.
B. Each school board shall annually provide to each high school student and the parents of each high school student in the applicable school division guidance and other informational materials on student financial aid applications for the purpose of promoting awareness of federal and state financial aid programs, resources, eligibility criteria, application deadlines, and other processes and requirements.
C. Each school board shall utilize federally available data to establish a five-year goal for encouraging and increasing the completion of student financial aid applications by high school students during the students' final school year before graduation for the applicable school division as a whole and for each high school in the school division.
D. Each school board shall annually post federally available data relating to student financial aid applications in a publicly accessible location on its website and submit to the Department a report on the progress toward achieving, for the applicable school division as a whole and for each high school in the school division, the five-year goal for encouraging and increasing the completion of student financial aid applications by high school students during the students' final school year before graduation established pursuant to subsection C.
E. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require any school board to establish a goal of universal completion of a student financial aid application prior to graduation by each high school student in the school division.
F. No school board or employee thereof shall disclose any personally identifiable information related to the requirements set forth in this section to any individual or entity outside of the local school division, including to any local, state, or federal entity or any constitutional officer, as that term is defined in § 15.2-1605.2.
2026, c. 934.