Well-matched postsecondary enrollment NSI raised FAFSA completion but did not significantly affect postsecondary enrollment after year two¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 3 studies (4 entries) · 3 causal r2 · q2–q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 4 of 4 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? After schools' second year, well-matched postsecondary enrollment NSI increased FAFSA completion by 3 percentage points by December (4 points by June) but had no statistically significant impact on postsecondary enrollment. → Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement Initiative: Interim Summary Report 2024

q3 i? After schools' second year of participation, the well-matched postsecondary enrollment NSI had a positive impact on FAFSA completion but not on college enrollment. → Matthew Johnson 2024

q2 i? Well-matched postsecondary enrollment NSI increased FAFSA completion by 3 to 5 percentage points. → Matthew Johnson 2026

q2 i? Well-matched postsecondary enrollment NSI did not increase college enrollment rates. → Matthew Johnson 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement Initiative: Interim Summary Report 2024¶

Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement Initiative: Interim Summary Report. (2024). RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA242-1.html

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Matched comparison analysis comparing NSI schools with similar schools in other districts, used because most of these NSI worked with nearly all schools in their districts. The report prints the December and June FAFSA gains and states the enrollment impact was not statistically significant.

"The impact on FAFSA completion is equivalent to a 3 percentage point increase (from 32 percent to 35 percent) in the proportion of 12th-grade students completing the FAFSA by December of their senior year. We also examined impacts of the NSI on FAFSA completion rates by June and found a slightly larger impact, equivalent to a 4 percentage point increase in FAFSA completion (from 54 percent to 58 percent)."

Matthew Johnson 2024¶

Matthew Johnson, Jeffrey Max, Tareena Musaddiq, Breyon Williams, Silvia Robles, Michelle Bennett. (2024). Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement Initiative: Impacts on Student Outcomes (Interim Report). Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/evaluation-of-the-networks-for-school-improvement-initiative-student-outcomes-interim-report

q3 · i? · causal · r?

Quasi-experimental comparison of students in well-matched postsecondary enrollment NSI schools to students in similar non-participating schools after the second year. The report states the NSI "had a positive impact on FAFSA completion but not college enrollment"; no effect sizes are printed.

"After schools' second year of participation, the well-matched postsecondary enrollment NSI had a positive impact on FAFSA completion but not college enrollment."

Matthew Johnson 2026¶

Matthew Johnson, Naihobe Gonzalez, Jeffrey Max, Tareena Musaddiq, Sophia Seifert, Michelle Bennett, Ren Schlosser. (2026). Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement (NSI) Initiative: NSI Impacts on Students and the Aspects of NSI Implementation Related to Impacts: Final Report. Gates Foundation. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/evaluation-of-the-networks-for-school-improvement-initiative-student-outcomes-final-report

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Quasi-experimental comparison of well-matched postsecondary enrollment NSI students to similar students in comparable non-participating schools. FAFSA completion increased by "3 to 5 percentage points"; no standardized effect size is printed.

"The well-matched postsecondary enrollment NSI increased the proportion of students completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by 3 to 5 percentage points but did not increase college enrollment rates."

Matthew Johnson 2026 (2)¶

Matthew Johnson, Naihobe Gonzalez, Jeffrey Max, Tareena Musaddiq, Sophia Seifert, Michelle Bennett, Ren Schlosser. (2026). Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement (NSI) Initiative: NSI Impacts on Students and the Aspects of NSI Implementation Related to Impacts: Final Report. Gates Foundation. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/evaluation-of-the-networks-for-school-improvement-initiative-student-outcomes-final-report

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Same quasi-experimental comparison. Despite FAFSA gains, the NSI "did not increase college enrollment rates"; equivalence was not tested.

"The well-matched postsecondary enrollment NSI increased the proportion of students completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by 3 to 5 percentage points but did not increase college enrollment rates."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Network cohesion in NSI increased over time but remained low, with about 16 percent of possible school-to-school connections realized — related
• The postsecondary enrollment NSI's first-year impact on college enrollment did not persist into schools' second year — related
• The study also examines persistence in college over the first two postsecondary years — related
• Find the Fit did not affect the share of students completing the FAFSA early — related
• The delayed, error-filled 2024-25 FAFSA rollout cut national completion rates nearly 40% below the prior cycle by late March 2024, with larger declines at high schools with more students of color and low-income students — related
• Direct admissions policies paired with FAFSA requirements are associated with increased in-state college enrollment, as in Idaho's Campus Choice program — related
• State accountability systems that rank schools on FAFSA completion are perceived to penalize schools whose students pursue non-college pathways — related