High School College & Career Advising

At Caprock Academy, we are committed to helping our students and their parents with college planning. Our curriculum meets/exceeds college admission requirements, so that our students can pursue attending the college of their choice that best fits their goals and prepare to for life beyond high school.

While we realize that not every student will go to college, we offer each student the guidance and resources to pursue a post high school education.  Caprock Academy encourages all students to research programs they are interested in, and then to locate colleges that offer those programs that is the right fit for them.

2025-2026 FAFSA 

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), it is something that all families are strongly encouraged to complete, especially if your child is planning (or even thinking about) going to any type of college or trade school.  The application is primarily used by colleges and universities to evaluate and verify financial need. However, it is also required by many grants, scholarships, loans, and even work-study programs.  Regardless of whether you think your family will be offered federal aid funds, it is still in your child’s best interest to fill out the form.

A few changes to note:

• 2025-2026 FAFSA Form https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
• The new form is shorter and easier to complete.  
• Eligibility for aid will be adjusted.
• The “EFC” or “Expected Family Contribution” will change to the “SAI” or “Student Aid Index”. The EFC was the estimated amount that the family was supposed to be able to pay toward college tuition. The SAI will be calculated in a completely different way and will better benefit students and families.
• There will be a change in who is required to report income if the family is split, and custody is shared.  More details to come, but the intention is to help more students and families.
• The way the form is completed will also be different.  Students will begin the form themselves and invite parents (contributors) to fill in their parts.

Helpful FAFSA Links:

• FAFSA Login
• 2025-2026 FAFSA Application Deadlines
• Who's my FAFSA Parent?
• Pro Tips for the FAFSA Form
• FAFSA Help Center

Scholarship Information

• Boettcher Foundation
• Daniels Fund Scholarship Program
• QuestBridge National College Match
• Scholarships.com
• Going Merry
• Niche
• Finaid
• College Express
• Sallie Mae
• Nerd Wallet
• Unigo Scholarships
• BigFuture
• Scholarship America
• Tuition Funding Sources
• Scholly

Important Information and Websites

• Common Application Schools
• Kaplan Test Prep
• Khan Academy SAT Prep
• AP - Advanced Placement
• AP Credit Policy Search
• College Tour Questions
• Financial Aid for College FAFSA
• Sign Up for Individual College Visits

College and Career Exploration

• Naviance is a helpful online platform and resource that Caprock provides to help students (7th-12th grade) prepare for their future careers, whether that includes college or a different path. This program has tools to help students determine which careers are best suited to their personalities and interests. Naviance includes quizzes, assessments, and searches that will also help them identify and list colleges and programs nationwide (or even worldwide) that match their interests and career goals. Students need an individual registration code in order to create an account.  Please contact Mrs. Van Schaick if you need to get a new code or to reset a forgotten password. 
• Big Future
• College Scorecard
• Niche

Caprock Academy College & Career Advisor

Please contact Heather VanSchaick with any questions that you may have regarding college and career advising via email at h.vanschaick@caprockacademy.org or by phone at 970-243-1771.