TAMPA, Fla. — The Hillsborough Education Foundation has expanded its “SCOPE” initiative at Brandon High School.

What You Need To Know

  • SCOPE stands for “Student Center of Postsecondary Exploration,” and school officials say it helps students prepare for life after high school

  • The program started at King High School in Tampa in the fall of 2022

  • At King High School, the FASFA completion rate increased from 39% to 44% thanks to SCOPE

SCOPE stands for “Student Center of Postsecondary Exploration,” and school officials say it helps students prepare for life after high school.

The program started at King High School in Tampa in the fall of 2022, and because it proved to be such a huge success, it was expanded. 

The newest SCOPE facility is officially open at Brandon High School, but to see what SCOPE is all about, we will take you back to where it all started, at King High School.

“The SCOPE center helps students be able to go to college or trade school, and just life after high school,” said Bailee James Page, a senior at King High School.

Bailee first started working with Shelby, the SCOPE College and Career Coordinator at King High School, her junior year.

“I applied for scholarships, I applied for different colleges and I also applied for FASFA,” said Bailee.

At that time, she wasn’t exactly sure where her future would take her, but thanks to SCOPE, she had the one-on-one help and guidance she needed to navigate college admissions.

“I will be attending the University of Tampa on a full ride scholarship and I’m really grateful for my school, and SCOPE for helping me,” she said. “Without them, I don’t think it would be possible.”

The SCOPE centers are strategically placed in Title I high schools with greater needs, and HEF officials say the program has proven to be successful.

“At King High School, after one year of services, we were able to increase the FASFA completion rate by 5%. And research shows us that if a student completes the FASFA, they’re 90% more likely to matriculate into something post-secondary, whether that’s trade or college or what have you. That’s a huge indicator,” said Anna Corman, Interim CEO of the Hillsborough Education Foundation.

The goal is to eventually have SCOPE at every Hillsborough County high school, helping students “scope” out their futures.

The SCOPE center at Brandon High School was made possible thanks to funding by Suncoast Credit Union and HCA Florida Healthcare.