Education Equalizers Giving

Empower Dreams, Transform Futures

Amidst alarming educational disparities, where national student-to-school counselor ratios exceed recommended levels and student loan debt disproportionately burdens Black and minority communities, The Education Equalizer Foundation stands as a beacon of hope. 

In Florida, where the student-to-school counselor ratio stands at 434:1, and Black graduates carry an average student loan debt burden of $25,000, we refuse to accept this inequity. We provide vital services, including college and career preparation, ACT/SAT preparation, one-on-one assistance with college and scholarship applications, opportunities for community service, FAFSA and scholarship readiness workshops, and inspiring college tours.

Our impact speaks volumes. What began as a summer program aimed at helping 20 students has blossomed into a transformative force that has touched the lives of over 200 middle to high school students in just months. Our graduating senior students, with our support, have achieved remarkable success, gaining acceptance into Princeton University, University of Florida, Tennessee State University, Santa Fe College, and more while receiving $300,000 in institutional scholarships. 

Here are the facts:

• Although ASCA recommends a 250-to-1 ratio of students to school counselors, the national average is 408-to-1 for the 2021–2022 school year (the most recent year for which data is available).

• In Florida, the student-to-school counselor ratio is 434:1, that is, 6,428 counselors to 2,791,707 students.

• Florida has among the highest share of low-income students in the country. Nearly 55% of 2022 high school graduates were eligible for federal funding for low-income students, called the Pell Grant, according to the Florida College Access Network — the sixth-highest rate in the nation.

• Floridians pass up $300M in college aid each year.

• Four years after graduation, 48% of Black students owe an average of 6% more than they borrowed.

• Black and African American student borrowers are the most likely to struggle financially due to student loan debt, making monthly payments of $289.