The Peoria Unified graduating class of 2025 secured a record amount of scholarship awards, over $12 million higher than last year’s record. The collective efforts of Peoria Unified seniors resulted in an unprecedented amount of scholarship awards at $110.9 million, according to a news release.

This year’s total scholarship awards include scholarships for in-state and out-of-state colleges and universities for students pursuing a wide range of fields. They are based on academic merit, athletics, arts, community service and more.

Below is a breakdown of the Peoria Unified high school scholarship awards by school for the 2024-25 school year:

Cactus High School: $23,169,868
Centennial High School: $14,517,286
Ironwood High School: $10,218,996
Liberty High School: $20,937,488
Peoria High School: $5,998,685
Peoria Flex Academy: $1,500
Raymond S. Kellis High School: $14,952,962
Sunrise Mountain High School: $21,150,214
TOTAL: $110,946,999

Cactus, Sunrise Mountain and Raymond S. Kellis high schools earned a record amount in scholarships this year. This is the result of various seniors earning top scholarships and the schools’ career center specialists being committed to encouraging more seniors to apply for scholarships.

A few highlights from this year include the following:

• AFJROTC Cadet Bryson Stewart from Cactus High School received a Navy ROTC Scholarship, valued up to $200,000 and the Falcon Foundation Scholarship, totaling $416,000 to New Mexico Military Institute. This puts him in a strong position to earn an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy next year. He plans to study aeronautical engineering.

• Ella Cook, who attends Liberty High School but participates in AFJROTC at Cactus, received the Air Force ROTC scholarship and the Navy ROTC scholarship, each valued up to $200,000. She will be studying Meteorology at the University of Arizona.

• Kevin Equihua from Ironwood High School earned the coveted Dorrance Scholarship.

• Mohammed Mussa from Ironwood High School is a Questbridge Scholar. He matched with the University of Pennsylvania, worth $91,000 for a total of $364,000. He will attend the university to study psychology.

Out-of-state universities who will welcome Peoria Unified graduates this fall include:

• Point Loma - Tristen Raymond from Liberty High School

• MIT - Lauren Davis from Liberty High School

• Howard University - Saayida Bain from Liberty High School

• The Culinary Institute of America, New York - Jack Thompson from Liberty High School

• Vanderbilt University - Cody Legge from Raymond S. Kellis High School

• Howard University - Zaria Bennett and Camryn Britt from Raymond S. Kellis High School

• Cornell University - Alexander Krause from Sunrise Mountain High School

Other notable scholarships:

• Raymond S. Kellis senior Tristan Bacon earned $941,740 and Alexandra Hernandez, also from Raymond S. Kellis and the MET Professional Academy, earned $909,252 in scholarships.

• Raymond S. Kellis High School senior Timothy Staats was accepted to Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. Gallaudet University has been the educational, political, social, and economic engine of the deaf and signing community on a national and global scale for more than 150 years. Raymond S. Kellis ASL Teacher, Kylee Craven, taught about careers and opportunities in deaf studies.