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High school students are diving into personal finance classes, learning to budget, save, and invest as America grapples with soaring costs for cars, housing and groceries, according to the Washington Post. From Sacramento to the East Coast, teens are rethinking money — but will these lessons stick for the long haul?
In a country grappling with soaring costs for everything from rent to ramen, a growing number of high schools across the U.S. are adding something unexpected to their lesson plans: Real-world money smarts.
Personal finance is increasingly becoming a regular part of the school day, with students learning how to budget, save, invest, and navigate a credit score, before facing these issues head-on in adulthood. In some school districts, financial literacy is being treated like a core subject, right alongside math and English.
The move comes at a time when Americans of all ages are feeling the pressure of an affordability crisis. But students now learning to manage their finances may be better equipped to handle future economic challenges. Educators and policymakers pushing for this curriculum hope it will give young people a stronger start.
Data backs up the need: A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that fewer than one in four Americans ages 18 to 29 reported learning personal finance in school. Most said they got financial information from family or friends instead. Compared with older generations, young adults were less likely to know how to read a credit report, create a monthly budget, or perform other basic money tasks.
California recently passed a law requiring high schoolers to complete a personal finance course in order to graduate, although it won’t go into effect until 2027. In the meantime, some schools are already taking initiative.
At Sacramento Charter High School, a one-day “financial wellness challenge” in February introduced students to the cost of living. With the help of community partners like Golden 1 Credit Union and Franklin Templeton Investments, students visited booths representing key expenses — housing, transportation, child care and food — and deducted those costs from a mock salary on a punch card. The event aimed to help students understand the tradeoffs adults face every day.
Other schools across the country are folding financial education into existing courses, like economics or business. Some rely on nonprofit providers like Next Gen Personal Finance, which offers flexible modules covering topics such as cash flow, credit, taxes, insurance, investing, paying for college, and small-business ownership. The Federal Reserve’s regional banks and the nonprofit Jumpstart Coalition also provide financial literacy resources, often in partnership with schools or local credit unions.
While it’s still early, research shows students who receive financial education are more likely to secure grants and scholarships and less likely to rely on credit cards or use high-risk services, like payday loans. However, there’s little evidence yet that these courses lead to long-term financial behaviors, like saving for retirement.
Still, advocates argue that teaching students how to manage money — before they’re burdened with it — is an investment worth making.