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K-12 public education in the U.S. is a frequent source of debate and to say it’s a hot-button political issue, both at the local and national levels, is an understatement. However, one area of clear progress is the increasing adoption of financial education/literacy classes as a high school graduation requirement.
As the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) pointed out last August, nearly three-quarters of U.S. high schoolers took at least one financial literacy class last year – a major achievement when considering the percentage was just 9% in 2017.
Importantly, adoption of financial curriculum at the state level is proving to be a bipartisan issue. The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) noted last December that 41 states “require personal finance education for graduation.”
Good news to be sure and there’s more of it. To the parents out there, take a bow because you’re doing a good job on at least one front: data confirm high schoolers are interested in taking financial literacy classes and those that have overwhelmingly see the benefit of financial literacy.
Early Financial Education Matters
I’m far removed from high school, but for the purposes of this article, I wanted to see what California’s (my home state) personal finance curriculum includes. I can’t speak to execution, but on the surface, the curriculum looks solid as it includes discussion of banking (avoiding those pesky overdraft fees), budgeting, the importance of credit use and scores, student loans and investing.
Take investing out of the equation and those are mostly “blocking and tackling” financial issues, but they’re critical nonetheless because as the NASBE points out, “only 49 percent of US adults demonstrating financial literacy in a 2025.” As confirmed by the recently Intuit Financial Education survey, it’s certainly better to start young when it comes to financial education.
Fortunately, students’ desire is there, confirming there’s built-in demand for these courses. As Intuit notes, 85% of U.S. high school students want to learn about various financial topics prior to graduating while 95% of those that took these classes found the education useful.
“Young adults desire to become financially literate stems from their understanding of how this knowledge can impact their future,” according to the survey. “The top three things high school students wish they knew about managing their finances are how to become wealthy (43%), how to save money (40%), and how to avoid debt (37%).”
More Steps Needed
It’s not surprising that kids rely on their parents for financial guidance, but the reality is parents aren’t always financial experts themselves and they too need guidance when it comes to properly dispensing financial education on the home front.
It remains to be seen how early financial education evolves, but it appears a logical next step is for schools to provide parents with resources and tools to build on what their kids are learning in class. That makes sense because while financial literacy classes are required in 41 states, they’re generally treated as electives, meaning the students take the class for just a semester and likely aren’t in the class on a daily basis. That leaves ample opportunity for parents, when well-equipped, to pick up the slack at home.
Again, the audience (the kids) is receptive and, in encouraging news, increasingly savvy. As just one positive example, more teenagers are becoming hip to the fact that social media isn’t the best place to get financial advice.
“Fewer than 1 in 5 high school students are turning to social media for personal finance information (19%),” adds Intuit. “Of those students who go to social media for financial information, 59% of high school students say they aren’t always sure that they can distinguish accurate financial advice from bad or inaccurate financial advice on TikTok or other social media.”
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