Yes, Gen Z is Learning Financial Literacy (At Least in These States)

Teenagers aren't exactly known for their financial literacy and fiscal responsibility. But many U.S. states are trying to change that by making Gen Z the most money-savvy generation to graduate high school.

Pennsylvania just passed a law requiring high school students to take a personal finance course, becoming the 25th state to do so. According to Next Gen Personal Finance, 53% of American high school students will have access to a financial literacy class.

Think your state is teaching Zoomers how credit reports work and just how much money Uncle Sam will start deducting from their paychecks? Here are all 25 states where that's now (or will soon be) a requirement. 

The Career Preparedness course has been a requirement for high school graduation in Alabama since 2013. It covers a number of topics, including managing finances and budgeting, saving and investing, and risk management.

Earlier this year, Connecticut passed a bill requiring public high schoolers to take a course in personal finance management and financial literacy in order to graduate. The requirement goes into effect for the class of 2027.

Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Dorothy L. Hukill Financial Literacy Act in 2022 that requires high school students to take a standalone personal finance course before graduating. Students this year are the first class to have the requirement.

Students in 11th or 12th grade in Georgia need to take a financial literacy course to graduate starting with the class of 2025. It can count toward a half-credit of math, social studies, or electives.

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It's not just public school students in Indiana that require the completion of a personal finance course before graduating, but charter and state-accredited schools as well. It'll start with the class of 2028.

The graduating class of 2023 in Iowa was the first to be required to take financial literacy to get a diploma. It was signed into law back in 2019, but had to be pushed back a couple years.

A half-credit of personal finance literacy is required in Kansas to graduate, but it won't go into effect until the class of 2027.

Louisiana was the 22nd state to sign a standalone personal finance course requirement into law. Unlike most other states with a half-credit course, this one is a full credit. It'll begin in the 2026 school year.

Students entering 8th grade this year in Michigan are required to take a financial literacy course before they'll be able to graduate high school. 

If you enter high school in 2024 or after, you'll need to take a personal finance course while you're in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade. Otherwise, you're not graduating in Minnesota.

A year long College and Career Readiness course is already required for high school graduation in Mississippi. Financial literacy is one of the nine units covered in the wide-ranging course, along with how to apply for financial aid and prepare for a career.

Missouri has been requiring a half-credit of a personal finance course since way back in 2006, so students there have had an advantage over their peers. New standards were introduced in 2017 and implemented a couple years later.

If you're currently a senior in a Nebraska public school, you're going to have to take the financial literacy course in order to graduate. The requirement is part of the Financial Literacy Act signed into law in 2021.

A 2022 bill changed New Hampshire's schooling requirements to include a standalone course in personal finance literacy. It went into effect with the 2023 school year.

A one-credit Economics and Personal Finance course has been required to graduate high school in North Carolina since 2022. The course covers topics including the true cost of credit, choosing credit cards, and borrowing for mortgages and cars.

Current and future high schoolers need to earn one-half credit of financial literacy classes in order to graduate in Ohio. The requirement was part of a 2022 bill.

Zoomers in Oregon will need to complete a half credit of personal finance education to earn their diploma thanks to a 2023 bill. It doesn't go into effect until the class or 2027, and also includes a requirement for career path education.

A personal finance course will be mandatory for Pennsylvania students in the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. The requirement is part of a recently signed bill, and will go into effect in the fall of 2026.

Rhode Island requires high school students to "demonstrate proficiency in consumer education/financial literacy prior to graduation." That doesn't mean they have to take a specific course, though. They could also take a test to demonstrate their knowledge to bypass the course.

Starting with the South Carolina freshman class of 2023, high schoolers will need to take a half-credit personal finance course in order to get their diploma. 

Tennessee is ahead of the game: It has required its high school students to pass a personal finance course since 2013. The course includes financial goals, earning potential, budgeting, and managing risk.

Utah was the first state to require a personal finance course for graduation, signing a bill into law back in 2003. Exact requirements have changed a couple times since then, but currently Zoomers need to take a half-credit general financial literacy course.

Back in 2009, Virginia implemented a law that required personal finance education for high school students. Since 2011, students have had to take a one-credit course in economics and personal finance.

Starting next school year in 2024-2025, students will need to complete a half-credit personal finance course in the 11th or 12th grade as a requirement for graduation. 

Besides Pennsylvania, Wisconsin is the second most recent state to implement a financial literacy graduation requirement. Students will have to take at least a half-credit course starting with the 2028 graduating class. 

Next Up: Boomers' Biggest Qualms With Younger Generations' Perceptions