California To Require Financial Literacy Course For High School Students

California high school students will soon have to learn how to budget, manage credit, invest, and navigate other financial decisions before receiving a diploma under a statewide financial literacy mandate, The Good News Network reports.

Assembly Bill 2927 requires California public high schools, including charter schools, to offer a separate, stand-alone, one-semester personal finance course beginning in the 2027-28 school year. Completing the course will become a graduation requirement starting with the class of 2030-31, according to the California Department of Education⁠. 

California became the 26th state to require personal finance for high school graduation, according to the Education Department. The law was approved in 2024 as part of a broader effort to equip students with financial skills before they enter adulthood. 

The required curriculum covers 13 areas of personal finance, including banking, budgeting, employment and income, credit, loans, insurance, taxes, investing, consumer protection, and ways to finance higher education and workforce training. It also addresses how psychology can affect financial well-being and includes instruction on charitable giving. 

The State Board of Education approved California’s Personal Finance Curriculum Guide on March 11, 2026, ahead of a May 31 statutory deadline. The guide is designed to help districts and educators develop courses that meet legal requirements.

“California is on track to deliver on the promise of personal finance education for every public high school student, which is great news,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said. “These are critical life skills that will help them in their personal and professional lives.” 

Schools are already preparing for the financial literacy mandate. As of May, 662 California teachers at 474 schools had completed more than 11,500 hours of personal finance professional learning through Next Gen Personal Finance, according to the Education Department. Twenty-one schools across 13 districts had also received grants to implement stand-alone courses ahead of the deadline. 

The new requirement could also change how some students satisfy existing graduation standards. Beginning with the class of 2030-31, local education agencies may exempt students who complete the personal finance course from the state’s one-semester economics requirement. 

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