A growing majority of U.S. states now require high school students to complete a dedicated personal finance course as a graduation requirement. While this is a significant step toward improving financial literacy, it also presents a challenge for educators in math, social studies, and other subjects who must integrate high-quality personal finance content into their classrooms.
To support educators in this effort, we have compiled a selection of strong personal finance curriculum options for high school students. Additionally, we invite you to explore the Center’s professional development (PD) calendar at uceconcenter.com, where we frequently offer high school-focused economic education workshops.
High School Curriculum from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
This guide focuses on financial literacy for high school students and spans 18 weeks (1 semester) and is divided into 3-week-long units covering six topics. Each topic’s content statement has been scaffolded so that new subject matter builds on concepts previously covered. Learning expectations are found under each day’s lesson selection. Lesson plans, along with supporting resources, including videos, podcasts, learning modules, and readings, are available in this PDF version and on Econ Lowdown as a teacher syllabus.
Topics include:
- financial responsibility and decision making
- planning and money management
- informed consumer
- investing
- credit and debt
- risk management and insurance
High School Curriculum from the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta & St. Louis
A “Standard” Personal Finance Curriculum is designed as a high school personal finance course. It is divided into seven units that address the six National Standards for Financial Literacy and a standard on decisionmaking, respectively. Each unit includes a description, talking points, and links to recommended resources for teaching the given standard, along with a selection of supplemental resources.
The talking points are introductory comments and information about the content for each unit. Recommended resources include lessons, videos, and online modules. Thus, the curriculum is designed with flexibility for teachers to select the individual resources that best meet the needs of their classes. The curriculum also includes a glossary of terms and a matrix that aligns all of the recommended and supplemental resources with the national standards.
