Florida to require personal finance course for high school students

FLORIDA – High school students in Florida now are required to take a financial literacy course to receive a standard high school diploma as The Dorothy Hukill Financial Literacy Act was signed into law yesterday.

Starting with students entering grade 9 in the 2023-2024 school year, all Florida high schoolers must complete a one-semester, half-credit course that teaches them personal financial literacy and money management, including instruction on types of bank accounts, credit scores, taxes, and managing debt.

Florida is the 11th and largest state to require a personal finance course to graduate high school.

“Financial literacy is an important life skill for a student to have,” said Governor Ron DeSantis.

“Ensuring our students have the skills to manage their finances and perhaps one day own a business will pay dividends for our state.”

The idea that all Florida high schoolers should have a comprehensive personal finance education garnered bipartisan support with unanimous votes in the Florida House and Senate.

The popularity of this bill was also evidenced by recent polling conducted by Public Policy Polling in early March, according to Next Gen Personal Finance.

The poll found that 85% of Florida voters agreed that high school students should be guaranteed a course in personal finance, said Next Gen.

“With the amount of credit card debt and student loans the average American now holds, it’s no wonder students, parents, teachers, and other stakeholders are calling for this course,” said Yanely Espinal, Next Gen Personal Finance’s Director of Partnerships.

“We all wish we learned about important financial decisions before we had to make them, not after.”