Californians for Financial Education announced on March 12 that the campaign had submitted nearly 900,000 signatures for an initiated state statute that would require a personal finance course as a requirement to graduate high school.
The measure would require students graduating during the 2029-2030 academic year to complete a one-semester personal finance course. The measure would also require a personal finance course to be offered by the 2026-2027 academic year. The personal finance course would have to meet the A-G requirements, which are the course requirements for admission to the state’s public universities, or be approved by the local governing board.
As of January 2024, seven states—Alabama, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia—required a personal finance course to graduate from high school. According to the Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College, another 16 states will require a personal finance course by 2028.
