FLORIDA, USA — Following a challenging financial year for many Americans, thanks in part to the coronavirus pandemic, there's been a push from half the country to get financial education into high schools.
In 2021, 25 states introduced legislation that would require financial literacy courses in high school curriculums, according to Next Gen Personal Finance's bill tracker.
Just this Thursday, in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill that would require high school students to complete a financial literacy course, WBNS reports. To complete the program, students will have to take 60 credit hours in lessons that will cover topics like taxes, interest rates and loans.
However, not on the list of states pushing for financial literacy in schools this year was Florida. In fact, the Sunshine State doesn't even have a financial literacy requirement in the books.
That wasn't always the case. It wasn't that long ago that the subject was a footnote in a much broader required course. Students would learn financial literacy in economics classes. However, it was only for a single section that would last a week or so.
That all changed in 2019 when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that separated financial literacy from economics. Instead, the law called for a more in-depth course that would only be offered as an elective.
Critics hoped the state would make the subject a required course but the option is still there if students choose.
Only seven states - Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, Utah, North Carolina and Mississippi - require a standalone half-semester course on personal finance.
