California high school students must pass personal finance class to graduate: Newsom

LOS ANGELES - California will soon require high school students to pass a personal finance class in order to graduate. 

This comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom reached an agreement with state leaders and NGIF Mission, an affiliate of the curriculum company Next Gen Personal Finance.

"We need to help Californians prepare for their financial futures as early as possible. Saving for the future, making investments, and spending wisely are lifelong skills that young adults need to learn before they start their careers, not after," Newsom said. 

AB 2927 requires a semester-long personal finance education course to be available to all California high school students by the 2027-28 school year. The requirement that makes the class a graduation requirement would start with the 2030-31 graduating class.

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"Ensuring our students have the skills and knowledge to thrive is paramount to California’s continued success, and financial literacy is a key part of that educational mission. Our agreement is the culmination of many robust and productive conversations with stakeholders across the state on how best to implement financial literacy into every student’s high school curriculum," said Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas). 

The legislation aligns with the state's efforts to prepare students early for "a healthier financial future." 

According to a survey by the National Endowment for Financial Education, more than 88 percent of adults support requiring financial education in high school.

The California Personal Finance Education Act measure, which was eligible for the Nov. 2024 ballot, has been withdrawn.