On Wednesday, March 18, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a statewide plan to expand financial literacy education in public schools, corresponding with a broader effort to close the wealth gap, specifically for women. California high school students will be required to complete a one-semester-long personal finance class in order to graduate, starting in the 2030-2031 school year. The curriculum will highlight topics such as taxes, credit scores, student loans, budgeting, and investing.
The class’s introduction to the state curriculum aligns with Newsom’s efforts surrounding “expanding access so more women and families can fully participate in our economy,” and comes as student debt, inflation, and growing economic uncertainty continues to affect young people across the nation. The proposed personal finance curriculum will work to target these issues and build stronger foundations for students entering adulthood post-high school.
Heather Pelant is a Marin County-based Managing Director at Cresset Capital–an independent and private investment firm, Pelant believes the one-semester course is a step in the right direction towards preparing students for financial experiences after graduation.
“These are concepts that you’ll hear over the course of your entire life,” Pelant said. “[The class] sets the tone that these are topics of importance for high school students.”
Although Pelant supports the new requirement, she emphasized that the effectiveness of the course will ultimately depend on how it is taught.
“Somebody standing in front of the class saying ‘let me bestow upon you all my knowledge,’ is going to be less impactful than turning it into a workshop format,” Pelant said.
At Archie Williams, administrators are already beginning to consider how the state mandate will eventually find its place in the school’s curriculum. Principal Jacob Gran said the Tamalpais Union High School District is currently reviewing possible curriculum options ahead of the 2030 deadline.
“Our district’s already considering the curriculum that we might use,” Gran said. “We’ll pilot something, get feedback from students, and keep working just as we would with any new course.”
The curriculum was developed through Assembly Bill 2927, which was signed into law in 2024 before being adopted by the California State Board of Education in 2026. Public and charter schools across California will begin offering the course during the 2027-2028 school year before it officially becomes a graduation requirement for the class of 2030-2031.
According to the curriculum guide, students will study topics including budgeting, banking, taxes, debt, credit scores, investing, insurance, retirement savings, and student loans. The course will additionally cover student aid, scholarships, and career planning, with the goal of helping students better understand financial systems before entering adulthood.
Gran believes all of the topics in the curriculum are equally important for students preparing for life after high school.
“They’re all complicated and have an impact on students. [For example], if you’re not aware of how student loans operate, you can rack up debt unknowingly. Credit scores you need to know about. Taxes are something everybody needs to deal with in life,” Gran said.
Gran also emphasized that not every student has equal access to financial education outside of school, making classroom instruction especially valuable.
“Some students talk about [financial education] at home with their families, but that’s not true for everybody,” Gran said. “Making sure that everybody has access to it and can prepare themselves to make informed decisions about their financial lives is important.”
Junior and former Archie Williams Business Club president Hayden Bremer agrees that many students currently enter adulthood without understanding personal finance.
“A lot of students graduate knowing a lot about math or science, but not how credit cards, taxes, or loans actually work. You’re just put off on your own and expected to know. This is the kind of information people end up needing almost immediately after high school,” Hayden said.
Hayden believes introducing financial literacy earlier in high school could help students avoid financial mistakes later in life.
“Even basic things like understanding interest rates or how debt builds up can completely change the decisions people make after high school,” Hayden said. “I think students would take it seriously because it actually applies to real life.”
While financial literacy will soon become a statewide graduation requirement and standalone course, high schools have historically offered similar education via electives and home economics programs. However, those opportunities were dependent on the school and students’ schedules, leaving many students without access to financial education before graduation.
The new requirement will bring financial literacy into high school classrooms statewide, an effort towards closing the wealth gap. The course will introduce students to applicable finance topics, aiming to give students an understanding of financial situations and shape long-term wealth. The shift represents a move towards ensuring financial knowledge is no longer something learned via experience after graduation, but instead built into the high school curriculum.
