Rankings
Which states are doing it best?
We rank all 50 states and DC by what every student is actually guaranteed. A required class of its own beats lessons folded into other subjects, and both beat no rule at all.
Top of the class
The strongest rules in America
How we rank
Four simple rules, in order
- Stronger tier first. Tier 1 (a class that's already required) beats Tier 2 (a class on the way), and so on down to Tier 5.
- Bigger class first. Inside Tiers 1 and 2, a full year or full credit beats a semester or half credit. A class with no set length comes after both.
- Time matters. Tier 1 states that have required it longest rank higher. Tier 2 states that start soonest rank higher. In Tier 3, rules already in effect beat rules that start later.
- Ties share a rank. States that match on every rule get the same number.
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What a ranking can't tell you
- How good the teaching is. We rank the rule, not the classroom.
- Whether every school follows it. Some states report how many schools are on board. We show those rates below, but they don't change the ranking, because most states don't report one.
- What your school offers. Plenty of schools teach personal finance even where the state doesn't require it.
All 51
The full ranking
| Rank | State | Tier | Class size | First class | Reported implementation |
|---|
Rule vs. reality
Are schools actually doing it?
A rule only helps if schools follow it. For the states where our verified data lists an implementation rate, here's how close each one is to 100%.
The spread