The Missing Credit: Making Financial Literacy a Mandatory and Core Subject in Schools

By Samia Musleh

April 23, 2025

Many students don't pay attention in class because they don't deem the subject at hand necessary; however, as seniors approach college and have to deal with loans and tuition, they start to step into the economic world more, proving the importance of including financial literacy as a core subject in schools. 

The more the years pass for high school students, the more they are hit with questions regarding money. from, “how much is lunch?” freshman year to  “have you paid for your AP exam yet?”, “when will you pay for the SAT?” junior year, to “have you deposited your money for college yet?”, “how much is your tuition?” and “how much did you get in scholarships?” senior year. As the years go on, the questions seem to increase in importance.

According to a poll conducted by the National Endowment for Financial Education and AmeriSpeak, 88% of High School students wished their state required a year-long financial education course for graduation. I'm talking about a class that will ignite students' focus, unlike a lot of the rest of their classes they are required to take. The NEFE also stated that 1 in 5 American Teenagers lack basic personal finance skills. This is crucial, especially going from high school to college where money should be spent responsibly. Many high schoolers are also moving away from their parents, so they won’t have that guiding authority on where to use their money and how. 

Another reason why a financial literacy course should be required as a core subject is because it’s far too risky for it not to be. It’s no shock that many Americans are living paycheck to paycheck everyday just to supply themselves with basic necessities. With one slip in that routine, everything can fall to the ground. We are not meant to be robots and falling into debt is as easy as slipping on a banana. The buildup of debt can start as early as freshman year of college. According to Edutopia, 18-21 year olds are less likely to fall back behind credit payments if they took a financial literacy course. Like a deep hole in the ground, debt is easy to fall into and every attempt to climb out of that hole feels like the walls are crumbling beneath your grip. A financial literacy course would save the lives of a significant number of students allowing them to begin life on solid ground. 

Some may argue that there is already an elective here and if students want to do that they will. However many students don’t really know what they want or most importantly what they need, which is why the state should step in to make it a requirement. According to a survey conducted by the 74 roughly half of high school students believe they won’t need what they are studying in the real world. Many take extra courses just for the sake of the credit, believing it won’t be important to them like how most classes are to them. It’s far too risky to have the students choose for themselves because in reality, financial literacy should not be a choice but mandatory.

Although it may seem like this surge of financial issues has only just arisen, it’s been the basis of our society. Financial literacy can go back to before paper currency, to when people were simply trading. Mastering the ways of money will open pathways for students born rich or not. Truthfully, the pythagorean theorem won’t help students in this corporate world in the long run but learning how to invest in the right thing, understanding taxes, and an understanding of healthcare benefits will.