Texas High Schools to Mandate Personal Finance Course for Students

Starting soon, Texas high school students will need to enhance their knowledge on topics including credit scores, savings accounts, risk tolerance and cost of living under a newly introduced mandatory personal finance course.

The Texas State Board of Education took the initial steps to introduce this high school course as a part of students’ social studies education last week. This was instigated by the passage of House Bill 27 in 2025. The new mandate applies to students beginning high school as freshmen in the upcoming fall season.

While a version of this personal finance course had already been in place as an elective subject, it was largely ignored by students. Consequently, 68% of school districts did not offer the course, according to bill author Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian. “Due to this, many Texans are under-equipped to make sound financial decisions,” King stated.

Previously, high school students were required to complete three credits of social studies, which included U.S. history, a semester of government, and a semester in either economics or a course that combined economics and personal finance. The new amendment will turn economics into an optional subject and make a semester of personal financial literacy mandatory.

Students now also have the option to take an Advanced Placement business course focusing on personal finance to fulfill the requirement. Other elective options include world history and world geography. This move to prioritize personal finance education puts Texas among the 29 states that mandate a personal finance course according to Next Gen Personal Finance, a curriculum company. However, 48 states integrate some form of personal finance education into their K-12 standards, as reported by the Council for Economic Education, a professional development and resource organization for teachers.

The State Board of Education (SBOE) is expected to finalize the course updates following a second vote later this year. There are still several steps required before the finance class can be officially launched for students.