Bill would require high school students to take financial literacy course to graduate

Published: May 3, 2023

By: Jenna Bridges, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE, La. – The House Education Committee advanced a bill Tuesday requiring high school students to take a financial literacy course starting with the 2026 and 2027 graduating classes.

State Superintendent Cade Brumley and State Treasurer John Schroder joined Rep. Nicholas Muscarello Jr., R-Hammond, to introduce the bill. It would integrate instruction in life skills with instruction in economics, including income and taxes, money management, investment and spending and the importance of personal savings.

Rep. Nicholas Muscarello Jr. proposed a bill that would require high school students to take a financial literacy course to graduate. (Photo credit: Mike Hasten/Louisiana House of Representatives)

“Financial illiteracy is an epidemic in the United States,” Rep. Muscarello said.

While the bill would require 11th and 12th grade students to take one unit of financial literacy, it would not create an additional course required for graduation. Instead, financial literacy would be worked into the pathway, acting as a replacement for a math course or an elective.