On March 24, Governor Andrew Beshear signed into law HB 342, which guarantees a standalone personal finance course for all Kentucky public high school students beginning with the graduating class of 2029. Longtime advocates, including the NGPF Mission 2030 Fund, greatly applaud the efforts of the legislators, organizations, teachers and students who made this a reality.
“As a result of this legislation, 64% percent of high school students in the U.S. will now be guaranteed to take a standalone Personal Finance course,” said Yanely Espinal , Director of Educational Outreach at Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF), a leading nonprofit dedicated to providing high-quality personal finance curriculum and professional development at no-cost to educators and school districts. “The success of this effort is a testament to the power of student advocacy. At just 16 years old, Patrick Graboviy championed this bill that will impact his peers, as well as generations of Kentucky high school students to come.”
Kentucky is the 27th state to adopt a financial education guarantee for high school students. View the status of all states on NGPF’s Live U.S. Dashboard.
Representative Michael Meredith, Kentucky House Representative District 19, sponsored the bill.
“Education continues to be a priority for this General Assembly, and financial literacy is one of the most fundamental aspects of learning to become a successful, independent adult,” Meredith said. “Kentuckians work hard and they should have the knowledge and tools to manage the money they earn. It is particularly telling that the idea for HB 342 was brought to me by a high school student, Patrick Graboviy of North Oldham High School. Patrick worked tirelessly on this measure. I appreciate the Governor signing HB 342 into law and look forward to seeing the benefits that a stand-alone high school credit requirement will have on students and the future of our Commonwealth.”
A report conducted by Tyton Partners, Investing in Tomorrow: Lifetime Value of Financial Education in High School, estimated that the lifetime value of a one semester personal finance course for a Kentucky student is $102,000.
“The passage of HB 342 is a huge victory, guaranteeing all Kentucky students graduate with essential money skills like budgeting, credit, and saving, thanks to the dedicated efforts of legislators, educators, and advocates,” said Patrick Graboviy, the 16 year old student advocate behind HB 342. “Seeing this idea become law proves advocacy works, and I hope it inspires young people to step up and fight for the change they want to see.”
The new legislation will require all students graduating in 2029 and beyond to complete a personal finance course. Schools may offer the course any time between grades 9 and 12, and the curriculum will cover essential topics including budgeting, saving, investing, credit, and debt management.
In a survey of more than 2400 personal finance educators, 80% agreed that 11th or 12th grade is the ideal time for students to take this course, ensuring they apply their knowledge when they’re closest to making real‑world financial decisions.
“This is a huge win for financial education, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to see it become a reality,” said Jennifer Inman, Executive Director of the Kentucky Financial Empowerment Commission. “A heartfelt thank you to everyone who worked to make this happen—your dedication will have a lasting impact on students, families, and communities. This isn’t just progress; it’s a game-changer for financial empowerment!”
Research has clearly demonstrated that a personal finance course improves long-term financial decision-making and positively impacts student debt decisions and credit scores, helps graduates avoid predatory lenders, helps increase savings rates among teachers, and even generates positive spillover effects on parents.
“I’m incredibly proud that our homegrown effort—born in 2008 with a teacher and his students—has now made financial literacy a graduation requirement in Kentucky,” said Alex Todd, a personal finance teacher for 25 years and currently athletic director at Elizabethtown High School. “Thank you to Elizabethtown High School for championing this program year after year, and to the 2025 Kentucky Legislature for helping our young people gain the money skills they deserve.”
NGPF supports more than 115,000 educators nationwide, including over 2,000 teachers in Kentucky. The NGPF Mission 2030 Fund, a nonprofit that advocates for this policy in all states, was a supporter of the bill and provided technical support to advocates.
About
the Authors
Hannah Rael
As NGPF’s Marketing Communications Manager, Hannah (she/her) helps spread the word about NGPF’s mission to improve the financial lives of the next generation of Americans.
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Yanely Espinal
Born and raised by Dominican, immigrant parents in Brooklyn, Yanely is a proud product of NYC public schools. She graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in 2007 before going on to receive her bachelor’s degree at Brown University in 2011. As a Teach For America corps member, Yanely taught third and fourth grade in Canarsie, Brooklyn. She received her master’s degree from Relay Graduate School of Education in 2013. She spends her spare time making YouTube videos about personal finance on her channel, MissBeHelpful. Yanely also loves to dance, sew, paint, listen to podcasts, and babysit her 10 nieces and nephews!
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Tim Ranzetta
Tim’s saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.
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Christian Sherrill
Former teacher, forever financial education nerd. As NGPF’s Director of Growth & Advocacy, Christian is laser-focused on our mission to guarantee all students a rigorous personal finance course before crossing the high school graduation stage. Having paid down over $40k in student loans in the span of 3 years – while living in the Bay Area on an entry level teacher’s salary – he’s eager to help the next generation avoid financial pitfalls one semester at a time.
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