Colorado lawmakers are advancing a bipartisan bill that would require high school students to complete a semester-long personal finance course to graduate.
House Bill 25-1192 aims to equip students with essential financial skills, such as budgeting, understanding credit, and managing loans. If enacted, the requirement would apply to students entering ninth grade on or after September 1, 2026, making Colorado the 27th state to implement such a mandate.
Currently, only about 25% of Colorado’s 178 school districts mandate a personal finance course for graduation.
The bill’s sponsors, including Republican Rep. Anthony Hartsook and Democratic Rep. Jennifer Bacon, emphasize the importance of financial literacy in addressing broader societal issues like debt and poverty. Rep. Hartsook, drawing from his experience in the U.S. Army, noted that many young adults lack basic financial understanding, leading to challenges like bounced checks and unmanageable debt.
The proposed legislation grants local school districts flexibility in designing and implementing the financial literacy curriculum, allowing them to tailor the course to their students’ needs.
Additionally, the bill includes a provision requiring students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA) as a graduation requirement, with an option to opt out. This measure aims to increase access to financial aid, as Colorado currently ranks 46th in FAFSA completion, leaving an estimated $30 million in aid unclaimed annually.
Advocacy groups like Ednium: The Alumni Collective support the bill, highlighting the transformative impact financial education can have on students and their families. Richard Maez, Ednium’s executive director, emphasized that financial literacy empowers students to make informed decisions and can help break cycles of poverty.
The bill has passed the House and is currently under consideration in the Senate Education Committee. If approved, it will move to the full Senate for a vote.