JA Financial Literacy
JA Financial Literacy
Meet the Personal Finance Mandate
Meet the Personal Finance Mandate
With the California Financial Literacy Mandate (AB 2927) requiring high schools to offer personal finance courses starting in the 2027-28 academic year, JA San Diego is ready to support our educators and school districts in preparing students to make informed financial decisions that impact their future opportunities and economic success.
JA Financial Literacy is a free, semester-long personal finance course aligned to the mandate’s 13 require topics. The curriculum prepares students to make informed financial decisions and planning through interactive activities and relevant, real-world content.
Why JA Financial Literacy
Aligns with AB 2927
JA Financial Literacy covers all 13 personal finance topics required by California Education Code, providing standards-aligned instruction that meets state requirements out of the box. See exactly where each topic is taught in our AB 2927 Alignment Crosswalk.
Ready to Teach Curriculum
Educators receive everything they need to confidently deliver the course, including ready-to-teach lesson plans, slide decks, and a pacing guide. With 90 hours of flexible instructional materials, lessons can be adapted to 45-minute class periods or 90-minute blocks across the semester.
Engages Every Student
Students learn through inquiry-based lessons built on the 5E model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate). Each student finishes the course with a personal financial plan (FinanceFolio) they can start using right away.
Track Student Learning with Ease
Pre- and post-course surveys and topic quizzes are built in, making it easy for teachers to track student growth and learning and demonstrate impact at the district level.
Why JA Financial Literacy?
Aligns with AB 2927
JA Financial Literacy covers all 13 personal finance topics required by California Education Code, providing standards-aligned instruction that meets state requirements out of the box. See exactly where each topic is taught in our AB 2927 Alignment Crosswalk.
Engages Every Student
Students learn through inquiry-based lessons built on the 5E model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate). Each student finishes the course with a personal financial plan (FinanceFolio) they can start using right away.
Ready to Teach Curriculum
Educators receive everything they need to confidently deliver the course, including ready-to-teach lesson plans, slide decks, and a pacing guide. With 90 hours of flexible instructional materials, lessons can be adapted to 45-minute class periods or 90-minute blocks across the semester.
Track Student Learning with Ease
Pre- and post-course surveys and topic quizzes are built in, making it easy for teachers to track student growth and learning and demonstrate impact at the district level.
A Partner Beyond the Curriculum
Implementation Support from JA Staff
With over 75 years of working alongside San Diego educators, our team is here to support you every step of the way. JA staff will meet with you to discuss plan pacing, scheduling, and rollout.
A Network of Industry Professionals
Leverage our network of more than 4,000 volunteers who bring subject matter expertise and real-world industry insights into the classroom.
Enhance Student Learning at JA Finance Park
Students can extend their financial learning through Mission Fed JA Finance Park, a hands-on program where they navigate a month of adult finances based on a personalized scenario that includes a career, salary, family, and financial obligations. Available as a separate experience, JA Finance Park offers a real-world application of financial literacy concepts and serves an ideal capstone to JA Financial Literacy curriculum.
Ready the meet the mandate?
Visit finlit.ja.org to register for immediate, 100% free access to JA Financial Literacy. Explore 90 hours of lesson plans, slide decks, and pacing guides.
Questions about JA Financial Literacy? Check out our FAQ section or contact Marley Gang at mgang@jasandiego.org.
The JA Financial Literacy curriculum has been easy to follow and is extremely detailed and well-organized. The units are designed in a very intuitive sequence, and there is an abundance of in-depth activities to support the learning goals.I like how the curriculum is both very collaborative and uses case studies for the students to bring these higher order topics to life. The students have really engaged with the collaborative activities and have developed their skills in research and use of evidence from the case study activities.
JA Financial Literacy FAQs
Signed in June 2024, AB 2927 makes personal finance a California high school graduation requirement. Here’s what districts need to plan for:
- A stand-alone course: Personal finance must be its own one-semester course, not combined with another subject. Districts may offer it as a full-year course.
- 13 required topics: The course must cover the topics listed in the California Education Code §51284.5, including banking, budgeting, credit, loans, taxes, insurance, investing, consumer protection, and paying for college or career training.
- A state curriculum guide: The State Board of Education adopted the Personal Finance Curriculum Guide in spring 2026 to help districts build compliant courses.
- An economics option: Districts may let students who complete the personal finance course skip the one-semester economics requirement.
2027-28 academic year: Every California public high school, including charter schools, must offer a one-semester personal finance course.
2030-31 academic year: High school students must complete a personal finance course to graduate.