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South Dakota personal finance standards and requirements

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South Dakota requires every student to earn one-half unit of personal finance or economics as part of the state's 22-unit high school diploma. Economics is an explicit alternative, so the statewide rule does not require every student to take a stand-alone personal finance course. South Dakota has separate Personal Finance course standards for the half-credit CTE course, but districts may use an eligible economics course instead.[1][2][4]

Last reviewed September 20, 2026

View official sources
Stand-alone course
No
Graduation requirement
Yes
Credit / duration
0.5 unit of personal finance or economics
Effective / cohort
Not located

What South Dakota requires

South Dakota's graduation rule requires one-half unit of personal finance or economics within the 22-unit base diploma. The same half-unit requirement also appears in each optional advanced endorsement, so earning an endorsement does not remove it.[1][3]

The word or matters. A student can satisfy the requirement through economics, which means South Dakota has a financial education graduation credit but not a universal stand-alone personal finance course mandate.[1][2]

South Dakota's May 2022 Personal Finance course standards apply to course code 19262, a half-credit course in the Finance career cluster. They contain five broad standards and eleven sub-indicators covering income, money management, decision-making, credit, saving, investing, risk management, and consumer protection.[4][5]

A student who uses economics for the half-unit requirement cannot also use that same course for the social studies elective requirement. The Department's graduation guidance prohibits counting a course more than once toward the base diploma requirements.[3]

Students must earn a half unit in either personal finance or economics. The same economics course may not also count as the social studies elective because courses may not be counted twice toward diploma requirements. South Dakota does not administer a statewide personal finance assessment.[1][2][3][6]
Grades / placement
High school
Responsible agency
South Dakota Department of Education
Assessment required
No
Evidence
6 primary sources

Implementation timeline

  1. Milestone 01

    The Board adopted a graduation framework that included a half unit of economics or personal finance, with later effective dates reflected in the rule history.[1]

  2. Milestone 02

    The Board of Education Standards approved the current flexible 22-unit graduation framework.[2]

  3. Milestone 03

    The current version of the general graduation rule took effect and retained the half-unit personal finance or economics requirement.[1]

  4. Milestone 04

    South Dakota adopted the current standards for the half-credit Personal Finance course, code 19262.[4]

South Dakota personal finance standards

The complete list below contains all 11 required personal finance topics currently identified in the controlling state materials. Each topic remains separate so educators and search engines can find the exact requirement.

Official standards document

South Dakota Personal Finance Course Standards

Adopted by South Dakota Board of Education Standards on 2022-05.

Open the official document

Income

Two sub-indicators address controllable personal-finance factors and the influences on take-home pay.

  1. 01
    PF 1.1Personal Finance course 19262, 0.5 creditPDF page 2

    Explain controllable factors involved in personal finance

    Explain controllable factors involved in personal finance.[4]

  2. 02
    PF 1.2Personal Finance course 19262, 0.5 creditPDF page 2

    Analyze factors that affect take-home pay

    Analyze factors that affect take-home pay.[4]

Managing Personal Finances

Three sub-indicators require rational decision-making, comparison of money-management tools, and organized financial records.

  1. 01
    PF 2.1Personal Finance course 19262, 0.5 creditPDF page 2

    Execute a rational decision-making process that considers alternatives…

    Execute a rational decision-making process that considers alternatives and consequences.[4]

  2. 02
    PF 2.2Personal Finance course 19262, 0.5 creditPDF page 2

    Differentiate among money-management tools

    Differentiate among money-management tools.[4]

  3. 03
    PF 2.3Personal Finance course 19262, 0.5 creditPDF page 2

    Create a system for organizing finances and maintaining records

    Create a system for organizing finances and maintaining records.[4]

Credit and Debt

Two sub-indicators focus on the sources, costs, benefits, and consequences of consumer credit.

  1. 01
    PF 3.1Personal Finance course 19262, 0.5 creditPDF page 2

    Differentiate the sources, costs, and benefits of using consumer credit

    Differentiate the sources, costs, and benefits of using consumer credit.[4]

  2. 02
    PF 3.2Personal Finance course 19262, 0.5 creditPDF page 2

    Explain the positive and negative consequences of using credit

    Explain the positive and negative consequences of using credit.[4]

Saving and Investing

Two sub-indicators connect saving to security and investing to wealth and financial goals.

  1. 01
    PF 4.1Personal Finance course 19262, 0.5 creditPDF page 2

    Explain how saving contributes to financial security

    Explain how saving contributes to financial security.[4]

  2. 02
    PF 4.2Personal Finance course 19262, 0.5 creditPDF page 2

    Explain how investing builds wealth and supports financial goals

    Explain how investing builds wealth and supports financial goals.[4]

Risk Management and Consumer Protection

Two sub-indicators address protection from financial loss and the role of consumer-protection law.

  1. 01
    PF 5.1Personal Finance course 19262, 0.5 creditPDF page 2

    Evaluate how risk-management strategies protect against financial loss

    Evaluate how risk-management strategies protect against financial loss.[4]

  2. 02
    PF 5.2Personal Finance course 19262, 0.5 creditPDF page 2

    Determine how consumer-protection laws protect consumers

    Determine how consumer-protection laws protect consumers.[4]

Relevant law, rule, or board action

ARSD 24:43:11:02(6)

General requirements for high school graduation

Requires one-half unit of personal finance or economics within the 22-unit base diploma and repeats the requirement for advanced endorsements.[1]

Notes for teachers and curriculum leaders

  • Confirm that each student earns the half unit through personal finance or economics; neither option is preferred by the statewide rule.[1][2]
  • Do not count an economics course for both the personal finance or economics requirement and a social studies elective. South Dakota's guidance prohibits double counting within the base diploma.[3]
  • Use all five course standards and eleven sub-indicators when offering Personal Finance course 19262. No statewide personal finance assessment is scheduled.[4][6]

Official sources

  1. 1
    ARSD 24:43:11:02: General requirements for high school graduationSouth Dakota Board of Education Standards · regulation · published 2018-09-19 · accessed 2026-09-20Locator: Subdivision (6), rule history, and related advanced endorsement rulesSupports: half-unit requirement, personal finance or economics, graduation requirement, advanced endorsements, effective date
  2. 2
    South Dakota High School Graduation RequirementsSouth Dakota Department of Education · agency guidance · accessed 2026-09-20Locator: Current requirements overview and Administrative Rule 24:43:11Supports: July 2018 Board approval, current diploma framework, flexibility
  3. 3
    South Dakota High School Graduation RequirementsSouth Dakota Department of Education · agency guidance · accessed 2026-09-20Locator: PDF pages 1-3, base diploma and double-counting guidanceSupports: 22-unit diploma, half-unit personal finance or economics, advanced endorsements, no double counting
  4. 4
    Personal Finance Course Standards, Course Code 19262South Dakota Department of Education · standards · published 2022-05 · accessed 2026-09-20Locator: PDF pages 1-2, course description and PF 1.1 through PF 5.2Supports: half-credit course, complete 11 sub-indicators, course code, teacher endorsements
  5. 5
    South Dakota Content StandardsSouth Dakota Department of Education · agency guidance · accessed 2026-09-20Locator: Personal Finance Standards, adopted 2022Supports: current standards document, adoption year
  6. 6
    South Dakota Standards Revision and Adoption TimelineSouth Dakota Department of Education · agency guidance · published 2025-10 · accessed 2026-09-20Locator: Finance and Personal Finance rowSupports: standards cycle, no statewide assessment

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Frequently asked questions

Does South Dakota require personal finance to graduate?

South Dakota requires a half unit of personal finance or economics. A student must earn the credit, but economics can satisfy the requirement instead of personal finance.[1][2]

Does South Dakota require a stand-alone personal finance course?

No. The statewide rule permits either personal finance or economics, so it does not require every student to take the stand-alone Personal Finance course.[1]

How much personal finance credit does South Dakota require?

The requirement is one-half unit in personal finance or economics within the state's 22-unit base diploma.[1][3]

Can a South Dakota economics course count twice?

No. If economics satisfies the personal finance or economics requirement, the same course cannot also satisfy the social studies elective requirement.[3]

What do South Dakota's personal finance standards cover?

The half-credit Personal Finance course standards cover income, take-home pay, financial decisions and records, credit and debt, saving and investing, risk management, and consumer-protection law.[4]