What Texas requires
House Bill 27 changed the Foundation High School Program for students entering ninth grade in 2026–27 or later. Their social studies credits must include at least one-half credit in personal financial literacy, replacing the prior cohort’s economics or combined economics-and-personal-finance option.[1][3]
Texas currently recognizes two TEKS-based ways to complete the new requirement: Personal Financial Literacy and Personal Financial Literacy and Economics. Because the combined course remains an allowed transition option, the current statewide graduation rule should not be classified as an exclusively stand-alone personal finance course requirement.[4][3]
The current one-half-credit Personal Financial Literacy TEKS organize instruction into 16 knowledge-and-skills statements covering earning, spending, saving, investing, credit, insurance, consumer protection, estate planning, and postsecondary costs. Texas also embeds personal financial literacy in K–8 mathematics and requires high schools to offer a personal financial literacy course.[6][5]
The State Board adopted a replacement course, Applied Personal Financial Literacy, in September 2026. TEA says the new course will be implemented in 2028–29; until then, the existing courses continue to satisfy the graduation requirement for the covered cohort.[7][4]
HB 27 directs the State Board to designate an Advanced Placement course with substantively similar and rigorous content as an alternative. The final 2026 graduation rule removed AP Business with Personal Finance pending adoption of the new TEKS, and current TEA guidance does not list an AP course as a usable option; the Board must address that statutory alternative in later rulemaking.[1][3][7][4]
- Grades / placement
- Grades 9–12, Students entering grade 9 in 2026–27 or later
- Responsible agency
- Texas Education Agency
- Assessment required
- Not located
- Evidence
- 7 primary sources
Implementation timeline
- Milestone 01
Districts and charter schools offering high school began offering the one-half-credit Personal Financial Literacy elective.[5]
- Milestone 02
Personal Financial Literacy and Economics TEKS became effective as an economics-credit option for earlier cohorts.[7]
- Milestone 03
Governor Greg Abbott signed HB 27, and the act took effect immediately.[2]
- Milestone 04
Students entering grade 9 must complete at least one-half credit in personal financial literacy for graduation.[1]
- Milestone 05
The State Board gave final approval to the corresponding §74.12 graduation-rule amendments.[3]
- Milestone 06
The State Board adopted Applied Personal Financial Literacy TEKS for the future replacement course.[7]
- Milestone 07
TEA plans to implement Applied Personal Financial Literacy as the course satisfying the requirement.[4]
Texas personal finance standards
The complete list below contains all 16 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.
19 TAC §113.49 Personal Financial Literacy (One-Half Credit), Adopted 2016
Adopted by Texas State Board of Education on 2016-01.
Open the official documentCurrent Texas Personal Financial Literacy TEKS
The current §113.49 course contains 16 complete knowledge-and-skills statements. The entries below preserve each statement separately and summarize its student expectations.
- 01
Personal financial goals
Differentiate needs and wants, examine spending and saving tendencies, understand charitable giving, and develop measurable short-, medium-, and long-term goals.[6]
- 02
Financial statements and budgeting
Reconcile account records, track income and expenses, prepare an income statement and budget, identify assets and liabilities, calculate net worth, and evaluate unplanned spending.[6]
- 03
Employment compensation
Identify employee benefits and payroll taxes and calculate gross and net pay from paycheck information.[6]
- 04
Consumer decisions
Compare renting and buying housing, owning and leasing vehicles, payment methods, and strategies for informed consumer purchases.[6]
- 05
Saving and investing goals
Develop short-, intermediate-, and long-term saving and investing strategies for emergencies, major purchases, education, and retirement.[6]
- 06
Saving and investment plans
Examine financial institutions and markets and compare savings products and investments by cost, benefit, risk, and return.[6]
- 07
Retirement planning
Estimate retirement costs, identify income sources, and explain why early and sufficient saving supports retirement security.[6]
- 08
Using credit
Compare revolving, installment, secured, and unsecured credit and evaluate how borrowing affects budgets, income statements, and net worth.[6]
- 09
Creditworthiness
Analyze character, capacity, and collateral; interpret and monitor credit reports and scores; and explain bankruptcy risks and credit consequences.[6]
- 10
Evaluating borrowing decisions
Calculate borrowing costs, identify strategies that lower total cost, and distinguish the use and cost of debit and credit cards.[6]
- 11
Managing financial risk
Identify risks faced by individuals and families and apply avoidance, reduction, retention, and transfer strategies.[6]
- 12
Insurance
Compare terminology, costs, benefits, and pricing factors for health, disability, long-term care, life, property, auto, and supplemental insurance.[6]
- 13
Fraud, schemes, and scams
Protect personal information, recognize common scams, and use consumer-protection agencies to research and report fraud.[6]
- 14
Estate-planning instruments
Explain guardianship, wills, beneficiary designations, powers of attorney, living wills, and medical directives.[6]
- 15
Postsecondary costs and benefits
Connect education and training with earnings, compare institutional costs, and evaluate the quality and return of an education investment.[6]
- 16
Paying for postsecondary education
Complete and understand aid applications and compare student loans, grants, scholarships, work-study, military programs, and other funding sources.[6]
Relevant law, rule, or board action
Texas Education Code §28.025(b-1)(4)
Foundation High School Program social studies creditsRequires at least one-half credit in personal financial literacy for students entering grade 9 in 2026–27 or later.[1]
19 TAC §74.12(b)(4)
Foundation High School ProgramImplements separate rules for the 2026–27 entering cohort and earlier cohorts and identifies the current course options.[3]
Texas Education Code §28.0021
Personal financial literacy instructionRequires personal financial literacy in K–8 mathematics and in one or more high school courses and requires high schools to provide a one-half-credit elective course.[5]
Notes for teachers and curriculum leaders
- Use the student’s grade-9 entry year before selecting the graduation plan. The new half-credit personal financial literacy requirement applies to the 2026–27 entering cohort and later cohorts, not retroactively to students already in high school.[1][4]
- For 2026–27 and 2027–28, districts may schedule either Personal Financial Literacy or Personal Financial Literacy and Economics for the covered cohort. Confirm the course code and awarded credit against current TEA guidance.[4][3]
- Plan for another standards transition in 2028–29, when Applied Personal Financial Literacy is scheduled to replace the current course options for the graduation requirement.[4][7]
Official sources
- 1HB 27 Enrolled Version: Courses in personal financial literacyLocator: Sections 1, 3, and 4; TEC §28.025(b-1)(4) and (b-24)Supports: half-credit graduation requirement, covered entering cohort, AP alternative mandate
- 2
- 3Adopted amendments to 19 TAC §§74.11 and 74.12Locator: Chapter 74, Subchapter B; §74.12(b)(4)(C)–(D); effective-date noticeSupports: graduation credit, course options, cohort distinction, August 1, 2026 effective date, no currently designated AP option
- 4Updates to High School Social Studies Personal Financial Literacy Graduation RequirementsLocator: Students Entering Grade 9 in 2026–2027; Required Secondary Course OfferingsSupports: current course options, future replacement course, district offering requirement, cohort transition
- 5Texas Education Code Chapter 28Locator: §28.0021 Personal Financial LiteracySupports: K–8 instruction, high school course offering, FAFSA content
- 6§113.49 Personal Financial Literacy TEKS BreakoutsLocator: §113.49(c), breakout pages 2–34Supports: all 16 current knowledge-and-skills statements, half-credit course
- 7Applied Personal Financial Literacy TEKS: Second Reading and Final AdoptionLocator: Summary; statutory authority; previous Board action; motionSupports: adoption of replacement TEKS, course history, future standards transition, statutory AP alternative
Frequently asked questions
Does Texas require a personal finance course to graduate?
Yes for students entering grade 9 in 2026–27 or later. The Foundation High School Program requires at least one-half credit in personal financial literacy for that cohort.[1][3]
Does Texas require a stand-alone personal finance course?
Not exclusively during the transition period. The current rule allows either Personal Financial Literacy or Personal Financial Literacy and Economics, so a combined economics course can satisfy the requirement until Applied Personal Financial Literacy replaces the current options.[4][3]
Which Texas students are covered by the new financial literacy requirement?
The new graduation-credit rule applies to students entering grade 9 in the 2026–27 school year or later. Students who entered high school earlier remain under the requirements in effect when they entered grade 9.[1][4]
How much personal financial literacy credit does Texas require?
Covered students must complete at least one-half credit. The credit is part of the Foundation High School Program’s social studies requirements.[1]
When will Texas use the new Applied Personal Financial Literacy standards?
The State Board adopted the new TEKS in September 2026, and TEA says classroom implementation will begin in 2028–29. Current TEKS-based course options remain in place before that transition.[7][4]