Teens Want Financial Literacy Courses

As students head back to school, a class they may not have available to them is one focused on personal finance or financial literacy. According to research by Junior Achievement and research firm Big Village, 68 percent of teens would “likely” take a class on financial literacy (money management, personal finance) if offered to them, yet only 31 percent say they have access to these kinds of courses in school.

This, despite research from the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) that shows a lack of financial literacy among adults costs the United States nearly half a billion dollars a year. The survey of 1,002 teens between the ages of 13 and 17 was conducted by Big Village between July 9 and 14, 2024.

“When you ask adults what they wish they learned in school but didn’t, it usually involves topics like understanding how money works,” said Tim Greinert, President of Junior Achievement USA. “These findings show that most teens today would like access to this kind of information, but many may not be getting it.”

Junior Achievement offers learning experiences to students in grades K through 12, plus to young adults 18+, that focus on financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship. JA programs are available at low or no cost to schools and reach more than 4.4 million students in the United States each year.

Other findings from the survey include:

60% of teens would “likely” take courses in work and career readiness and entrepreneurship if offered at school.
41% of teens would “likely” take courses on paying for college if offered.
A year ago, 44% of teens said they would likely use AI to do their schoolwork but this year only 30% say they have actually used it for that purpose.
54% of teens think using AI to do schoolwork instead of doing it themselves is “cheating,” down from 60% a year ago.

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