Florida’s financial literacy graduation requirement is a half-credit course in personal financial literacy and money management that every public high school student must pass to earn a standard diploma. It applies to students who entered ninth grade in the 2023-2024 school year or later, which makes the Class of 2027 the first group that cannot graduate without it.1Florida Senate. SB 1054 – Financial Literacy Instruction in Public Schools
Who Has to Take the Course
The rule covers every student who started ninth grade in 2023-2024 or any year after. Students who began high school before that follow the older graduation rules, under which financial literacy existed as an available elective but was not required.2Justia Law. Florida Code Title XLVIII – Section 1003.4282 – Requirements for a Standard High School Diploma
How the Half-Credit Fits Into the 24 Credits
A standard Florida diploma takes 24 credits: four English, four math, three science, three social studies, one fine or performing arts, one physical education, the new half-credit of financial literacy, and electives.2Justia Law. Florida Code Title XLVIII – Section 1003.4282 – Requirements for a Standard High School Diploma The total did not go up. To make room, elective credits dropped from eight to seven and a half, so financial literacy replaces half a credit that would otherwise go to any elective.1Florida Senate. SB 1054 – Financial Literacy Instruction in Public Schools
One of the 24 credits still has to be earned through online learning.2Justia Law. Florida Code Title XLVIII – Section 1003.4282 – Requirements for a Standard High School Diploma Florida Virtual School offers a Personal Finance and Money Management course built to satisfy the financial literacy requirement, which lets students meet both expectations at once if they prefer the online route.3Florida Virtual School. High Personal Finance and Money Management
What the Course Must Cover
The statute lists 14 topics the course must include. They are requirements, not suggestions.2Justia Law. Florida Code Title XLVIII – Section 1003.4282 – Requirements for a Standard High School Diploma
Banking, Credit, and Day-to-Day Money
- Types of bank accounts, how to open and manage them, and how to evaluate a bank’s services
- Balancing a checkbook
- Money management, spending habits, how credit works, credit scores, and handling debt including credit card balances
- Completing a loan application
- Challenging an incorrect billing statement
Insurance, Taxes, and Contracts
- The basics of personal insurance policies
- Computing federal income taxes
- Local tax assessments, including property taxes
- Computing interest using different methods
- Simple contracts
- Receiving an inheritance and its financial implications
Saving, Investing, and Paying for College
- Types of savings and investments
- Relevant state and federal finance laws
- The full cost of postsecondary education, including completing the FAFSA, available scholarships and grants, and how student loans work
The postsecondary piece is broader than general money management. Students must be taught how to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, what scholarships and grants are available, and what taking on student loans actually means before they graduate.2Justia Law. Florida Code Title XLVIII – Section 1003.4282 – Requirements for a Standard High School Diploma
Alternative Diploma Pathways
Florida offers several paths to a standard diploma beyond the traditional 24-credit program, including the 18-credit ACCEL option, a Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway, the International Baccalaureate curriculum, and the Advanced International Certificate of Education curriculum.4Florida Department of Education. Graduation Requirements
The half-credit financial literacy mandate is written into the 24-credit course requirements. On the CTE pathway, the statute treats the half-credit of financial literacy as one of the elective substitutions a student may make for work-based learning, listed as an option rather than a separate requirement.2Justia Law. Florida Code Title XLVIII – Section 1003.4282 – Requirements for a Standard High School Diploma If your student is on ACCEL, CTE, IB, or AICE, confirm with the school counselor exactly how the financial literacy expectation applies, because it is handled differently from the standard track.