Essay On Should Public Schools Be Required To Teach High School Students Necessary Financial Skills

Young adults in the twenty-first century have many requirements laid out for them by society if they want to be successful. A major requirement that can be considered foundational is having skills in finance, whether it is knowing how to file taxes, pay various bills, or create a budget. The question then arises: should public schools be required to teach high school students necessary financial skills for adulthood? According to The Fiscal Times, a survey in the year 2016 showed a group of 30,000 Americans “revealed that only 15 percent of the respondents were able to correctly answer five basic questions about financial literacy”. The United States is teaming with bright young high school graduates who want to go to college, get a job, and live life comfortably. What many of these students are finding out is that they have no idea how to take care of themselves financially. Many look to the aid of their parents or guardians. Some take to the internet and others are left to find out the hard way how the world of finances really works. These young men and women need to be equipped with the basic essentials of handling money. These essentials include the ability to create a budget, know how to file taxes, and pay bills. These three, in

The Fiscal Times says, “only 14 states require students to take a personal finance course in high school; 22 require a course in economics.” I believe that there should be more emphasis on having finance classes in high schools to better prepare its students for the next stage of life. This country has become infatuated with test scores and having higher numbers on a piece of paper than being concerned with the well-being of each individual. If high schools were to start once again teaching their students these financial skills, I believe the United States as a whole would run more efficiently and thrive as a