Pennsylvania, Personal Finance Graduation Requirement

Pennsylvania requires it.
We teach it.

Pennsylvania requires a personal finance course for every public high school student. Below is the complete alignment between The Crescara//Project curriculum and Pennsylvania's personal finance education standards.

The Law

What Pennsylvania Act 35 of 2023 actually requires.

Governor Josh Shapiro signed Act 35 of 2023 into law on December 13, 2023, amending Section 1551 of the Public School Code of 1949 and making Pennsylvania the 25th state to guarantee a standalone personal finance course. Pennsylvania passed a personal finance graduation requirement in 2024, requiring all public high school students to complete a standalone financial literacy course before receiving a diploma. The requirement takes effect in the 2025 to 2026 school year, covering income, taxes, budgeting, banking, savings, credit, insurance, investing, and consumer rights.

Pennsylvania schools are now identifying curriculum that meets the state's financial literacy standards. The Crescara//Project offers a fully developed, turn-key program that requires no prior financial background from teachers, meets every Pennsylvania standard, and builds real financial competency through interactive tools.

2024
Year Pennsylvania established a personal finance course as a graduation requirement for public high school students
Half credit
Standalone personal finance course required for all Pennsylvania public high school students
10 Required Content Areas
Every content area in this state's personal finance standards is covered across Units 1, 2, and 3 of The Crescara//Project.
Full Curriculum Alignment

Every required topic. Covered.

Pennsylvania Act 35 of 2023 Required Topic
Crescara//Project Coverage
Unit
Income and Employment
Ch. 2 Paycheck and Benefits, Ch. 10 Career and Resumes, Ch. 11 Negotiating
Units 1 and 2
Taxes
Ch. 13 Taxes, what a paycheck actually takes, why, and how to file
Unit 2
Budgeting and Money Management
Ch. 3 Budgeting, Ch. 4 Know Where Your Money Is, Ch. 5 Exponential Growth of Money
Unit 1
Saving and Building Wealth
Ch. 5 Exponential Growth of Money, Ch. 6 Banks and Accounts, Ch. 23 High Yield Savings, CDs, and Treasuries
Units 1 and 3
Credit and Debt
Ch. 12 Credit Scores, Ch. 14 Interest Rates, Ch. 16 Credit Cards, Ch. 17 Student Loans
Unit 2
Banking and Financial Services
Ch. 6 Types of Banks, Credit Unions, and Accounts, Ch. 26 Platform Simulations
Units 1 and 3
Insurance and Risk Management
Ch. 18 Healthcare and Disability, Ch. 24 Life Insurance, plus the Consequence Engine insurance scenarios
Units 2 and 3
Investing
Ch. 19 Investment Overview, Ch. 20 Stocks and Bonds, Ch. 21 Funds, Ch. 22 Costs of Investing, Ch. 26 Brokerage Platforms
Unit 3
Consumer Rights and Responsibility
Ch. 15 reading fine print, borrower rights, total cost of borrowing, Ch. 7 Psychology of Money
Unit 2
Financial Goal Setting
Ch. 8 Setting Goals, Ch. 7 Psychology of Money, Ch. 9 How to Build Wealth, Ch. 27 Capstone
Units 1 and 3
Beyond Compliance

Meeting the mandate is the floor. We teach past it.

Pennsylvania Act 35 of 2023 sets the minimum. A checklist of topics is not a curriculum. The Crescara//Project sequences Pennsylvania's required content areas in the order students will actually encounter them in life, connects them to each other, and builds habits through repetition, not review sheets.

You can't teach investing without first teaching budgeting. You can't teach credit without first teaching income. The sequence is the curriculum.

Personalized by geography
Content adapts to each student's real financial context. A student in rural Pennsylvania and a student in a major city are not facing the same realities.
Habits built in, not bolted on
Budgeting, saving, reading fine print, reinforced across all three units through the Consequence Engine, not addressed once in a single chapter.
Zero prior knowledge assumed
Every concept is introduced from scratch. Teachers do not need a financial background. Students do not need one either.
Ready to meet the mandate?

The curriculum is ready now.

Pennsylvania schools that connect now will be ahead of the requirement. Reach out at info@crescaraproject.org.

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