On October 9, 2025, Governor Matt Meyer signed HB203 which requires all high school students to complete a half-credit financial literacy course. Local legislators Representative Bryan Shupe and Senator Eric Buxson co-sponsored the bill.
“Starting with the class of 2027, every Delaware high school student will be required to take a half-credit financial literacy course before graduation,” Shupe posted on social media. “Thanks to new legislation led by Representative Dr. Jeff Hilovsky, students will learn how to budget, save, invest and manage credit – real world skills that will prepare them for financial independence and success.”
The bill states that 60 percent of households in the United States live paycheck to paycheck and that 40 percent of Americans having less than $300 in savings. In addition, 3 percent of Americans have saved nothing for retirement, 95 percent have not saved enough for retirement and 87 percent of American teens admit to not understanding finances. HB203, cited as The Equity and Inclusion in Financial Literacy for All High School Students in Delaware Act, requires students to successfully complete the course in order to graduate from high school.
“These courses are going to teach not only about saving money, but how your money can grow if you save it,” Meyer said. “This bill is also going to increase equity and inclusion, making sure all Delawareans have access to cool financial tools that make people wealthy. These days, financial literacy is not optional, it is essential.”
Many comments supported the idea of a financial literacy court in high school.
“Wonderful! Back in the day, I took Senior Math which taught how to balance a checkbook, how to write a check and do simple tax returns,” Barbara Clendaniel Fitzgerald said. “This is good news students are taking this now.”
Carla J. Stratton-Lynch commented that she felt students needed to learn the basics and that she opened her first checking account at 18, an account she still had today. Tracey Hausel commented that she learned how to balance a checkbook and complete a 1099 in a math class at Sussex Central Junior High. However, there were concerns expressed about the implementation of the class.
“Has a teacher been added the high schools to provide the resources and the specialist training? If not, the program will be a mishmash of content taught to varying degrees of thoroughness throughout the state,” Bob Sutcliffe, who was a longtime educator and administrator in Milford School District, said. “There isn’t room in the current mathematics scope and sequence. If it is added there, mathematics knowledge will suffer and they are already low.”
There are no details in the Act that explain how the course will be implemented. Since the law requires that students complete a half-credit course, it is likely this will need to be taught outside of regular classes. However, the bill does not specifically state that. It does state that to earn the credit, students must complete a course that includes instruction which meets financial literacy standards for high school students adopted by the Department of Education. Since the Act does not take effect until the 2026-27 school year, DOE has just under a year to create the requirements.
