Colorado Personal Finance Standards & Graduation Requirements
Colorado requires students to meet the Colorado Academic Standards for Financial Literacy to graduate, with districts choosing how to deliver it.
Colorado at a glance
- Requirement
- Standards-based requirement
- Legislation or authority
- HB25-1192 (Financial Literacy Graduation Requirement)
- Passed
- Signed May 23, 2025
- Course length
- Must meet the Colorado Academic Standards for Financial Literacy; the requirement may be met through coursework aligned to the standards
- State standards
- Colorado Academic Standards — Financial Literacy
What Colorado requires
HB25-1192 strengthens Colorado's financial literacy graduation requirement: districts must ensure students meet the state's financial literacy standards before they graduate.
Colorado keeps local flexibility on delivery. The standards are integrated across math and social studies rather than mandating one dedicated course, so districts can meet the requirement through existing coursework aligned to the standards. CDE's HB25-1192 fact sheet carries the implementation timeline.
Last reviewed against official sources on 2026-07-15.
How Rapunzl maps to Colorado standards
Rapunzl's curriculum is built on the Council for Economic Education's six pillars. Here is how they line up with the Colorado framework.
| Colorado strand | CEE pillar | Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|---|
| Financial decision-making | Financial Decision-Making | Financial StatisticsTop Investor Strategies |
| Earning income & taxes | Earning Income | Taxes & IncomeCareers In Finance |
| Saving, investing & the time value of money | Investing | Welcome To The Stock MarketWhat Makes A Good Stock?ETFs & Mutual Funds |
| Spending & credit | Managing Credit | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For You |
| Risk management & insurance | Managing Risk | Diversification & RiskInsurance & Retirement |
Educators can request a full Colorado standards crosswalk through the Educator Dashboard.
Standards alignment details: how Rapunzl covers Colorado's personal finance standards
A standard-by-standard look at the Colorado framework. 43 standards are covered across 18 Rapunzl modules; each links to its lesson so you can preview exactly what students learn.
Saving and investing are key contributors to financial well-being
| Colorado standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| Differentiate between saving and investing | Saving Versus Investing |
| Give examples of how saving and investing can improve financial well-being | Saving Versus Investing |
| Describe the advantages and disadvantages of saving for short and medium-term goals | Saving Versus Investing |
| Explain the importance of an emergency fund | The Basics Of Banking |
| Explain why saving is a prerequisite for investing | Saving Versus Investing |
| Explain how saving and investing income can improve financial well-being | Saving Versus Investing |
Quantities can be expressed and compared using ratios and rates
| Colorado standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| Use common fractions and percents to calculate parts of whole numbers in problem situations including comparisons of savings rates at different financial institutions | The Basics Of BankingTaxes & IncomeFinancial AlgebraFinancial Probabilities |
| Express the comparison of two whole number quantities using differences, part-to-part ratios, and part-to-whole ratios in real contexts, including investing and saving | Welcome To The Stock MarketSaving Versus InvestingThe Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For YouTaxes & IncomeDiversification & RiskFinancial AlgebraFinancial Probabilities |
The distribution of resources influences economic production and individual choices
| Colorado standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| Explain the role of taxes in economic production and distribution of resources | Taxes & Income |
| Define the various types of taxes students will pay as adults | Taxes & Income |
| Demonstrate the impact of taxes on individual income and spending | Taxes & Income |
Proportional reasoning involves comparisons and multiplicative relationships among ratios
| Colorado standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| Estimate and compute unit cost of consumables (to include unit conversions if necessary) sold in quantity to make purchase decisions based on cost and practicality | Saving Versus InvestingThe Power & Risks Of CreditFinancial AlgebraFinancial EquationsFinancial Exponents |
| Solve problems involving percent of a number, discounts, taxes, simple interest, percent increase, and percent decrease | Saving Versus InvestingThe Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For YouTaxes & IncomeDiversification & RiskPaying For CollegeBuying Your First HomeWhat Makes A Good Stock?Understanding Shorting A StockFinancial AlgebraFinancial EquationsFinancial Exponents |
Manage personal credit and debt
| Colorado standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| Identify and differentiate between purposes and reasons for debt | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For YouPaying For College |
| Analyze benefits and costs of credit and debt | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For YouPaying For College |
| Compare sources of credit | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For YouPaying For College |
| Describe the components of a credit history | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For YouPaying For College |
Graphs, tables and equations can be used to distinguish between linear and nonlinear functions
| Colorado standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| Analyze how credit and debt impact personal financial goals | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For YouPaying For CollegeFinancial Exponents |
Design, analyze, and apply a financial plan based on short- and long-term financial goals
| Colorado standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| Develop a financial plan including a budget based on short- and long- term goals | Saving Versus InvestingThe Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For YouTaxes & Income |
| Analyze financial information for accuracy, relevance, and steps for identity protection | The Power & Risks Of Credit |
| Describe factors affecting take-home pay | Taxes & Income |
| Identify sources of personal income and likely deductions and expenditures as a basis for a financial plan | Taxes & Income |
| Describe legal and ethical responsibilities regarding tax liabilities | Taxes & Income |
Analyze strategic spending, saving, and investment options to achieve the objectives of diversification, liquidity, income, and growth
| Colorado standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| Compare and contrast the variety of investments available for a diversified portfolio | Welcome To The Stock MarketDiversification & Risk |
| Evaluate factors to consider when managing savings and investment accounts | The Basics Of BankingWelcome To The Stock MarketSaving Versus InvestingInsurance & Retirement |
| Explain how economic cycles affect personal financial decisions | Taxes & IncomeDiversification & RiskInsurance & RetirementWhat Makes A Good Stock?ETFs & Mutual Funds |
| Describe the appropriate types of investments to achieve the objectives of liquidity, income and growth | Welcome To The Stock MarketHow To Make Loans Work For YouDiversification & Risk |
The components of personal credit to manage credit and debt
| Colorado standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| Analyze various lending sources, services, and financial institutions | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For You |
| Investigate legal and personal responsibilities affecting lenders and borrowers | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For You |
| Make connections between building and maintaining a credit history and its impact on lifestyle | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For You |
Identify, develop, and evaluate risk-management strategies
| Colorado standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| Differentiate between types of insurance | Insurance & Retirement |
| Explain the function and purpose of insurance | Insurance & Retirement |
| Select and evaluate strategies to mitigate risk | Diversification & RiskWhat Makes A Good Stock?Business Of Buildings & Ownership |
Quantitative reasoning is used to make sense of quantities and their relationships in problem situations
| Colorado standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| Describe factors affecting take-home pay and calculate the impact | Taxes & Income |
| Design and use a budget, including income (net take-home pay) and expenses (mortgage, car loans, and living expenses) to demonstrate how living within your means is essential for a secure financial future | Saving Versus InvestingTaxes & Income |
| Apply how to interpret rate of change of a function allows investigation of rate of return and time on the value of investments. | Welcome To The Stock MarketSaving Versus InvestingThe Power & Risks Of CreditWhat Makes A Good Stock?Financial EquationsFinancial Exponents |
Quantitative relationships in the real world can be modeled and solved using functions
| Colorado standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| Analyze the impact of interest rates on a personal financial plan | Saving Versus InvestingThe Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For YouFinancial EquationsFinancial Exponents |
| Evaluate the costs and benefits of credit | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For YouFinancial EquationsFinancial Exponents |
| Analyze various lending sources, services, and financial institutions | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For YouFinancial EquationsFinancial Exponents |
| Understand which financial applications can be modeled with exponential functions? Linear functions? | Financial EquationsFinancial Exponents |
| Understand how much would today’s purchase cost tomorrow? | Welcome To The Stock MarketSaving Versus Investing |
Probability models outcomes for situations in which there is inherent randomness
| Colorado standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| Analyze the cost of insurance as a method to offset the risk of a situation | Diversification & RiskInsurance & RetirementFinancial Probabilities |
| Understand how probability relates to obtaining insurance | Insurance & RetirementFinancial Probabilities |
Standards alignment for Colorado is provided for planning and is updated annually. Educators can request a formatted Colorado standards crosswalk through the Educator Dashboard.
Why Colorado schools choose Rapunzl
Rapunzl pairs a standards-aligned curriculum with a real-time investment simulator, so students learn personal finance by making real decisions with simulated $10,000 portfolios priced on live market data — not by reading about it. The curriculum scales from a three-week unit to a 28-week year-long course, which means it fits whichever shape Colorado's requirement takes in your district.
- 100,000+students have completed Rapunzl's curriculum
- 93%average financial literacy scores on national test over past 5 years, 24% above average
- 31interactive modules that can be customized into a course progression for your classroom
- 20+hours of gameplay in 2 interactive mini-games alongside our investment simulator and financial calculators
Teachers get an educator dashboard with grade export and standards crosswalks, English and Spanish materials, screen-reader accessibility, and a free national scholarship competition their students can enter each January.
Colorado personal finance requirement FAQ
Colorado requires students to meet the Colorado Academic Standards for Financial Literacy to graduate, with districts choosing how to deliver it.
The requirement is set by HB25-1192 (Financial Literacy Graduation Requirement).
Must meet the Colorado Academic Standards for Financial Literacy; the requirement may be met through coursework aligned to the standards.
Colorado's requirement is a standards-based requirement.
In practice that means the state sets the financial literacy standards students have to meet and lets each district decide how to teach them.
Colorado Academic Standards — Financial Literacy.
Rapunzl's curriculum is built on the Council for Economic Education's six pillars: Earning Income, Spending, Saving, Investing, Managing Credit, and Managing Risk. Those pillars map to every strand in the framework, which is why the same course can satisfy standards that are worded differently from one state to the next.
Yes. Rapunzl's modules and real-time investing simulator cover the CEE six pillars, and those pillars crosswalk to the Colorado strands listed on this page.
Students learn by making real decisions with a simulated $10,000 portfolio priced on live market data, and teachers get an educator dashboard with grade export, materials in English and Spanish, and screen-reader accessibility.
Request a demo and we'll send the Colorado standards crosswalk along with classroom access.
Bring Rapunzl to your Colorado classroom
Explore the curriculum and real-time simulator free for 30 days. Tell us about your school and we'll send your all-access demo along with the Colorado standards crosswalk.
Request DemoPersonal finance requirements in other states
- Alabama Standards
- California Standards
- Connecticut Standards
- Delaware Standards
- Georgia Standards
- Indiana Standards
- Kentucky Standards
- Michigan Standards
- Minnesota Standards
- Mississippi Standards
- Missouri Standards
- Nebraska Standards
- North Carolina Standards
- Ohio Standards
- Oregon Standards
- Pennsylvania Standards
- Rhode Island Standards
- South Carolina Standards
- Tennessee Standards
- Texas Standards
- Utah Standards
- Virginia Standards
- West Virginia Standards
- Wisconsin Standards
