Kentucky Personal Finance Standards & Graduation Requirements
Kentucky is moving from embedded financial literacy standards to a dedicated standalone course under HB 342.
Kentucky at a glance
- Requirement
- Standalone course required
- Legislation or authority
- HB 342 (2025) — AN ACT relating to financial literacy
- Passed
- Signed by Gov. Beshear, March 24, 2025
- Takes effect
- Applies to students entering grade 9 on or after July 1, 2025 (KRS 158.1411(2)); students who entered on or before June 30, 2025 finish under the prior standards-based requirement
- First graduating class affected
- Class of 2029
- Course length
- One (1) full credit, standalone financial literacy course
- State standards
- Kentucky Academic Standards for Financial Literacy / KDE Financial Literacy guidance
What Kentucky requires
Kentucky previously required financial literacy standards embedded within existing credits. HB 342, signed March 24, 2025, moves the state toward a dedicated financial literacy course instead.
KDE has issued supplemental course-code guidance for the transition. The requirement is one full credit and binds students entering grade 9 on or after July 1, 2025, so the class of 2029 is the first cohort held to it; students who entered earlier finish under the prior embedded standards.
Last reviewed against official sources on 2026-09-12.
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How Rapunzl maps to Kentucky standards
Rapunzl's curriculum is built on the Council for Economic Education's six pillars. Here is how they line up with the Kentucky framework.
| Kentucky strand | CEE pillar | Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|---|
| Earning income | Earning Income | Taxes & IncomeCareers In Finance |
| Spending & saving | Saving | Saving Versus InvestingThe Basics Of Banking |
| Credit & debt | Managing Credit | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For You |
| Investing | Investing | Welcome To The Stock MarketWhat Makes A Good Stock?ETFs & Mutual Funds |
| Risk management & insurance | Managing Risk | Diversification & RiskInsurance & Retirement |
| Financial decision-making | Financial Decision-Making | Financial StatisticsTop Investor Strategies |
Educators can request a full Kentucky standards crosswalk through the Educator Dashboard.
Standards alignment details: how Rapunzl covers Kentucky's personal finance standards
A standard-by-standard look at the Kentucky framework. 34 standards are covered across 15 Rapunzl modules; each links to its lesson so you can preview exactly what students learn.
Grades 6-8
| Kentucky standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| FL.M.1Develop and manage financial goals for the future based on one’s career choice and lifestyle expectations to meet the needs of individuals and families. | Budgeting & Spending |
| FL.M.2Explain how income can be earned or unearned. | Taxes & Income |
| FL.M.3Explain net income. | Taxes & Income |
| FL.M.4Compare a variety of credit sources from which consumers can choose. | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For You |
| FL.M.5Compare the costs and benefits of buying on credit. | The Power & Risks Of Credit |
| FL.M.6Evaluate financial management resources and how they are needed to meet the goals of individuals and families. | Saving Versus InvestingThe Basics Of BankingBudgeting & Spending |
| FL.M.7Apply decision making strategies when buying products. | Saving Versus Investing |
| FL.M.8Compare and evaluate products and services. | Saving Versus InvestingInsurance & Retirement |
| FL.M.9Investigate how culture, media and technology impact the family and consumer decision making. | Saving Versus InvestingBudgeting & Spending |
| FL.M.10List examples of investments for current income and investments for future growth. | Welcome To The Stock MarketHow To Make Loans Work For YouWhat Makes A Good Stock?Diversification & RiskETFs & Mutual Funds |
| FL.M.12Research federal government depository insurance coverage and limits related to consumer bank and credit union accounts. | The Basics Of Banking |
| FL.M.13Investigate the use of insurance to cover risk of financial loss. | Insurance & Retirement |
Grades 9-12
| Kentucky standard | Aligned Rapunzl modules |
|---|---|
| FL.H.1Identify the financial impacts of a career choice. | Taxes & IncomeCareers In FinanceBudgeting & Spending |
| FL.H.2Analyze how economic conditions can affect income and career opportunities. | Taxes & IncomeThe Economy & Federal Reserve |
| FL.H.3Evaluate the costs of funding sources for post-secondary education and training. | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For YouPaying For College |
| FL.H.4Analyze components of employment compensation. | Insurance & RetirementTaxes & Income |
| FL.H.5Analyze the factors that determine net income. | Taxes & Income |
| FL.H.6Develop strategies to control and manage credit and debt. | The Power & Risks Of Credit |
| FL.H.7Analyze the costs and benefits of using credit. (9-12) | The Power & Risks Of CreditHow To Make Loans Work For You |
| FL.H.8Identify why people make financial choices. | The Economy & Federal ReserveBudgeting & Spending |
| SFL.H.9Apply a formal decision-making model to make financial decisions. | Budgeting & Spending |
| FL.H.10Identify the components of a personal budgeting process. | Budgeting & Spending |
| FL.H.11Identify the major types of financial institutions. | The Basics Of Banking |
| FL.H.12Demonstrate how to use different payment methods. | Saving Versus InvestingThe Power & Risks Of CreditThe Basics Of Banking |
| FL.H.13Compare various types of financial professionals. | Careers In FinanceReading Company Financials |
| FL.H.14Examine implications of the time value of money. | Welcome To The Stock MarketSaving Versus InvestingHow To Make Loans Work For You |
| FL.H.15Evaluate investment alternatives. | Welcome To The Stock MarketHow To Make Loans Work For YouDiversification & RiskETFs & Mutual Funds |
| FL.H.16Explain the components of an investment strategy compatible with personal financial goals. | Welcome To The Stock MarketSaving Versus InvestingWhat Makes A Good Stock?Budgeting & Spending |
| FL.H.19Explain how government uses taxation. | Taxes & Income |
| FL.H.21Explain the role of the government in administering social insurance programs. | Taxes & Income |
| FL.H.22Identify the role of regulatory agencies. | The Power & Risks Of CreditTaxes & IncomeReading Company FinancialsThe Economy & Federal Reserve |
| FL.H.23Identify common types of risk management strategies. | Diversification & Risk |
| FL.H.24Analyze the costs and benefits of using various insurance management strategies. | Diversification & RiskInsurance & Retirement |
| FL.H.25Identify strategies for protecting personal financial info and resources. | The Power & Risks Of CreditThe Basics Of Banking |
Standards alignment for Kentucky is provided for planning and is updated annually. Educators can request a formatted Kentucky standards crosswalk through the Educator Dashboard.
Why Kentucky schools choose Rapunzl
Kentucky is shifting from financial literacy embedded in other credits to a dedicated course under HB 342, and the KDE has already issued course-code guidance for the change. Districts moving from a few embedded lessons to a full course need curriculum that can carry the extra time, and Rapunzl does it with a live-market simulator where students manage a $10,000 portfolio. The modules run from a three-week unit up to a year-long sequence, so the same materials work whether a district builds a semester course or eases into one. That flexibility helps while the first fully bound graduating class is still being confirmed with KDE.
- 150,000+students have completed Rapunzl's curriculum
- 93%average financial literacy scores on national test over past 5 years, 26% higher than 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
The educator dashboard exports grades and crosswalks each lesson to the Kentucky Academic Standards for Financial Literacy, with everything available in English and Spanish and readable by a screen reader. Rapunzl's January scholarship competition gives students a concrete reason to keep managing their portfolio once the unit is over.
Kentucky personal finance requirement FAQ
Kentucky is moving from embedded financial literacy standards to a dedicated standalone course under HB 342.
The requirement is set by HB 342 (2025) — AN ACT relating to financial literacy.
Takes effect: Applies to students entering grade 9 on or after July 1, 2025 (KRS 158.1411(2)); students who entered on or before June 30, 2025 finish under the prior standards-based requirement.
One (1) full credit, standalone financial literacy course.
Kentucky's requirement is a standalone course requirement.
In practice that means a dedicated class of its own, taken for credit, rather than a few personal finance lessons folded into another subject.
The Class of 2029 is the first graduating class that has to meet it, so earlier classes are not held to the requirement.
Timeline: Applies to students entering grade 9 on or after July 1, 2025 (KRS 158.1411(2)); students who entered on or before June 30, 2025 finish under the prior standards-based requirement.
If you are planning a course now, that timeline is the window to have curriculum in place before Kentucky starts holding students to it.
Kentucky Academic Standards for Financial Literacy / KDE Financial Literacy guidance.
Rapunzl is built on the Council for Economic Education's six pillars: earning income, spending, saving, investing, managing credit, and managing risk. The Kentucky Academic Standards for Financial Literacy cover the same topics, so the crosswalk above matches each standard to the modules that teach it.
Yes. Rapunzl's modules and live simulator cover the six CEE pillars, and those pillars align with the Kentucky strands on this page, so the standalone course HB 342 creates has curriculum ready for it.
Students learn by trading a simulated $10,000 in real market conditions, and teachers manage the class from a dashboard with grade export, bilingual materials, and screen-reader support.
Request a demo and we'll send the Kentucky crosswalk plus classroom access so you can see how it supports the move to a dedicated course.
Kentucky moved from embedded standards to a dedicated one-credit standalone course under HB 342, so the decisions are standing up a full-credit course, applying KDE's supplemental course codes, and staffing it — a full credit is more instructional time than the half credit most states require.
The requirement binds students entering grade 9 on or after July 1, 2025, so the class of 2029 is already in high school and the course needs to be ready. Rapunzl aligns to the Kentucky Academic Standards for Financial Literacy and scales to fill a full-year course.
Bring Rapunzl to your Kentucky 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 Kentucky standards crosswalk.
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