Standards issued · not required

Massachusetts Personal Finance Standards & Graduation Requirements

Massachusetts has not adopted a personal finance graduation requirement, but the state has issued High School Standards for Personal Financial Literacy (2018) as part of its History and Social Science Curriculum Framework, and mandate legislation has passed the House.

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Massachusetts personal finance classroom

Massachusetts at a glance

Requirement: State standards issued, not required to graduate
Legislation or authority: Chapter 438 of the Acts of 2018 ('An Act Relative to Financial Literacy in Schools,' amending G.L. c.69 §1Q) — a permissive framework that does not mandate instruction
State standards: High School Standards for Personal Financial Literacy — part of the 2018 Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework

Read the official Massachusetts standards

Personal finance in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has no statewide graduation requirement for personal finance. Chapter 438 of the Acts of 2018 authorizes but does not require the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and districts to teach financial literacy, and directs DESE to supply curricular resources, professional development, and periodic implementation reviews. Schools may embed personal finance in history/social science, math, family & consumer science, business, or college-and-career-readiness coursework, or offer it as a standalone elective, so implementation varies widely by district.

The state's issued standards live in the 2018 History and Social Science Curriculum Framework as the High School Standards for Personal Financial Literacy, organized into four topics designed to be taught over a quarter to half of a school year and explicitly based on the National Standards for Financial Literacy. Legislation is advancing — H.4670 passed the House 155-0 in October 2025 and remains in Senate Ways & Means — but no bill had reached the Governor as of mid-2026.

Last reviewed against official sources on 2026-07-15.

How Rapunzl maps to Massachusetts standards

Rapunzl's curriculum is built on the Council for Economic Education's six pillars. Here is how they line up with the Massachusetts framework.

Massachusetts strand	CEE pillar	Rapunzl modules
Earning and spending income	Earning Income	Taxes & Income Careers In Finance
Saving money	Saving	Saving Versus Investing The Basics Of Banking
Using credit and making investments	Managing Credit	The Power & Risks Of Credit How To Make Loans Work For You
Protecting and insuring assets	Managing Risk	Diversification & Risk Insurance & Retirement

Educators can request a full Massachusetts standards crosswalk through the Educator Dashboard.

Standards alignment details: how Rapunzl covers Massachusetts's personal finance standards

A standard-by-standard look at the Massachusetts framework. 21 standards are covered across 12 Rapunzl modules; each links to its lesson so you can preview exactly what students learn.

Suggested course sequence

Week 1: Module 23: Basics of Banking
Week 7: Module 15: Paying For College
Week 2: Module 27: Budgeting & Spending
Week 8: Module 18: Buying Your First Home
Week 3: Module 2: Savings & Compound Growth
Week 9: Module 7: Diversification & Risk
Week 4: Module 1: Welcome To The Stock Market
Week 10: Module 10: ETFs & Mutual Funds
Week 5: Module 3: The Risks of Credit Cards
Week 11: Module 8: Insurance & Retirement
Week 6: Module 4: The Power of Debt
Week 12: Module 25: Consumer In The Economy

Topic 1: Earning & Spending Income

Massachusetts standard	Aligned Rapunzl modules
Describe the impact of advertising and social media on purchasing decisions; use data to research the effects of media sources on purchases of durable goods or more temporary goods and services.	Budgeting & Spending
Give examples of ways people can pay for goods, services, or charitable donations..	Saving Versus Investing The Power & Risks Of Credit
Explain the state and federal governments’ roles in consumer protection.	Saving Versus Investing The Basics Of Banking Budgeting & Spending

Topic 2: Saving Money

Massachusetts standard	Aligned Rapunzl modules
Recognize that banks and other financial institutions are businesses that loan funds received from depositors to borrowers.	The Basics Of Banking
Explain the relationship between principal, interest, and compound interest.	Saving Versus Investing The Basics Of Banking
Explain the difference between the real interest rate of return on savings and the nominal interest rate.	Saving Versus Investing How To Make Loans Work For You The Basics Of Banking
Research and report on government policies such as individual retirement accounts and educational savings plans.	Insurance & Retirement Paying For College The Basics Of Banking
Analyze the effectiveness of government agencies such as the Federal Reserve System, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and state banking departments in protecting the safety of the nation’s banking system.	Saving Versus Investing The Basics Of Banking The Federal Reserve
Formulate a savings or financial investment plan for a future goal (e.g., college or retirement).	Paying For College Buying Your First Home Budgeting & Spending Saving Versus Investing

Topic 3: Using Credit & Making Investments

Massachusetts standard	Aligned Rapunzl modules
Recognize that a credit card purchase is a type of loan from the financial institution that issued the credit card, and that financial institutions may charge a fee for credit card use.	The Power & Risks Of Credit How To Make Loans Work For You
Explain why some banks offer credit at low introductory rates that increase when a consumer makes a late payment or misses a payment.	The Power & Risks Of Credit The Basics Of Banking
Explain what a credit bureau does, what a credit rating is and the factors from an individual’s credit history that may lead to denial of credit; explain the potential uses of credit reports and scores.	The Power & Risks Of Credit
Research and report on the long-term consequences for borrowers of failure to repay loans, such as negative entries in a credit report, repossession of property, the inability to obtain loans in the future, and bankruptcy.	The Power & Risks Of Credit
Explain a consumer’s rights for full disclosure of credit terms for a loan and for a free copy of his or her own credit report so that the consumer can verify it.	The Power & Risks Of Credit
Formulate a credit plan for purchasing a major item such as a car or home, comparing different interest rates.	Saving Versus Investing The Power & Risks Of Credit
Explain what a financial asset is and explain why the worth of assets can go up or down over time.	Welcome To The Stock Market Diversification & Risk
Explain how buyers and sellers in financial markets determine the prices of financial assets and therefore influence the rate of return on those assets.	Welcome To The Stock Market How To Make Loans Work For You
Analyze the role of diversification in lowering risk for the individual investor.	Diversification & Risk
Analyze the role of the Securities and Exchange Commission in regulating financial markets.	Reading Company Financials

Topic 4: Protecting & Insuring

Massachusetts standard	Aligned Rapunzl modules
Explain the purpose of various types of insurance (e.g., health, disability, life, property and casualty).	Insurance & Retirement
Explain the problems associated with identity theft and ways to protect sensitive personal information, particularly in online transactions, email scams, and telemarketing.	The Power & Risks Of Credit The Basics Of Banking Budgeting & Spending

Standards alignment for Massachusetts is provided for planning and is updated annually. Educators can request a formatted Massachusetts standards crosswalk through the Educator Dashboard.

Why Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts'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.

Massachusetts personal finance requirement FAQ

The requirement is set by Chapter 438 of the Acts of 2018 ('An Act Relative to Financial Literacy in Schools,' amending G.L. c.69 §1Q) — a permissive framework that does not mandate instruction.

High School Standards for Personal Financial Literacy — part of the 2018 Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework.

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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts standards crosswalk along with classroom access.

Bring Rapunzl to your Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts standards crosswalk.

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