How much personal finance does Texas require?

One-half (0.5) credit — a Personal Financial Literacy & Economics course (one semester PFL). Texas'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.

What personal finance standards does Texas use?

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) — Personal Financial Literacy and Economics. 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.

Does Rapunzl's curriculum align to Texas standards?

Yes. Rapunzl's modules and real-time investing simulator cover the CEE six pillars, and those pillars crosswalk to the Texas 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 Texas standards crosswalk along with classroom access.

Texas Personal Finance Standards & Graduation Requirements

Texas at a glance

Requirement: Standalone course required
Legislation or authority: HB 27 (89th Legislature, 2025) — Personal Financial Literacy & Economics
Passed: Signed June 20, 2025
Takes effect: Applies to students entering grade 9 in 2026-27
Course length: One-half (0.5) credit — a Personal Financial Literacy & Economics course (one semester PFL)
State standards: Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) — Personal Financial Literacy and Economics

Read the official Texas standards

What Texas requires

HB 27 upgraded Texas from an optional personal financial literacy course to a required Personal Financial Literacy & Economics course. Critically, it satisfies the existing economics credit rather than adding a new one, so it does not compete for room in a student's schedule.

The requirement applies to students entering grade 9 in 2026-27, and the SBOE has adopted and updated the TEKS for the combined course. Texas districts are selecting curriculum now to be ready for that cohort.

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

How Rapunzl maps to Texas standards

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

Texas strand	CEE pillar	Rapunzl modules
Economics (free enterprise) strand	Economics	The Economy & Federal Reserve Reading Company Financials
Earning income & careers	Earning Income	Taxes & Income Careers In Finance
Budgeting & money management	Spending	The Basics Of Banking Buying Your First Home Paying For College
Saving & investing	Investing	Welcome To The Stock Market What Makes A Good Stock?ETFs & Mutual Funds
Credit & debt	Managing Credit	The Power & Risks Of Credit How To Make Loans Work For You
Risk management & insurance	Managing Risk	Diversification & Risk Insurance & Retirement
Financial decision-making	Financial Decision-Making	Financial Statistics Top Investor Strategies

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

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

A standard-by-standard look at the Texas framework. 59 standards are covered across 14 Rapunzl modules; each links to its lesson so you can preview exactly what students learn.

High School Social Studies

Texas standard	Aligned Rapunzl modules
Differentiate between needs and wants in evaluating spending decisions.	Saving Versus Investing
Investigate the student's money personality, including spending and saving propensity.	Saving Versus Investing
Demonstrate an understanding of the value and benefits of charitable giving.	Taxes & Income
Develop financial goals for the short, medium, and long term that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time based -	Saving Versus Investing
Reconcile a bank statement with personal records to ensure the accuracy of deposits, withdrawals, and transfer activities.	Saving Versus Investing The Basics Of Banking
Track income and expenses and develop an income statement.	Taxes & Income
Develop a budget that incorporates short-, medium-, and long-term financial goals.	Saving Versus Investing Taxes & Income
Identify assets and liabilities.	Reading Company Financials
Construct a balance sheet or net worth statement.	Reading Company Financials
Evaluate the impact of unplanned spending on a budget	Saving Versus Investing
Identify benefits such as health insurance contributions, retirement benefits, sick leave, vacation pay, flexible spending account, health savings account, workers compensation, life insurance, and disability insurance.	Insurance & Retirement
Identify taxes that are deducted from paychecks, including Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) and federal income taxes.	Taxes & Income
Calculate gross and net pay using information on a paycheck -	Taxes & Income
Analyze costs and benefits of owning versus renting housing.	Buying Your First Home
Analyze costs and benefits of owning versus leasing a vehicle.	How To Make Loans Work For You
Compare total costs of alternative methods of payment such as rent-to-own, store credit, installment agreements, cash, bank credit card, and debit card.	Saving Versus Investing The Power & Risks Of Credit Insurance & Retirement Buying Your First Home
Apply strategies for making informed decisions about purchasing consumer goods such as comparing prices per unit.	Saving Versus Investing
Develop a short-term saving strategy to achieve a goal such as establishing and maintaining an emergency fund.	Saving Versus Investing
Develop an intermediate term saving and investing strategy to achieve a goal such as accumulating a down payment on a home or vehicle.	Welcome To The Stock Market Saving Versus Investing Buying Your First Home How To Make Loans Work For You
Explain the tax benefits of charitable contributions.	Taxes & Income
Develop a long-term investing strategy to achieve a goal such as a financially secure retirement	Welcome To The Stock Market Saving Versus Investing Insurance & Retirement
Discuss the role of financial institutions and markets in saving and investing.	Welcome To The Stock Market The Power & Risks Of Credit The Basics Of Banking The Economy & Federal Reserve
Demonstrate the impact of compound growth over time.	Welcome To The Stock Market Saving Versus Investing
Evaluate the costs and benefits of various savings options such as bank savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and money market mutual funds.	The Basics Of Banking
Evaluate risk and return of various investment options, including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds	Saving Versus Investing How To Make Loans Work For You ETFs & Mutual Funds
Identify costs of retirement such as living expenses, health care expenses, and long-term care expenses	Insurance & Retirement
Identify and explain sources of income during retirement, including Social Security, individual savings, and employer-sponsored plans.	Insurance & Retirement Taxes & Income
Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of saving early and at a sufficient level to achieve financial security in retirement -	Welcome To The Stock Market Saving Versus Investing What Makes A Good Stock?
Compare and contrast sources of credit.	The Power & Risks Of Credit
Compare and contrast types of credit.	The Power & Risks Of Credit
Evaluate the impact of credit decisions on budget, income statement, and net worth statement -	The Power & Risks Of Credit
Discuss how character, capacity, and collateral can adversely or positively impact an individual's credit rating and the ability to obtain credit.	The Power & Risks Of Credit
Describe how to access and interpret a sample credit report and score.	The Power & Risks Of Credit
Describe the importance of monitoring credit reports regularly and addressing mistakes.	The Power & Risks Of Credit
Identify things that cause bankruptcy such as medical expenses, job loss, divorce, or failed business.	The Power & Risks Of Credit
Appraise the impact of borrowing decisions on credit score, including consequences of poor credit management and bankruptcy -	The Power & Risks Of Credit
Examine the components of the cost of borrowing.	The Power & Risks Of Credit How To Make Loans Work For You Buying Your First Home Paying For College
Explain strategies to reduce total cost of borrowing such as making a higher down payment and additional principal payments.	Buying Your First Home How To Make Loans Work For You
Differentiate between the use and cost of debit and credit cards	Saving Versus Investing The Power & Risks Of Credit The Basics Of Banking

The student recognizes financial risks

Texas standard	Aligned Rapunzl modules
Identify risk as potential loss of assets or earning potential.	Diversification & Risk Taxes & Income
Apply risk management strategies, including avoiding, reducing, retaining, and transferring risk.	Diversification & Risk Insurance & Retirement
Define insurance terminology, including premiums, deductibles, co-pays, and policy limits.	Insurance & Retirement
Explain the costs and benefits of different types and sources of health insurance.	Insurance & Retirement
Explain the costs and benefits of disability and long-term care insurance.	Insurance & Retirement
Explain the costs and benefits of life insurance, including term insurance and whole life insurance.	Insurance & Retirement
Explain the costs and benefits of property insurance, including homeowner's and renter's insurance.	Insurance & Retirement Buying Your First Home
Explain the costs and benefits of automobile insurance and factors that impact the price of insurance, including the type of vehicle, age and sex of driver, driving record, deductible, and geographic location.	How To Make Loans Work For You Insurance & Retirement
Explain the costs and benefits of supplemental types of insurance	Insurance & Retirement
Identify ways to protect personal information and reduce risk of identity theft.	Saving Versus Investing The Power & Risks Of Credit
Recognize common schemes and scams such as investment, pyramid, phishing, check cashing, and home renovation scams.	Insurance & Retirement

The student understands estate planning

Texas standard	Aligned Rapunzl modules
Explain the importance of guardianship of minor children, wills, and beneficiary designation.	Insurance & Retirement
Explain the importance of a power of attorney, living will, and medical directive.	Insurance & Retirement
Analyze the relationship between education and training and earnings.	Taxes & Income Paying For College
Identify types of costs associated with college, postsecondary education, and training.	Paying For College
Compare costs among postsecondary education and training institutions such as public universities, private universities, certification programs, and community colleges.	Paying For College
Analyze the quality of education investment using measures such as academic reputation, selectivity and rigor in a chosen area of study, average starting salary of students graduating in chosen field, and likelihood of student graduation.	Paying For College
Understand how, why, and when to complete grant and scholarship applications and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) provided by the U.S - Department of Education.	Paying For College
Research various sources of funds for postsecondary education and training, including student loans, grants and scholarships, and other sources such as work-study and military programs.	Paying For College
Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of various sources of funds for postsecondary education and training, including student loans, grants and scholarships, and other sources such as work-study and military programs	Paying For College

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

Why Texas 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 Texas'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.