State review · Data version 2026.10.19.5 · October 2026

Michigan

K-8 standards only

Michigan's K-12 social studies standards name earning at grade 1 (1-E1.0.5) and at grade 4 (4-E1.0.7), and saving at grade 4 (4-E1.0.3), but no statute or rule read requires personal finance instruction below high school. MCL 380.1278a(3) requires a half-credit personal finance course for a high school diploma, and MCL 380.1165 only encourages districts to adopt model programs.

Statuses come from published law and standards and an automated second check, not a lawyer. Last verified: 2026-10-19. Report a correction

What the law says

Requirement coverage

Earliest grade covered: Grade 9
Grade range: grades 9-12

Describes the instruction requirement found in law, not the standards. It may reach at least one grade before ninth (the earliest grade is shown, and some start only in grade 6 or 7), no grade at all (not specified), or high school only. \u201cOffer courses\u201d means the law says districts must offer the courses or instruction, not that every student must receive it.

Grades K-8

Grades where K-8 content was confirmed: 1, 4
Standards document: Michigan K-12 Standards Social Studies (archived copy of Department of Education PDF, 2019 revisions) (2019)
Required by law: No
Delivery: Not stated
Assessed: Not determined
Funded: Not determined

No statute read requires K-8 financial education. K-8 economics expectations include 1-E1.0.5 (ways people earn money), 1-E1.0.6 (how money simplifies trade) and 4-E1.0.7 (role of money in exchange, earning income); the standards' Personal Finance strand (E4) appears only in the high school expectations.

Grades 9-12

Graduation requirement: Yes
Course length: 1/2 credit course in personal finance
Effective date: Pupils entering grade 8 in 2023

MCL 380.1278a(3); may fulfill 1/2 credit of mathematics, visual/performing/applied arts, or a language other than English.

What’s missing for K-8

State standards name personal-finance concepts at two or more K-8 grade levels, but the sources reviewed did not show a requirement to teach them.

Pending bills

No pending bills were identified. This is not an exhaustive legislative search.

How to read the status

Status key

Requirement before grade 9: A statute or rule requires financial education and reaches at least one grade before ninth. Some start only in grade 6 or 7; the earliest grade is shown with the label.
Requirement, grades not specified: A statute or rule says students shall receive financial-literacy instruction but names no grade, so it is not confirmed to reach K-8.
K-8 standards only: State standards name a personal-finance concept at two or more K-8 grade levels, but no requirement to teach it was found.
No K-8 personal-finance standards found: A high school requirement exists, but no requirement for any grade before ninth and no K-8 standards naming a personal-finance concept at two or more grade levels were found. This describes what was found, not proof that none exist.
Study or pilot only: A task force, study, pilot, or unfunded permission exists, without a requirement.
None found: No state-level requirement or standards were found. The searches run are recorded.
Under review: Not yet confirmed. Sources found so far are shown and no status is stated.
Research in progress: This state has not been researched yet.

Sources

Michigan Legislature (archived copy, Internet Archive). MCL 380.1278a(3). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2025-11-11; original agency address: https://legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/MCL-380-1278A.pdf.
“shall not award a high school diploma to a pupil unless the pupil completes a 1/2 credit course in personal finance”
Michigan Legislature (archived copy, Internet Archive). MCL 380.1165(1). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2025-08-07; original agency address: https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-380-1165.pdf.
“A program under this section shall be designed to incorporate financial education throughout the curriculum for grades K to 12”
Michigan Legislature (archived copy, Internet Archive). MCL 380.1165(2). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2025-08-07; original agency address: https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-380-1165.pdf.
“is encouraged to adopt and implement the model financial education programs developed under subsection (1)”
Michigan Department of Education (archived copy, Internet Archive). Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards, Economics HSCE overview. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2025-02-07; original agency address: https://www.michigan.gov/mde/-/media/Project/Websites/mde/Academic-Standards/Social_Studies_Standards.pdf.
“Content in Personal Finance includes the role of economic concepts in understanding personal finance issues and in creating personal finance strategies.”
Michigan Department of Education (archived copy, Internet Archive). Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards, Grade 1, 1-E1.0.5. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2025-02-07; original agency address: https://www.michigan.gov/mde/-/media/Project/Websites/mde/Academic-Standards/Social_Studies_Standards.pdf.
“Describe ways in which people earn money.”
Michigan Department of Education (archived copy, Internet Archive). Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards, Grade 1, 1-E1.0.6. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2025-02-07; original agency address: https://www.michigan.gov/mde/-/media/Project/Websites/mde/Academic-Standards/Social_Studies_Standards.pdf.
“Describe how money simplifies trade.”
Michigan Legislature (archived copy, Internet Archive). MCL 380.1278a(3). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2025-11-11; original agency address: https://legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/MCL-380-1278A.pdf.
“the board of a school district or board of directors of a public school academy shall not award a high school diploma to a pupil”
Michigan Legislature (archived copy, Internet Archive). MCL 380.1165(2). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2025-08-07; original agency address: https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-380-1165.pdf.
“is encouraged to adopt and implement the model financial education programs developed under subsection (1) or 1 or more similar financial education programs”
Michigan Legislature (archived copy, Internet Archive). Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards, grade 1, 1-E1.0.5. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2025-02-07; original agency address: https://www.michigan.gov/mde/-/media/Project/Websites/mde/Academic-Standards/Social_Studies_Standards.pdf.
“Describe ways in which people earn money.”
Michigan Legislature (archived copy, Internet Archive). Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards, grade 4, 4-E1.0.3. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2025-02-07; original agency address: https://www.michigan.gov/mde/-/media/Project/Websites/mde/Academic-Standards/Social_Studies_Standards.pdf.
“saving money, earning money.”
Michigan Legislature (archived copy, Internet Archive). Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards, grade 4, 4-E1.0.7. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2025-02-07; original agency address: https://www.michigan.gov/mde/-/media/Project/Websites/mde/Academic-Standards/Social_Studies_Standards.pdf.
“people earn income and use the income to purchase goods and services.”
Michigan Legislature (archived copy, Internet Archive). MCL 380.1278a(3). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2025-11-11; original agency address: https://legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/MCL-380-1278A.pdf.
“shall not award a high school diploma to a pupil unless the pupil completes a 1/2 credit course in personal finance”
Michigan Legislature (archived copy, Internet Archive). Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards, Economics HSCE E4 (4.1.1 Earning Income). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2025-02-07; original agency address: https://www.michigan.gov/mde/-/media/Project/Websites/mde/Academic-Standards/Social_Studies_Standards.pdf.
“E4 Personal Finance 4.1 Decision Making”

Open items are being reviewed.

Primary text read through Internet Archive copies of the official legislature PDFs and the Department's social studies standards PDF (archive 2025-02-07, containing '2019 revisions'). K-8 economics expectations were scanned in full; none uses the terms personal finance, budget or credit; 'saving money' appears only as an example of a positive incentive. The archive snapshot is not necessarily the current adopted version. Settled on 2026-10-19 by the two-grade-level rule: earning is named at grades 1 and 4 on the literal text (the grade 4 mentions sit in 'examples may include' text, which is why confidence is medium). The standards were read from an Internet Archive copy (2025-02-07) because michigan.gov blocks robots.txt. Not counted: 1-E1.0.6, 2-E1.0.1, 2-E1.0.5, 3-E1.0.2, 4-E1.0.4 and the kindergarten economics items.

Suggested citation
CENTS. Michigan: K-8 financial education. State-by-state review, v2026.10.19.5, October 2026. https://www.centscampaign.org/states/mi