State review · Data version 2026.10.19.5 · October 2026

North Carolina

Requirement, grades not specified

North Carolina General Statute 115C-81.65(a) says instruction shall be provided in personal financial literacy for all students and names no grade, so it is not confirmed to reach K-8, and subsection (b) requires an Economics and Personal Finance course for high school graduation. The Board's grade 4 and grade 8 social studies standards include personal financial decision objectives.

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: Not specified
Grade range: No grade or grade range is named

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: 4, 8
Standards document: North Carolina Social Studies Standards, Grades 4 and 8 (Economics strand) (2021 (approved Feb. 4, 2021))
Required by law: Not determined
Delivery: Embedded in another subject
Assessed: Not determined
Funded: Not determined

Read in archived official DPI PDFs: 4.E.2 'Understand the impact of personal financial decisions' (4.E.2.1, 4.E.2.2) and 8.E.1.4. Grade 5 was previously supported only by a DPI family guide, and K-3, 6-7 standards PDFs were not retrieved (live DPI links 404 or removed pending accessible copies). G.S. 115C-81.65(a) is grade-neutral ('all students'); the State Board determines the other components.

Grades 9-12

Graduation requirement: Yes
Course length: full-credit Economics and Personal Finance course
Effective date: Students entering ninth grade in 2020-2021 or later (S.L. 2019-82)

Passing grade required for graduation.

What’s missing for K-8

The sources reviewed show a requirement to provide personal-finance instruction that names no grade, so it is not confirmed to reach K-8.

Pending bills

S393 (2025-2026): Betting and Addiction in Pers. Finance Course. Status: Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate, 2025-03-25 (last action).

Case study

North Carolina records audit

North Carolina is CENTS’ first place. We asked its school districts what K-8 financial education they provide, and published the replies in the North Carolina section. This audit exists for North Carolina only.

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

North Carolina General Assembly. N.C.G.S. 115C-81.65(a). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“Instruction shall be provided in personal financial literacy for all students.”
North Carolina General Assembly. N.C.G.S. 115C-81.65(b); history note: 2017-126, s. 5; 2019-82, s. 2(a). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“A passing grade in the course shall be required for graduation from high school.”
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (Wayback Machine copy of dpi.nc.gov PDF; live link now returns 404). NC Social Studies Standards Grade 4 (approved Feb. 4, 2021), 4.E.2.1. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2022-10-21; original agency address: https://www.dpi.nc.gov/media/11815/open.
“4.E.2.1 Explain the way in which personal financial decisions such as spending and saving may affect everyday life.”
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (Wayback Machine copy of dpi.nc.gov PDF; live link now returns 404). NC Social Studies Standards Grade 8 (approved Feb. 2021), 8.E.1.4. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Archived copy captured 2022-10-21; original agency address: https://www.dpi.nc.gov/media/11819/open.
“8.E.1.4 Exemplify ways personal financial decision making influences the economy.”
North Carolina General Assembly. Senate Bill 393, 2025-2026 Regular Session (last action 3/25/2025). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
“Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate”

Open items are being reviewed.

Earlier DPI family-guide and extended-content-standard sources dropped as weaker than the grade-level standards (the extended standards are the alternate standards for students with significant cognitive disabilities). Statute and S393 page re-verified 2026-10-19. Coded requirement_grades_unspecified under the 2026-10-19 methodology: the statute's operative language (shall) names no grade. What would turn it into a K-8 requirement: a State Board of Education policy, DPI guidance or interpretation saying which grades 115C-81.65(a) covers.

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