State review · Data version 2026.10.19.5 · October 2026

New Jersey

Requirement before grade 9

New Jersey's 2018 chapter law 167 (section 18A:35-4.34) directs the State Board of Education to require districts to incorporate financial literacy instruction in each of grades six through eight. The 2020 state learning standards also include personal financial literacy expectations at the end of grades 2, 5 and 8, and graduation rules require 2.5 credits in financial, economic, business, and entrepreneurial literacy.

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 6
Grade range: grades 6-8

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 required: 6, 7, 8
Standards document: 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards - Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills (Standard 9.1 Personal Financial Literacy) (2020)
Required by law: Yes
Delivery: Not stated
Assessed: Not determined
Funded: Not determined

The statute requires instruction in each of grades 6-8 meeting State Board requirements, covering budgeting, savings, credit, debt, insurance, investment and other personal financial responsibility topics, and directs the Commissioner to provide sample materials. It does not say whether delivery is a standalone course. The standards (9.1) have expectations by the end of grades 2, 5, 8 and 12 and are described as intended for integration across K-12 content areas. The N.J.A.C. 6A:8 chapter as retrieved does not separately mention middle school financial literacy.

Grades 9-12

Graduation requirement: Yes
Course length: At least 2.5 credits in financial, economic, business, and entrepreneurial literacy
Effective date: Not stated

Part of local graduation requirements under N.J.A.C. 6A:8-5.1(a) for a State-endorsed diploma; the credit may be in financial, economic, business, or entrepreneurial literacy.

What’s missing for K-8

A requirement was found that reaches a grade before ninth (6, 7, 8).

Pending bills

S3462 (2026-2027 (222nd Legislature)): Requires high school students to receive financial literacy instruction (amends P.L.2018, c.167; would allow grades 6-8 instruction in an appropriate place in the curriculum and add a one-semester or one-trimester high school course). Status: Introduced February 9, 2026; reported favorably with committee amendments by the Senate Education Committee on March 2, 2026 (First Reprint, official bill text and committee statement read 2026-10-19; sponsorship list updated 10/1/2026). Later action not confirmed (bill status page loads dynamically and returned no readable status)..

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

New Jersey Legislature. P.L. 2018, c.167, s.1 (N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.34), approved January 3, 2019. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
“incorporate in each of the grades six through eight financial literacy instruction to pupils enrolled in those grades.”
New Jersey Legislature. P.L. 2018, c.167, s.1 (N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.34). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
“include content on budgeting, savings, credit, debt, insurance, investment, and other issues associated with personal financial responsibility as determined by the State board.”
New Jersey Department of Education / State Board of Education. N.J.A.C. 6A:8-5.1(a)1. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
“At least 2.5 credits in financial, economic, business, and entrepreneurial literacy;”
New Jersey Department of Education. 2020 NJSLS - Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills, Standard 9.1 Personal Financial Literacy (June 2020). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
“these standards ensure a robust and comprehensive education in financial literacy from early elementary grades through high school.”
New Jersey Department of Education. 2020 NJSLS-CLKS, performance expectation 9.1.2.FP.2. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
“9.1.2.FP.2: Differentiate between financial wants and needs.”
New Jersey Legislature. Senate Bill S3462 (222nd Legislature), introduced February 9, 2026. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
“Requires high school students to receive financial literacy instruction.”

Open items are being reviewed.

Statute text read in full from the legislature-hosted chapter law. The statute directs the State Board to require the instruction; N.J.A.C. 6A:8 as retrieved did not separately restate it, so the implementing rule was not located. The 2020 standards document read is the one the Department's page lists as current, but a State Board agenda item dated June 3, 2026 refers to adopting revised standards; the revised text and the vote were not read, so the standards may have changed. Bill S3462 status on the legislature's bill page could not be loaded (page returned no bill data), so pending_bills reflects only the introduced text.

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