Our impact

Financial Scholars is making a real difference for thousands of students

We track student advancement data and are embarking on longitudinal research to help encourage investment in financial empowerment for underserved students.
See our Annual Report

By the numbers

105

School Partners
‍

50k+

Students Taught
‍

156

Teachers Trained
‍

56%

Growth in Teacher & Student
Financial Knowledge

Program success

Filling the need

Financial Scholars provides curriculum and paid professional development to the highest need / lowest resourced schools to launch high-quality, daily instruction in personal finance.

Scalable

In 2025-26, Financial Scholars is serving over 12,500 students across 153 high schools.

Measurable impact

At the end of each class, we give an assessment to measure student growth. In our most recent cohort, student financial knowledge was shown to grow by 56%, and the percentage of students who reported feeling confident in their ability to achieve financial wellness grew by 70%.
See our Student Outcomes infographic

The financial education landscape

The problem

Only 63% of students in the state of Pennsylvania had access to a fully dedicated personal finance class, and in Philadelphia, less than 20% of public high schools offered such a course during the 2021-22 school year.

High school students living in rural areas are three times more likely to take a financial literacy course than those at urban schools, according to Next Gen Personal Finance.
High schools where more than 75% of students are Black or Hispanic are half as likely to require these courses compared to schools where fewer than 25% of students are Black or Hispanic.

The solution

76% of recent high school graduates said they wished their schools placed more emphasis on personal finance, according to a 2019 Experian Consumer Finance Survey.

88% of adults surveyed in April 2022 said they wanted all schools to require either a semester- or year-long personal finance course.
Students from high schools with guaranteed financial education save an average of $1,300 in high-interest private debt per student, are 21% less likely to carry a balance on a credit card while in college, submit the FAFSA 3.5% more often, and use subsidized student loans 13% more often.
Read this article from US Today: Shrink the racial wealth gap by offering personal finance classes in high school.

Teacher & student results

56%

Growth in students' financial
knowledge
‍

‍

8.6/10

Average score when
students were asked how
likely, on a scale of 1-10,
they would recommend this
class to a friend.

89%

Growth in students who
reported feeling confident
in their ability to achieve
financial wellness
‍

4.9/5.0

Teachers overall
experience rating in an
end of year 2025-26
survey
‍

Teacher approval

Educators find tremendous value in Financial Scholars programming and professional development:
‍
Teachers rated our curricular resources a 4.9 out of 5.0 in an end-of-year survey in 2025-26.

Teachers rated their overall experience with Philadelphia Financial Scholars 4.9 out of 5.0 in an end-of-year survey in 2025-26.

83% strongly agreed that our summer 2026 professional development will elevate their teaching practice and result in positive student outcomes.

What our partners
are saying

Financial Scholars shares NGPF’s belief that teacher preparedness and confidence are essential to student success. Their stellar team invests in sustained, high-quality implementation by developing teachers as personal finance experts over time. They approach professional development not as a one-time event, but as a continuous, responsive process grounded in classroom experience.” –

Christian Sherrill, NGPF

Are you interested in learning more about our program
outcomes or financial education success?

Contact Our Team

Get involved

Your involvement helps us further our mission to bring financial empowerment education to all students. Let us keep you informed of our progress and impact!

Join our mailing list

3025 JFK Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104
EIN: 85-4254020

in

Learn more

About usWhat we doOur impactPennsylvaniaConnecticutPolicies & financial information

Get involved

DonateBring Financial Scholars
to your regionGet involvedResearch & newsContact us

Get involved!

Join us in bringing financial empowerment education to all students and families.

Contact Us
Financial Scholars, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. | Copyright © 2026 Financial Scholars - Credits‍