West Virginia
YES. Every WV high school student must complete a personal finance course of study to graduate, beginning with students who entered 9th grade in 2024-2025 (W. Va. Code 18-2-7c; WVBE Policy 2510).
Class of 2028 - 'Beginning with the class of students entering 9th grade in the 2024-2025 school year and thereafter, each high school student shall complete [a] course of study in personal finance ... as a requirement for high school graduation.' 2024-2025 school year (the 2024-2025 freshman cohort); WVDE: 'Beginning with the 2024-2025 freshman cohort graduation requirements will increase to 23 credits with the addition of a prescribed credit in Personal Finance.'
First binds the class of 2028.
- How it may be delivered
- STANDALONE required course: WVDE's Policy 2510 high school guidance lists 'Personal Finance (1451)' as a prescribed graduation credit, completed in GRADE 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 (statute 18-2-7c(b) separately authorizes an integrated program of instruction, but the graduation credit is a discrete course).
- Credit value
- 1 FULL CREDIT under WVBE Policy 2510 ('graduation requirements increase to 23 credits, including 1 full credit in Personal Finance, (Course Code 1451)'; 'All students shall meet the full 1-credit requirement during their 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade year'). NOTE: W. Va. Code 18-2-7c(c) sets a STATUTORY FLOOR of a 'one-half credit course of study' - the policy exceeds the statute.
- Instructional-hour rule
- Not yet verified to a primary source — we publish only what we can cite.
- Below high school
- No separate middle school financial literacy mandate - WVDE's Policy 2510 middle school guidance lists required grades 6-8 content areas with no personal finance. GRADE 8 is only an ALLOWABLE CHECKPOINT for earning the high school Personal Finance credit under 18-2-7c(c).
- State-mandated assessment
- NONE. WVDE's statewide assessment program comprises the General Summative Assessment (grades 3-8), SAT School Day (grade 11), the Alternate Summative Assessment, non-summative assessments, NAEP and international assessments; no personal finance or financial literacy assessment or EOC.
- Who may teach it
- 'Business teachers with any of the following endorsements are eligible to teach Personal Finance (Course Code 1451): 0064, 0400, 0419, 0500, 0519, 0560, 0561, 0600, 0603, 0605, 7721, 7722 and History teachers that met the JUNE 30, 2024 DEADLINE to obtain the Personal Finance Specialist Advanced Credential.' Business education endorsements 0064, 0400, 0419, 0500, 0519, 0560, 0561, 0600, 0603, 0605, 7721 and 7722 qualify AUTOMATICALLY; history/social studies teachers qualify ONLY via the Personal Finance Specialist Advanced Credential obtained by the June 30, 2024 deadline. This is a narrow teacher pool.
- State course codes
- 1451 — Personal Finance (HIGH confidence) — The prescribed 1-full-credit graduation course.
- Standards framework
- West Virginia College- and Career-Readiness Programs of Study/Standards for Career and Technical Education - WVBE Policy 2520.13. WVDE guidance states Personal Finance follows 'West Virginia Career Readiness Programs of Study/Standards for Career Technical Education (Policy 2520.13).' (Policy 2520.13 listed by WVDE as effective JULY 1, 2024)
- Funding a district may cite
- Not yet verified to a primary source — we publish only what we can cite.
- State agency contact
- WVDE Office of Career Technical Education (Division of Instruction & Support) - Adam Canter, Director, (304) 558-2389 ext. 53520, ccanter@k12.wv.us; office main line (304) 558-2389.
Facts on this page last verified 2026-08-09; every pack is re-verified on a six-month cadence, and anything we cannot cite is marked rather than guessed.
The district awards the credit — no platform can. Ours is designed to align with the state’s learning standards, and it produces the documentation a district needs to award credit: the course object with its federal course code, a pass determination that shows its arithmetic, an hour ledger that counts only observed instructional minutes, and a verified record of demonstrated mastery for every student.