Utah – Fast Lane
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Utah

Utah has been a leading state in personal finance instruction and has had a relevant graduation requirement for the last ten years. In 2018, Utah conducted an extensive audit of its personal finance instructional program to understand its strengths, weaknesses, and impacts. This review included interviews with instructors, principals, school district administrators, and an online financial literacy survey of high school graduates. The online survey generated responses from approximately 1,500 high school graduates. Of these respondents, 500 were graduates who had taken Utah’s general financial literacy course, 500 were Utah graduates who did not take the course, and 500 were high school graduates of schools in surrounding states that do not have personal finance requirements. The results of the survey showed that students who had taken the financial literacy course generally had higher levels of financial knowledge and behavior. The review also included an analysis of the statewide financial literacy assessment given to students. Overall, the in-depth analysis of Utah’s financial education program showed the program’s positive impact on students and reveals areas that are targets for improvement.