A youth-powered national campaign
Financial education before ninth grade. In every state.
CENTS brings young people together to investigate financial education in their own school districts, build a national evidence base, and advocate for better financial education before high school.
Open to students 13 and older, or under 16 with a parent or teacher sponsor. No prior policy experience is required. Delegate sign-ups are not open yet. See how joining works
- Data version
- 1.0 · October 2026
- Latest verification
- 2026-10-15
- Primary sources
- 319
Figure 1 · K–8 financial education, by state
- K-8 requirement9
- K-8 standards only21
- Under review21
Participate
Your district. Your voice. A national movement.
You do not need to be a policy expert to start. The state review is only one half of CENTS. The other half is students who ask their own school districts what they teach about money, and document the answers. Delegates work in districts, State Directors coordinate active delegates in a state, Regional Directors coordinate across states as the network develops, and the national research brings the findings together. Every finding is published with its source, so a reader can check it.
- 1
Investigate your district
Use CENTS resources to learn what your district reports about financial education, and file a documented public-records request with it.
Support. A delegate handbook, a request kit that is launching, and review of the request by a parent or teacher sponsor for anyone under 16.
- 2
Build the evidence
Help document official responses accurately, separating what a district stated from what it left unanswered. Documented results join the national research effort.
Support. A standard log, the published methodology, and the code of conduct.
- 3
Grow into leadership
Depending on actual openings and eligibility, active delegates can be appointed State Directors to coordinate delegates in a state, and active State Directors can coordinate a region. There is no application and no title is guaranteed.
Support. Role handbooks and monthly check-ins once a role exists.
From question to published evidence
- Students see a gap in early financial education.
- CENTS reads what state law and standards say.
- Delegates document what districts report.
- Findings are published with their sources.
- Educators, families and researchers can check and use them.
- More students can join as the network grows.
Explore the national landscape.
Examine what each state’s laws and academic standards establish about financial education before ninth grade.
- K-8 requirement9
- K-8 standards only21
- Under review21
Small jurisdictions
Methodology
Evidence before conclusions.
Three kinds of evidence answer three different questions. CENTS keeps them apart.
- 1
State law
What legislation and statutory requirements establish: which grades, whether it is required, and since when.
- 2
Academic standards
What the state’s standards say students should learn in grades K–8, which is not the same as a mandate to teach it.
- 3
District records
What public records and district replies can help establish about implementation. Available for North Carolina only, so far.
How a claim is cited · Maryland
“at the elementary, middle and high school learning levels effective September 2011”
Featured research · North Carolina records audit
From state policy to classroom reality.
The question
What K–8 financial education do North Carolina’s school districts say they provide?
The method
We sent each district a public-records request, followed up where there was no reply, and coded each response. Replies are published as received.
What the replies show
- 23 districts replied that they have no dedicated K–8 financial education course.
- 3 described a course, module or program of some kind.
- 21 replied without settling the question.
- 30 had not replied after a follow-up.
Limitations
A missing or unanswered record is not proof that no instruction occurs. It means CENTS holds no published record from that district. Replies describe what a district chose to state in writing.
Participate
Turn local questions into national evidence.
Who can participate?
Anyone 13 or older can take part as a District Delegate. Anyone under 16 takes part with a parent or teacher sponsor. Younger readers can learn on this site without signing up. The rules do not limit participation to particular states, and a district has a single delegate. Sign-ups have not opened yet.
What would I actually do?
- Read what your state’s law and standards say.
- Claim your district and file a public-records request, using the kit.
- Log each follow-up and reply: the type, the date and a short note, with no personal data.
- Keep verified findings separate from unanswered questions.
- Stay active by logging one verified action in any 30-day period. There is no required number of hours.
What happens when you join
- 1Not open yet
Express interest, or sign up when it opens
Delegate sign-ups are not open yet and there is no application form. When they open, you will give a nickname, an email, your state and district, and a yes-or-no age confirmation. A contact address will be published here before recruitment opens.
- 2Available now
Learn the process and the safety rules
Read the delegate handbook, the methodology, the youth safety policy and the code of conduct. Anyone under 16 takes part with a parent or teacher sponsor.
- 3Kit launching
Start with one district-level task
Claim your own school district and file one public-records request, using the request kit. A district has a single delegate.
- 4When sign-ups open
Contribute documented findings
Log each follow-up and reply with its type, date and a short note, with no personal data. Verified findings stay separate from unanswered questions.
- 5No positions filled yet
Pursue leadership as it opens
There is no application. A State Director is appointed when a state has 3 or more active delegates, and a Regional Director is added when a region has 3 or more active State Directors.
What opportunities are available?
| Role | What it does | How it is earned | Status today |
|---|---|---|---|
| District DelegateOne school district | Files the records request and logs follow-ups. | Open to anyone 13 or older, or to a parent or teacher sponsor, who claims their own district. | Sign-ups not yet open |
| State DirectorOne state | Supports up to 5 delegates and holds one board or teacher meeting a month. | Appointed when a state has 3 or more active District Delegates. | Not yet established |
| Regional DirectorOne of four Census regions | Holds a monthly check-in with the State Directors in the region. | Added when a region has 3 or more active State Directors. | Not yet established |
How are participants protected?
- Adults with CENTS roles do not message anyone under 18 one-on-one. Communication happens in group channels.
- Sponsors can review a request before it is filed and can ask for a young person’s data to be deleted at any time.
- CENTS does not collect birth dates, photos, home addresses or phone numbers. Age is a yes-or-no confirmation.
- Never put a student’s name or records, or anyone’s personal information, in a request, log or message.
Youth safety · Code of conduct · Data and privacy · Governance
The next step
Recruitment is not open yet. The most useful things to do now are to read the delegate handbook, find your state’s page, and read how findings are checked in the methodology.
Transparency
Check the work.
- MethodologyHow states are researched, classified and verified.
- Official sourcesEvery state page lists its primary sources with excerpts.
- Data and downloadsCSV and JSON. Data version 1.0 · October 2026.
- CorrectionsThe log of changes to classifications.
- GovernanceHow the campaign is organized and run.
- Youth safety and privacyRules for participants under 18 and how data is handled.
Your district is part of the story.
Help investigate what your school district provides, document the evidence, and contribute to a clearer picture of financial education across the country.
Financial education before ninth grade. In every state.