Campaign for Early Numeracy, Teaching, and Savings. A nonpartisan, youth-powered research and advocacy campaign for financial education before ninth grade.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Mission
CENTS (the Campaign for Early Numeracy, Teaching, and Savings) is a nonpartisan, youth-powered research and advocacy campaign working to advance financial education before ninth grade. We examine state laws and academic standards, publish source-backed findings, and help young people investigate what their own school districts report about financial education. Our goal is to build a clearer national picture of early financial education and support informed public discussion about what students should learn before high school. CENTS began in 2026.
CENTS works at several levels: District Delegates investigate and document their own districts; State Directors help coordinate active delegates within a state; Regional Directors coordinate across states as the network develops; and the national research brings state-level findings together into one transparent picture. The campaign is made up of individual participants, and no director positions are filled yet.
The gap we study
Many states require a personal finance course for high school graduation. Far fewer say anything about the years before. Our review sorts each of 51 entries (50 states and DC) by one question: what do the law and standards say about kindergarten through eighth grade?
K-8 requirement
9 of 51. A statute or rule requires financial education in at least one grade from K to 8.
K-8 standards only
21 of 51. State standards include personal finance in K-8, but no requirement to teach it was found.
High school only
0 of 51. A requirement or graduation course exists only in grades 9-12.
Under review
21 of 51. Not yet confirmed: the sources found so far are shown and no status is stated.
The distinction matters because the three outcomes mean different things for a child. A requirement means schools are expected to teach the subject. Standards describe what could be taught without saying that it must be. A high school requirement alone leaves the earlier years to chance. 51 of 51 entries are reviewed so far; states we could not yet confirm are shown as under review rather than guessed. See the state-by-state review.
What we do
State-by-state review of law and standards
For each state and DC we read statutes, board rules and standards, copy a short excerpt from every source, and record the citation and the date we read it. A second, automated check re-reads each source.
Public records audits
In North Carolina we sent a public-records request to every school district asking what K-8 financial education it provides, and published the replies.
A district delegate network
Launching. A District Delegate claims one school district, files the records request, and logs follow-ups. The roles and how they are earned are set out below.
Publication of the data and methods
The state dataset is available as CSV and JSON, with a version line and a suggested citation, on the States page. The methodology explains how statuses are decided.
How we work
Nonpartisan. We describe what the law says. We do not endorse candidates, parties or bills, and pending bills are described only by their status.
Evidence first. A status rests on primary sources: the legislature, the education agency and the state board. Summaries from other groups are used only as leads.
Sources and excerpts shown. Every claim links its source with a short quotation and the date retrieved.
An automated second check. Each source is re-read by a separate pass. It is not a legal review, and we are not a law firm.
CENTS is organized as a ladder. Each title is earned through verified activity, not by application. Anyone 13 or older, or a parent or teacher sponsoring a younger person, can start at the bottom by claiming their own district.
Illustrative A sample structure to show how the levels connect. Nodes are not people, states or districts, and nothing here measures participation.
How to read this
Four levels, built from the bottom up
Local research starts with District Delegates. State and Regional Directors coordinate the work as the network grows, and the national research brings findings together. Select a level, or a node, to see what it does and how it is earned.
Titles are earned through verified activity. Signing up does not grant one.
Level 1 of 4 · One school district
District Delegates
Investigates and documents financial education policies and practices in their own district: files the records request and logs each follow-up and reply.
Coordinates the active District Delegates in a state and brings their district findings together. 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.
Coordinates national strategy and research priorities. Sets the research agenda and standards, reviews state data, and appoints Regional and State Directors.
Positions today
Title only, no name listed
The flow of research
1
District investigation
A delegate documents what one district reports.
2
State synthesis
A State Director brings district findings together for the state.
3
Regional patterns
A Regional Director looks for patterns across states.
4
National research
State findings are published together, with their sources.
This is the process the structure is built to support. It is not a claim that research is complete at every level: until delegates take part, only North Carolina has district records.
The ladder, how each title is earned, and the positions filled today.
Role
How it is earned
What it does
Positions
Executive Director The whole campaign
A title held without a name on this site.
Sets the research agenda and standards, reviews state data, and appoints Regional and State Directors.
Open to anyone 13 or older, or to a parent or teacher sponsor, who claims their own district.
Files the records request and logs follow-ups.
Open to earn
What “active” means
A role holder is active if they have at least one verified action in the last 30 days. A verified action is a request filed, a follow-up logged, a reply recorded, or a meeting held, checked against what was submitted.
Regions
Regions follow the U.S. Census Bureau’s four regions, with DC in the South.
Northeast
9 entries: CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT, NJ, NY, PA.
Midwest
12 entries: IL, IN, MI, OH, WI, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD.
South
17 entries: DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV, AL, KY, MS, TN, AR, LA, OK, TX.
West
13 entries: AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY, AK, CA, HI, OR, WA.
Position counts above are computed from the public roles file each time the site is built. A position nobody holds reads “Open to earn.” Handbooks: all role handbooks.
The record so far
State entries reviewed
51 of 51
North Carolina audit
115 districts asked, 49 sent any reply.
Dated events
2026-07-28
Public-records requests sent to the North Carolina school districts.
2026-08-10
One follow-up sent to districts that had not replied.
2026-09-08
Most recent district reply logged.
2026-10-11
Inbox reviewed for replies through this date.
2026-10-15
First state-by-state reviews dated.
Dates come from the project’s own data files. Nothing is listed without a dated record.
Case study
North Carolina: the first place
North Carolina is where CENTS began. We asked every school district in the state what K-8 financial education it provides, and published the replies.
No. We describe what law and standards say and do not endorse candidates, parties or bills. If a finding is uncomfortable for any side, it is published the same way.
Is CENTS a nonprofit?
CENTS is a campaign. It is not a registered nonprofit and is not registered as a lobbying organization. It does not handle money: we do not accept donations or payments.
How are statuses decided?
From primary sources only, by one question about kindergarten through eighth grade. A second automated pass re-reads each source. See the methodology.
What does “Under review” mean?
Not yet confirmed. We show the sources found so far and state no status, rather than guess.
How can I correct something?
See corrections. We check the report against the primary source and fix or withdraw the entry.
Who can take part?
Anyone 13 or older, or a parent or teacher sponsoring a younger person. Anyone under 16 takes part with a parent or teacher sponsor. Younger readers can learn on this site without signing up. See youth safety.
What do delegates do?
A District Delegate claims one district, files the records request, and logs follow-ups. See the delegate handbook.
Where does the data come from?
State entries come from statutes, board rules and standards, each linked with an excerpt. The North Carolina audit comes from district replies to public-records requests.
How is my information used?
Only if you send a form. See data and privacy for what each form collects, why, how long it is kept, and how to have it deleted.
Is this legal advice?
No. Statuses are informational and were checked by an automated second pass, not by a lawyer.
