State review · Data version 1.0 · October 2026

Nebraska

K-8 requirement

Nebraska Revised Statute 79-3003 directs each school district, in consultation with the State Department of Education, to include financial literacy instruction, as appropriate, in its elementary and middle schools, beginning in 2023-24. The statute does not name specific grades; the Department's guidance describes this as instruction in grades K-8 for public schools, and the 2019 social studies standards include Financial Literacy indicators in several K-8 grades.

Statuses come from published law and standards and an automated second check, not a lawyer. Last verified: 2026-10-15. Report a correction

What the law says

Grades K-8

Grades required: elementary schools, middle schools
Standards document: Nebraska Social Studies Standards (approved by the State Board of Education November 8, 2019) (2019)
Required by law: Yes
Delivery: Embedded in another subject
Assessed: Not determined
Funded: Not determined

The statute says 'elementary and middle schools' and 'as appropriate' without naming grades; the Department's guidance describes this as grades K-8 and says it applies only to public schools. The 2019 social studies standards list Financial Literacy indicators at grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8 and mark grades 5, 6 and 7 'Not addressed at this level'. Districts report annually to their school boards under 79-3004 on district-determined measures.

Grades 9-12

Graduation requirement: Yes
Course length: one five-credit course in personal finance or financial literacy
Effective date: 2023-24 school year

79-729(2) begins 'Except as provided in subsection (4)' and applies to students attending a public school under 79-729(2)(a) and 79-3003; the Department's guidance describes the graduation requirement as applying to public and non-public schools, which differs from the statute text.

What’s missing for K-8

A K-8 requirement was found (elementary schools, middle schools).
Instruction is embedded in another subject rather than a stand-alone course.

Pending bills

No pending bills were identified. This is not an exhaustive legislative search.

How to read the status

Status key

K-8 requirement: A statute or rule requires financial education in at least one grade from K to 8.
K-8 standards only: State standards or frameworks include personal finance in K-8, but no mandate to teach it was found.
High school only: A requirement or graduation course exists only in grades 9-12. No K-8 requirement was found.
Study or pilot only: A task force, study, pilot, or unfunded permission exists, without a requirement.
None found: No state-level requirement or standards were found. The searches run are recorded.
Under review: Not yet confirmed. Sources found so far are shown and no status is stated.
Research in progress: This state has not been researched yet.

Sources

Nebraska Legislature. Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-3003 (Financial Literacy Act; Laws 2021, LB452, sec. 3; Laws 2022, LB1112, sec. 8). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
“shall include financial literacy instruction, as appropriate, in the instructional program of its elementary and middle schools”
Nebraska Department of Education. Nebraska Department of Education, Financial Literacy Act Guidance (January 2022). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
“Financial literacy instruction in grades K-8 applies only to public schools and must be included in the instructional programs of elementary and middle schools”
Nebraska Department of Education. Nebraska Social Studies Standards, approved by the Nebraska State Board of Education November 8, 2019, Grade 3. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
“SS 3.2.2 Evaluate choices and consequences for spending and saving.”
Nebraska Department of Education. Nebraska Social Studies Standards, approved by the Nebraska State Board of Education November 8, 2019, Grade 8. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
“SS 8.2.2 Understand personal and business financial management.”
Nebraska Legislature. Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-729(2)(a). Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
“Beginning in school year 2023-24, at least five of the minimum credit hours shall be a high school course in personal finance or financial literacy”
Nebraska Legislature. Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-3004. Primary source. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
“each school district shall provide an annual financial literacy status report to its school board”

Where summaries disagree with the primary source

Nebraska Department of Education guidance (January 2022) says: The graduation requirement applies to all public and non-public schools. The primary source says: 79-729(2) and 79-3003 limit the requirement to students attending a public school.

Open items are being reviewed.

Status is a judgement call: the statute's mandatory 'shall include' language applies to 'elementary and middle schools' 'as appropriate' with no named grades, so confidence is medium. The K-8 grade list rests on the Department's guidance wording. Nebraska Administrative Code Title 92 was not searched for a separate financial literacy rule. Pending bills: a legislative search of the 109th Legislature found no financial literacy bill, but the bill tracker could not be searched reliably, so pending_bills is left empty. Only the 2019 standards PDF was read; a later revision of the social studies standards may exist.

Suggested citation
CENTS. Nebraska: K-8 financial education. State-by-state review, v1.0, October 2026. https://centscampaign.org/states/ne