High School Students Manage Real Investments in New AP Finance Class
Over 1,500 schools launched a new advanced placement course this year, teaching teenagers to manage retirement accounts and stock portfolios.
By Kaito Sokolov ·
Junior Darshan Parmar sits in a semicircle at Hoover High School near Birmingham, Alabama, and explains his personal investment strategy. He allocates his part-time job earnings into index funds, specifically citing S&P, QQQ, and VOO. When teacher Gerri Kimble asks if his parents execute these trades, Parmar confirms he handles the investing himself. He is not alone in this cohort. One classmate directs 70 percent of their income into a Roth IRA, another contributes to a 401(k), and a third buys individual stocks directly. Kimble asks if they monitor market movements, and the student responds with enthusiasm.
These students are among the first in the nation to enroll in a newly created Advanced Placement Business with Personal Finance course. More than 1,500 high schools across the country offered this class for the first time this year. AP courses are college-level classes that allow students to earn college credit by passing a standardized exam. Historically, these credits have focused on traditional subjects like English, history, and chemistry.
David Coleman, CEO of the College Board, developed the course in response to student surveys. The College Board creates AP curricula and administers the SAT. Students indicated they wanted to transform ideas into jobs, prompting the organization to build a practical curriculum. Coleman describes business as the constant learning of adaptation. He argues that mixing practical skills with theoretical study is highly useful for preparing students for the modern world.
The course covers management and finance. Students study external factors that impact businesses, including political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal forces. Senior Bramley Williams describes the material as a foundational piece of business education. The class targets students who may prefer a practical approach over the theoretical framework of the existing AP economics course, which remains available at schools like Hoover High School.
Thirty-nine states now require a personal finance class for high school graduation. This number is four states higher than it was two years ago, according to the Council for Economic Education. Hoover High School, the largest high school in Alabama with a student body just under 3,000, also offers a four-year business academy. That program includes accounting and entrepreneurship classes.
Students in the AP course report that the class is more challenging than standard coursework. They also note that AP classes often carry higher grade weights, which can boost their grade point averages. Sophomore Damola Kukoyi says the course allows her to improve her GPA while studying a subject she enjoys. Senior Rachel Deschaine, whose father owned a trucking company and whose brother is an economics major, applies the lessons to her family discussions. She states that understanding business mechanics opens up opportunities for individuals.
A Federal Reserve paper found that families in states with financial education requirements made better financial decisions. During the 2020 pandemic, these families were more likely to use stimulus checks to pay down credit card balances and refinance mortgages while interest rates were low. Jennifer Steele, a professor of education at American University, notes that youth educated on responsible money usage demonstrate strong financial habits.
Hoover High School is located in an affluent Birmingham suburb. The campus features wide open green spaces. Many students in the AP business course have college aspirations. The class meets as part of the school's expanded academic offerings for the 2025-2026 academic year.
