High school named one of nation’s 100 best for teaching personal finance

Marcellus High School this week was named one of the nation’s “100 Best w!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance” during a ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange.

Working In Support of Education (w!se) is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of young people through programs that develop financial literacy and readiness for college and the workforce.


The release of the rankings marks the 11th anniversary of the w!se Financial Literacy Certification Program, which provides teachers with a curriculum and instructional resources to teach personal finance and to measure student knowledge through the w!se standardized Certification Test. Students passing the test are designated Certified Financially Literate™, which shows they are financially capable when they graduate. Since its introduction, the program has become integral to personal finance instruction in thousands of classrooms across the United States and is now offered in 34 states.

The standardized w!se Financial Literacy Certification Test is administered by schools participating in the Financial Literacy Certification Program to measure knowledge, skills and behavioral changes in students after a unit or course on personal finance. 

Jabe Kile

Last year, Marcellus High School social studies teacher Jabe Kile was presented with the “Gold Star Teacher Award,” which honors teachers whose students achieve a 90 percent pass rate on the certification test.

The fastest growing age group declaring bankruptcy is young adults, ages 19 to 25. The 100 Best w!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance ranking seeks to shine the spotlight on the importance of personal finance education. Only 17 states require personal finance instruction in high school. Four states added the requirement for the first time in the past year.

“We created the Financial Literacy Certification Program to address the chronic lack of financial literacy among young people,” said Phyllis Frankfort, President & CEO of w!se. “It is imperative that all students receive personal financial education before they graduate high school, so they have the knowledge and skills to help break the cycle of poverty, make wise financial decisions and be on a path to financial well-being.”