1,500 High Schools Add New AP Business Course

High schools across the United States are introducing a new college-level curriculum focused on business and personal finance.

More than 1,500 schools offered the Advanced Placement Business with Personal Finance course for the first time this year. The College Board developed the class to meet student demand for practical skills that lead to careers.

At Hoover High School in Birmingham, Alabama, students like Darshan Parmar apply these lessons immediately. The junior manages his own investment portfolio. He allocates his part-time earnings into index funds such as S&P 500, QQQ, and VOO.

His classmates share similar habits. One student directs 70 percent of his income into a Roth IRA. Another contributes to a 401(k). A third purchases individual stocks directly.

Gerri Kimble, the teacher at Hoover, leads the class in discussions about money management. The curriculum covers management principles and financial planning. Students also study external factors that affect businesses. These include political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal forces.

David Coleman, CEO of the College Board, describes business as a form of constant adaptation. He argues the subject belongs in the liberal arts. Coleman states that mixing practical and theoretical education is highly useful for preparing students for the modern world.

The new AP course complements existing offerings like AP Economics. However, it targets students who prefer applied knowledge over theoretical study. Students report that the class is more challenging. They also note that AP credits can boost grade point averages, which are often weighted higher than standard courses.

Jennifer Steele, a professor of education at American University, supports this educational shift. She notes that a Federal Reserve study found families in states with financial education requirements made better financial choices. During the pandemic, these families were more likely to use stimulus funds to pay down credit card debt and refinance mortgages at low rates.

Hoover High School has a student body of nearly 3,000, making it the largest high school in Alabama. The school also runs a four-year business academy that includes accounting and entrepreneurship classes.

Senior Rachel Deschaine sees the value in general business knowledge. Her father owned a trucking company, and her brother studies economics. She observes how the lessons apply to family discussions about money and industry.

Deschaine believes understanding business mechanics opens up opportunities for individuals. She describes the subject as essential for understanding how people and companies interact with the world.

Thirty-nine states now require a personal finance class for high school graduation. This number is four higher than it was two years ago, according to the Council for Economic Education.