This bill amends existing law and creates a new statutory requirement making financial education instruction a high school graduation requirement in Washington. It adds a new section to chapter 28A.230 RCW requiring school districts that operate high schools to provide financial education consistent with the state financial education learning standards and requires students to meet related high school learning standards to graduate beginning with the earlier of the graduating class of 2033 or an earlier cohort if recommended by the State Board of Education. This is a substantive change establishing a new graduation requirement rather than creating a crime or changing penalties. The bill also amends RCW 28A.300.468 to require the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, after consulting the financial education public-private partnership, to make a list of aligned instructional materials available to districts, and it requires districts to provide all students in grades 9–12 opportunities to access financial education (through classes, before/after school, online, CTE equivalencies, etc.). Districts must publicize these offerings and are encouraged, but not required, to grant high school credit for successful completion of financial education courses. The bill imposes procedural duties on the State Board of Education to recommend adjustments to graduation requirements (consulting a list of stakeholders), submit a report by December 31, 2026, and review and monitor district compliance with reporting to the Legislature by January 10, 2029. Districts must publicize the requirement by the 2027-28 school year. The bill allows individual waivers for grade 12 students who could not meet the requirement due to prior out-of-state residence, issued only on an individual basis by the principal. It applies to charter schools and state-tribal compact schools. The text references the state financial education learning standards under RCW 28A.655.070 but does not define those standards within the bill.

If enacted, every Washington high school will have to offer financial education and students will likely need to meet state financial literacy standards to graduate. Districts must start publicizing the requirement by 2027-28 and be providing instruction by the 2029-30 school year, with the graduation requirement applying to students by around the class of 2033 (or earlier if the state board recommends). The state board of education will produce recommendations by the end of 2026 and monitor implementation, and principals can grant one-off waivers for twelfth graders who recently moved into the state. The people most affected are high school students, school districts, teachers, counselors, and principals. Districts will have to add or reorganize classes, training, and communications, which can mean staffing, scheduling, and material costs; the bill does not provide new dedicated funding, so districts may need to absorb those costs or reallocate resources. There is a risk of uneven implementation across districts until the state board issues detailed guidance and districts adjust their graduation frameworks.