New state financial literacy standards implementing smoothly at local level, say Grand Forks school leaders

GRAND FORKS — After the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction released statewide financial literacy content standards for K-12 students, Grand Forks school leaders say the implementation is going well.

In the third quarter of 2025, Americans’ non-housing debt rose to

$5.09 trillion, a steady increase from $2.85 trillion in 2013

, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. As national personal debt continues to rise, North Dakota implemented the first standalone set of requirements developed by the state to improve students’ financial literacy. The implementation is new as of the current school year.

Davonne Eldredge, NDDPI assistant director of academic support, said making kids aware of their spending habits and the impact of those habits can help them make financially responsible decisions in adulthood.

“If you look at when we get to be adults, you will see that adults face decisions regarding how they are going to spend their money. They are influenced by things like social media. They may be influenced by advertisements that they see on television,” she said. “If we start helping our students see that those factors can play a role in their lives when they’re young, it may help them not get into so much of that credit card debt … because they will have already said ‘I need to look at these decisions. I need to make some wise choices.’”

Under the new standards, each grade level has financial literacy expectations grouped into three categories: financial awareness, risk management and money management.

In early elementary school, these standards include being able to explain the difference between spending and saving, identifying what banks do and describing factors that influence the amount of money one can spend. In high school, standards require students to identify the components of a budget, analyze different credit types and evaluate the risks and benefits of current and emerging payment options.

Prior to the 2025-2026 school year, Eldredge said there was a requirement for students to learn financial literacy as part of a social studies standard in their senior year of high school. But the learning was “buried” within other expectations, according to Eldridge.

In former K-12 State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler’s forward of the standards, she said education in the state should be about preparing students for life and that the financial literacy standards “lay out a clear, age-appropriate roadmap for students to build essential life skills.”

“Together, we are helping young North Dakotans make sound financial choices, take ownership of their futures, and thrive in a complex world,” Baesler said. “One of the most important ways we can do that is by equipping our students with the knowledge and skills to manage their personal finances with confidence and clarity.”

At the local level, Grand Forks Public Schools Chief Academic Officer Amy Bartsch said school leaders felt “very comfortable” introducing the new standards into classrooms as financial literacy classes were already available under the state’s Choice Ready framework, which requires all North Dakota students after graduation to be prepared to choose from three options: higher education, workforce and military.

Grand Forks Viking Elementary Principal Loren Hoheisel emphasizes the importance of introducing financial literacy in school, and not just relying on family systems or outside environments.

“Not every family is equipped with organizational skills or financial skills or literacy skills, so we can’t assume that everyone knows,” Hoheisel said.

Eldredge said no matter a student’s age, they are dealing with money and questions about the best way to use their money, so starting literacy young can help them build healthy mindsets.

“If you look at our young students, we have little children who are getting gifts of money, and they make financial decisions,” she said. “They are going to have to understand how their money works and what kinds of decisions they can make with their money, and the impact that it will have on them later on.”

The standards were written and reviewed by separate committees, which Eldredge said were made up of teachers who have applied or been nominated to give their perspectives on the curriculum. The process began in October 2024, the result of a partnership between NDDPI, the Bank of North Dakota and the Department of Career and Technical Education.

Sophia is the K-12 education reporter for the Grand Forks Herald.