Financial Literacy struggles within Schools

Teenagers Want to Invest, but Schools Aren’t Teaching Them How

New research finds that most surveyed high school students feel unprepared to manage money, raising questions about the role of financial education in American schools.

Teenagers today have more access to investing than any generation before them. With apps like Robinhood and financial content across TikTok and Instagram, getting started in the stock market has never been easier. But access to investing does not necessarily mean students understand how it works.

To better understand this gap, we surveyed high school students in April and May 2026, examining how teenagers learn about investing, what influences their financial decisions, and whether schools are preparing them to manage money after graduation.

The results revealed a significant problem: 84% of respondents said their school had not prepared them to manage money after graduation, while 94% wanted more education about investing and money management.

Knowledge Is the Biggest Barrier

For students who did not invest, the biggest obstacle was not a lack of money. It was a lack of knowledge. Forty-four percent of non-investors said they did not invest because they simply did not know how.

This gap persisted even among students with family members who invest. Although 95% of respondents had a family member who invested, many still lacked the confidence and knowledge to make financial decisions independently. Exposure to investing at home was not enough to ensure students understood it themselves.

Schools appeared to be missing an important opportunity. Only 35% of respondents had taken a personal finance class, and 65% had never taken financial or business coursework. Among students who had taken a financial or business class, 41% felt prepared to manage money after graduation. Among those who had not, only 3% felt prepared.

These findings suggest that financial education can make a difference, but too few students receive it.

Social Media Shapes How Teenagers Invest

The survey also examined how students who already invest choose their stocks. Brand familiarity was the most common method, followed by advice from family members and influences from apps and social media. Detailed financial analysis was much less common, appearing primarily among students with more extensive financial education or independent learning experience.

Social media may reinforce these habits. Sixty-one percent of respondents said social media makes investing appear less risky than it actually is. Online content often highlights successful trades while overlooking losses, potentially creating unrealistic expectations about returns.

These patterns do not necessarily mean teenagers are reckless investors. Rather, they suggest that students may be making decisions without the knowledge needed to evaluate risk, research companies, or distinguish reliable financial information from misleading advice.

Financial Education Should Start Earlier

The findings point to a larger issue with how financial education is taught in the United States. Students can spend years studying mathematics, history, and literature without learning essential skills such as understanding interest, managing credit card debt, evaluating investments, or building a budget.

This problem is particularly relevant in Massachusetts, where personal finance coursework is not required for high school graduation. The students surveyed attended a range of schools, with the largest groups coming from Gann Academy and Brookline High School. Because the sample was concentrated in relatively well-resourced schools, the results cannot represent all American teenagers. However, the gaps found among these students raise concerns about what students with fewer educational resources may experience.

The consequences can extend well beyond high school. Without financial education, young adults may struggle with debt, pay unnecessary fees, or miss opportunities to build wealth through long-term investing. Starting earlier can also help students develop sound financial habits before making major financial decisions.

Turning Interest Into Opportunity

The encouraging finding is that teenagers want to learn. Ninety-four percent of respondents expressed interest in receiving more education about money and investing. Their responses pointed toward practical instruction rather than theory alone: students want step-by-step guidance, real-world examples, and opportunities to understand how financial decisions work.

The survey was conducted through peer networks rather than a random sample, so its findings should be interpreted with caution. It also measured students' reported confidence and experiences, rather than tracking their financial behavior over time. Further research is needed to determine which educational approaches have the greatest long-term impact.

Still, the results support a clear conclusion: financial education should be more accessible, begin earlier, and focus on practical skills. Making personal finance a required part of education, beginning in middle school, could help ensure that students do not have to rely solely on their families or social media to learn how to manage money.

Teenagers are already encountering financial decisions and investing information. The question is whether they will receive the education needed to make those decisions wisely. For the students surveyed, the interest is there. What remains missing is the preparation.