ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Students attending Anne Arundel County Public Schools will soon have to meet another requirement in order to graduate.
Freshmen entering high school during the 2026-27 school year will have to earn at least half-a-credit in financial literacy to receive a diploma.
The move was announced by Superintendent, Dr. Mark Bedell, at the December 17 Board of Education meeting.
“There is no question that the need to produce students who are financially literate is real,” Bedell said. “Adults who are not financially literate cannot lead the global economy into which our students will enter.”
While the financial literacy requirement is new, the school system is also proposing reducing the number of credits for students to walk across the stage, from 26 to 23.
Currently Maryland only requires 22 credits for high school students to graduate.
As it stands now the County offers one course that meets the Maryland State Department of Education’s financial literacy standards.
"The Academics team is currently examining other courses to see if they can be adapted to meet those standards, thus expanding the number of pathways students could utilize to meet the requirement," the school system said in a release.
The Anne Arundel County School Board will hold three public meetings to discuss the changes.
Public comments will be accepted up until the next meeting on January 14. Comments can be emailed to policycomments@AACPS.org.
