Georgia Council on Economic Education Endorses AP Business with Personal Finance as an Option for Financial Literacy in Georgia

Leading state nonprofit recognizes rigorous, college-level course as a credit-worthy pathway to economic and financial literacy education

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Georgia Council on Economic Education today announced its support of the Advanced Placement (AP) Business with Personal Finance course, calling on Georgia education leaders to promote and adopt it as an option to provide high-quality financial literacy education.

"Every Georgia student deserves to graduate with the financial knowledge and skills to navigate adult life successfully," said Mike Raymer, Executive Director of the Georgia Council on Economic Education. "AP Business with Personal Finance delivers exactly that — at a college level of rigor. Recognizing this course is the right move for students, for districts, and for Georgia."

The Georgia Council on Economic Education is the state's leading nonprofit dedicated to advancing economic and financial literacy education. The organization supports the Personal Finance and Economics standards found within the Georgia Standards of Excellence and the nationally recognized Standards for Personal Financial Education, developed in partnership with the Council for Economic Education and the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy. Those standards define what students must know and be able to do to make sound financial decisions — covering budgeting, saving, credit, investing, risk management, and long-term financial planning — and serve as the benchmark for quality personal finance instruction.

The full-year AP Business with Personal Finance course situates personal finance concepts within broader business and economic contexts to deepen students' real-world application skills. Rather than give students simple exposure to financial topics, the course requires them to demonstrate mastery through coursework aligned to defined competencies and an externally developed AP exam.

Our endorsement rests on three pillars:

Standards-based integrity. AP Business with Personal Finance addresses the majority of topics outlined in the Georgia Standards of Excellence standards for the required Personal Finance and Economics course, making it a principled and rigorous model for what financial literacy education in Georgia could look like.

Rigor that raises the bar. Recognizing this course signals that Georgia values substantive financial education — not just exposure to financial topics, but demonstrated mastery through a college-level experience with an external assessment.

Financial education for all students. Providing a clear, recognized opportunity for students to access high-quality financial education gives districts a proven option to deliver essential skills within existing programs.

Georgia has an opportunity to get ahead of the curve. By offering and supporting AP Business with Personal Finance now, we can ensure that students across the state have access to world-class financial education — and lay the groundwork for a future in which every Georgia graduate leaves school financially prepared.