When students think ahead to life beyond graduation, many look to Intro to Personal Finance as one of the most useful classes offered at OPHS. Intro to Personal Finance, taught by Michael Winkler, is a semester-long course that teaches students essential money management skills they’ll use throughout life.

“[Students can] expect to learn why it’s important to stay out of debt and prepare for the years when they aren’t going to be working,” Winkler said.

Financial literacy is one of the most important assets a student can have, yet it is a skill that many coming out of high school lack. According to the National Financial Educators Council, test-takers aged 18-years-old and under scored an average of 64% on a financial literacy test, with nearly half of all participants failing.

This is likely one reason why the course will become a graduation requirement beginning with the class of 2030-31, all students graduating from a Californian high school must take it as a graduation requirement.This is due to California Assembly Bill 2927, which requires a one-semester personal finance course as a mandatory high school graduation requirement. This bill aims to integrate financial literacy education into K-12 schools.

“Assembly Bill 2927 created a new personal finance graduation requirement to ensure that young people have the financial skills and knowledge they need to thrive both after graduation and into the future. The bill requires the course to be a stand-alone course, at least one semester long, so that students have the opportunity to focus deeply on the critical topics they’ll need to understand to make wise financial choices,” Scott Roark, information officer from the California Department of Education wrote. 

Individuals with credentials in business, mathematics, social science, or home economics are authorized to teach the course. 

“The Instructional Quality Commission will be taking public comment on the draft curriculum guide throughout the month of October,” Roark wrote. “We encourage everyone, especially teachers and students, to review the draft that will be posted on the IQC web page and submit their thoughts and suggestions.” 

So, what other electives can OPHS adopt that lend themselves to practical skills that high school students need to develop before adulthood? 

Critics believe that schools often prioritize standardized testing skills rather than curriculum that is applicable in real life. Integrating more electives proves to be beneficial for students, increasing engagement during class and allowing for career exploration. 

“One skill that I wish I was learning at Oak Park would be cooking. I learned to cook out of school but I know more than a few people who can’t do much more than toast bread. I do worry for them in their adult lives,” sophomore Sanvi Swain said.

This sentiment is echoed across schools nationwide. Although many students feel confident solving equations or writing essays, when it comes to job applications or understanding how to live independently, they are left feeling unprepared. Though this concern is acknowledged, systematic changes are slow to be implemented due to funding. According to a study by the Learning Policy Institute, Californian schools are owed almost $811 million in funding. 

“I think school is preparing me for college but not life afterwards. I feel like I am relying on external sources to figure out what comes next,” Swain said.

In addition, students are calling for more elective classes that reflect their interests and help them explore future careers. At OPHS, students need to fulfill a 10-credit requirement by taking courses in either the Career Tech Ed (CTE) department, the Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) department or a World Language. Taking these challenging courses demonstrates a student’s ability to take on a rigorous curriculum, which is appealing to admissions officers.

However, schools struggle to offer the broad spectrum of coursework students require to be competitive for college. It seems to some that school electives only cover certain academic fields, meaning students with more niche interests are often overlooked as a result.

“I think cooking classes would be useful because it teaches us how to take care of our own health,” sophomore Gavin Millspaugh said.

In a 2025 survey by YouScience, nearly 72% of college graduates reported feeling only moderately or not at all prepared for adulthood. Students need more career exploration and guidance from early in high school so they understand their strengths and possible career paths. Outside of standardized testing, students need to be taught soft skills such as communication, organization and leadership.

“[I feel prepared] somewhat, I feel the focus is more on college prep rather than more focus on life after graduation” Millspaugh said.