Marin high school students learn a lot in their four years in class.

There’s some things that usually don’t fit into the classroom curricula.

Students are offered the opportunity to learn geometry and calculus, but they usually have to learn the basics of personal finance on their own.

At Redwood High School, a new program seeks to change that.

Redwood economics teacher Ann Tepovich and Redwood Credit Union are teaming up to offer students a two-hour lesson about how to pay their bills and keep a budget.

These days, an app on their phones likely calculates the balance of checking accounts, but they need to know about budgeting to help them from spending more than they have.

They also need to know how credit cards work and the cost of interest rates.

They will learn some financial basics for living on their own, like paying their bills and the costs they will likely face.

Redwood’s program is getting a head start on a new state curriculum requirement that mandates high schools to offer at least a semester in personal finance by the 2027-28 school year.

Starting in the 2030-31 school year, it will be a high school requirement.

“Many young Californians are entering college and the workforce without a baseline understanding of financial literacy. This has concerning implications for their success as individuals and our society as a whole,” wrote Kevin McCarty of Sacramento, who in 2024, authored Assembly Bill 2927 that mandates the requirement.

The course, he said, “guarantees access to a personal finance course to all high school students, instilling them with the skills and support they will need throughout their lives.”

Besides banking and budgeting, the curriculum in the requirement will include debt and credit; loans, including college loans; insurance; taxation; investing; charitable giving and identity theft.

Novato High School has been offering a yearlong course in personal finance since 2019.

Other Marin high schools are getting ready for meeting the requirement. The county is considering putting together a countywide ad hoc team to design the curriculum for Marin schools.

Marin state Sen. Mike McGuire, who backed the legislation, says “financial literacy is a critical tool that pays dividends for a lifetime.”

He’s right.

Most students start building their financial portfolios after graduation from high school. College students are usually flooded with credit card offers. Credit cards usually introduce a new financial dynamic in personal budgeting.

Learning how they work and their costs can save young adults from unknowingly taking some costly risks.

Their parents might help them navigate these new waters, but some have to learn on their own, sometimes from costly mistakes and miscalculations.

Programs offered at Redwood and Novato offer students the tools that should prove helpful to these young adults — tools that might save them money and help steer them from financial challenges.

It makes sense that high schools provide students with these real-life tools as well as the academic lessons they learn in their classes.