That’s about nine years after kids have the money basics down. Cambridge says they’ve got them by seven. The states say eleventh grade. Somebody has to cover the gap — and it’s probably you.
Every tile is a state. Blue means a standalone personal finance course is guaranteed before graduation. Orange means it isn’t — yet. Either way, the story starts long before high school, and that’s where Clarence comes in.
Every one of those requirements lands in high school. Research from the University of Cambridge found that by about age seven, most kids already understand what money is for — and that they learn money by watching the adults around them. Which means the required course arrives about nine years after the real lessons got taught, by whoever was standing at the register.
Clarence Gets a Bargain is the K–5 on-ramp: one story, one real purchase from sale ad to register, 16+ concepts aligned to Jump$tart, Common Core Math & ELA, CEE, and FDIC Money Smart. By the time your students hit that required course, it’s a review session.