Schools Use Field Trips to Teach Financial Literacy

Hands-on simulations help middle schoolers practice budgeting and money management

Mar. 12, 2026 at 7:50pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Schools across the country are using interactive "finance parks" to give middle school students real-world experience with budgeting, saving, and financial decision-making. These immersive field trips allow students to practice managing expenses, income, and trade-offs in a simulated environment before facing those challenges in their own lives.

Why it matters

Developing strong financial literacy skills at a young age can help set students up for future financial security and stability. These hands-on learning experiences aim to give students a better understanding of personal finance concepts that are often overlooked in traditional classroom settings.

The details

The finance parks consist of storefronts representing different types of expenses and financial decisions, such as paying utilities, buying a car, or going on vacation. Students are assigned a persona with a specific income and must create a realistic monthly budget by visiting each storefront. This allows them to practice making trade-offs and adjusting their spending to match their available resources.

  • The first Junior Achievement Finance Park location opened in 2003.
  • There are now 65 finance parks across the country.

The players

Junior Achievement of Greater Washington

A nonprofit organization that operates finance parks to provide hands-on financial literacy education for middle school students.

Monica Goldson, Ed.D.

CEO of Junior Achievement of Greater Washington.

Whitney Ramirez

Founder of the nonprofit Financial Field Trips, which partners with financial institutions to organize field trips for students.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Experiential learning fundamentally changes how students engage. Typically, middle school students have no clue about the types of bills that parents are paying every month for them to live.”

— Monica Goldson, CEO, Junior Achievement of Greater Washington (hendersondispatch.com)

“I want to take kids to the same places I wish someone had taken me. If students can see how to open a bank account, apply for an apartment lease or explore an open house before they face the real thing, they will be more prepared to ask questions and advocate for themselves.”

— Whitney Ramirez, Founder, Financial Field Trips (hendersondispatch.com)

What’s next

The Junior Achievement Finance Park program plans to expand to additional locations across the country in the coming years to reach more middle school students with its hands-on financial literacy curriculum.

The takeaway

By providing immersive, real-world financial experiences for students, these programs aim to better prepare the next generation with the knowledge and skills they need to achieve long-term financial security and stability.