For Immediate Release
New York – April 25, 2025
Working in Support of Education (W!se) announced the 2025 “100 Best W!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance” during a ceremony generously funded by lead sponsor, Voya Financial®. This year’s top honor goes to Open High School in Richmond, Virginia. The other schools ranked in the top five were:
- Richmond Community High School, Virginia (2nd)
- Academies of West Memphis, Arkansas (3rd)
- High Technology High School, New Jersey (4th)
- Sampson Early College High School, North Carolina (5th)
Now in its 13th year, the “100 Best W!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance” is the first and only national ranking of its type, recognizing excellence in personal finance instruction among W!se’s national network of schools that participate in its Financial Literacy Certification program.
“Voya works every day to improve the financial wellness of millions of Americans, so we know what a challenge mastering personal finance can be,” said Braeden Mayrisch, Vice President, Impact and Culture at Voya Financial and Vice President of Voya Foundation, “Congratulations to the students and teachers at this school, and W!se, for investing their time in achieving this milestone.”
The celebration took place at Touro College in Times Square in New York City. Laura Levine, President and CEO of the Jump$tart Coalition, delivered the keynote address. Moomoo kindly sponsored the hospitality.
New this year there were two special awards to the school that climbed highest in the ranking and the highest ranked first-time school:
- Highest Climber: Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, New York City
- Highest Ranked First-Timer: Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology, North Carolina
“We are proud to recognize the schools of true excellence teaching personal finance,” said David Anderson, President and CEO of W!se. “These top-performing schools are equipping students with essential life skills and setting them up for long-term financial success.”
The “100 Best” schools participate in W!se’s Financial Literacy Certification program. Through this award-winning program, W!se provides instructional resources to support personal finance instruction at schools in 49 states and then administers the W!se Financial Literacy Certification Test. Students passing the Test become Certified Financially Literate™ (CFL), a nationally recognized credential. The “100 Best” schools ranking is based on the average test score from each school with consideration given to the number of test takers and the socio-economic background of the students at each school.
For the complete list of this year’s 100 Best schools, click here.
About Working in Support of Education (W!se)
Working in Support of Education (W!se) is a leading educational nonprofit based in New York City with a mission to improve the lives of young people and at-risk adults through programs that develop financial literacy and readiness for college and the workforce. For more information, visit wise-ny.org. Follow W!se on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @wisenewyork.
About Voya Financial®
Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA) is a leading health, wealth and investment company with approximately 10,000 employees who are focused on achieving Voya’s aspirational vision: “Clearing your path to financial confidence and a more fulfilling life.” Through products, solutions and technologies, Voya helps its approximately 15.7 million individual, workplace and institutional clients become well planned, well invested and well protected. Benefitfocus, a Voya company and a leading benefits administration provider, extends the reach of Voya’s workplace benefits and savings offerings by engaging directly with approximately 11.9 million employees in the U.S. Certified as a “Great Place to Work” by the Great Place to Work® Institute, Voya is purpose-driven and committed to conducting business in a way that is economically, ethically, socially and environmentally responsible. Voya has earned recognition as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere; a member of the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index; and a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” on the Disability Equality Index. For more information, visit voya.com. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.