Finance Classes for High School Students in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. has a vibrant finance scene thanks in part to its role as the United States’ capital and its need to have various facilities available to handle multiple financial demands. For example, the US Treasury often requires people who understand the complexities of finance, math, and investments, especially when looking to improve the stock market. Many of these career paths are open to young people with a deep knowledge of finance.

Thankfully, Washington is also home to multiple training and education facilities that can teach your high school student all about the unique demands of the finance market. Finance classes can also help them learn basic skills such as balancing their checking account, figuring out their taxes, and budgeting a household properly. As a result, it’s a good idea for parents to seriously investigate a few courses that might help their teens master finance skills.

Why High School Students Should Learn Finance

It’s never too early to teach your high school student about proper finance skills nor too late to learn them yourself. Learning about finances can help your teen prepare for a future career in whatever field interests them, including business ownership. On a smaller scale, finance classes can give them the skills to handle proper budgeting after they get a job and to make it easier for them to understand why their paycheck looks smaller than expected (taxes, of course).

Thankfully, there’s a growing movement in schools across the nation (including in Washington, D.C., where so many educational changes begin) to add finance classes to general courses of study. However, there’s a chance that some schools in the area may not include them or don’t teach them properly. In this situation, you need to find personalized finance classes that your teen can use to improve their knowledge base and master the ins-and-outs of finances.

In-Person Finance Classes in Washington, D.C.

There aren’t a large number of in-person finance classes in Washington, D.C. simply because so many programs have gone virtual. The University of the District of Columbia does have an Accounting program that can teach students the skills they need to handle many types of financial careers. Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies also hosts a Finance course in their McDonough School of Business that may include dual-credit opportunities for many students. However, a growing surge towards online training has given many young people a better chance of mastering these finance skills by introducing them to more advanced concepts earlier.

Virtual Finance Classes

If your teen is interested in learning finance or you feel like they’re ready to learn these skills, it's important to find a few interesting and engaging classes that might help them master finance. Thankfully, there are a broad range of different options available that can make this learning process more enjoyable, including courses by some of the most trusted learning teams on the market today. Let’s break them down to give you a better idea of what's available.

FinTech Summer Program

NextGen Bootcamp provides a series of high-quality lessons in their FinTech Summer Program to teach high school students about various important finance skills. For example, they’ll learn how to use Microsoft Excel properly, master important finance investment concepts, practice skills like balancing their checkbook, and much more. This live online course provides an interactive environment where young teens can learn all about this critically important skill set.

As with all NextGen Bootcamp courses, you’ll receive various benefits that make it worth your time. These include expert instructors in a small-class setting as your teens work on real-world projects with professionals. Taking just 72 hours to complete and costing only $3,295, this course is suitable for people from many walks of life. If you feel uncomfortable paying the initial costs, you can apply for financial aid options that make this class easier to afford.

Excel, Finance, & Investing Summer Program

This $1,299 class takes just 26 hours and includes support from expert instructors who understand how to teach your teen important finance skills. Taking place over five days in five-hour blocks, this schedule minimizes your teen’s boredom and ensures that they’re focused on learning. As with all NextGen Bootcamp classes, they’ll work on real-world projects with expert instructors in a small class that minimizes confusion and improves learning retention.

In this program, your teen will learn all about Excel, finance and investing, and important values like P/E ratios, DCF analysis, financial statements, and stock investing. These advanced lessons might seem overwhelming at first but provide your teen with the help they need to get started in financial investment. Even if they don’t necessarily become an investment expert overnight, they should have a better idea of how money works before becoming an adult.

Excel Bootcamp

Noble Desktop provides multiple tech-based courses that are designed to teach a myriad of tech-based skills. Their virtual training platform is one of the most popular in the nation and they have created innovative concepts and ideas other teams still use. For example, you get free setup assistance with all online classes, expert instructors in small and friendly course sizes, as well as a free retake that you can use if your teen struggles to pass this program for any reason.

In this course, your teen will learn how to use Microsoft Excel from beginner level to professional level and master functions, formulas, macros, Pivot Tables, and much more. They’ll learn how to copy data from various spreadsheets, write formulas, and automatically calculate expenses. By practicing with real-world projects and examples, they’ll better understand this process and feel more comfortable handling its diverse, real-world demands.

How to Choose a Finance Class

If you’re interested in a finance class for your teen, it’s important to consider the following factors to ensure that you choose one that makes the most sense for their needs and learning capability. These include:

• Cost: Classes might cost a few hundred dollars or even several thousand, depending on their scope, intensity, and focus. Research which of these options fits into your budget to teach your teen an important skill about financing.
• Duration: Some courses might be just a few hours long, while some can be a few days. Depending on your teen’s attention span, you might want to pick a shorter class to avoid boredom or a longer one to ensure they fully understand the necessary skills.
• Difficulty: Introduction-level classes are typically best for teens with no experience in finance, as they can help walk them through more difficult concepts. More advanced bootcamps are great for high school seniors ready to graduate and head to college.
• Age Range: The difference in maturity and intelligence between a 13- to 16-year-old is pretty high. As a result, you need to make sure you choose a class age range that fits your teen. Even advanced freshmen may benefit most from a class designed for their age.
• Format: Do you think your teen would prefer in-person or virtual courses? While there are far more online classes available in Washington, D.C. than in-person, there are a few physical courses that might appeal to them if they need hands-on help.