Thirty sixth graders at Howe School of Excellence in Chicago just became the first Chicago Public Schools class to graduate from a six-week financial literacy program, learning the basics of budgeting, saving, investing and credit along the way. For a group of middle schoolers, it is a milestone that could shape how they handle money for years to come.
The program was taught at Howe School of Excellence, according to FOX 32 Chicago, which reported that the 30 students completed the six-week curriculum and made history as the first CPS class to finish it. The course covered budgeting, saving, investing and credit skills, the station reported.
A First for Chicago, Credited to a Local Bank Partnership
The organization behind the curriculum, The Daisie Project, said on LinkedIn that the Howe School sessions marked the launch of its first-ever Chicago Financial Literacy Program. The group credited Old National Bank with making the program possible and thanked Howe School of Excellence for welcoming and partnering with it, according to a post from David Guttman on linkedin.com.
One session in the Chicago curriculum focused on what organizers called Financial Psychology & Slogans, where students examined how their own attitudes, habits and beliefs shape their relationship with money and the financial choices they make, per the same linkedin.com post.
A Similar Program Already Underway in Milwaukee
The Daisie Project isn’t new to this kind of work. The Daisie Foundation and The Daisie Project also run a comparable program in Milwaukee in partnership with Old National Bank, according to wisn.com. Sixth graders at Alexander Mitchell Elementary School on Milwaukee’s South Side graduated from their own six-week financial literacy program, which covered budgeting, saving, credit, entrepreneurship and risk management.
That Milwaukee cohort began weekly sessions for all sixth-grade students on April 14, 2026, and the effort was described as the city’s second Financial Literacy Cohort, wisn.com reported. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson attended the celebration there and helped present certificates of completion to the graduating students.
Back in Chicago, the Howe School of Excellence cohort represents the program’s expansion into a new city and a new school district. With 30 students now carrying lessons on budgeting, saving, investing and credit into their futures, the sixth graders have a head start that organizers hope will pay off well beyond the classroom.
