The Economics Survey ran from December 2025 to May 2026 to collect student perspectives on economics education and the Economics and Personal Finance (EPF) course in North Carolina high schools. The survey collected responses from 173 students in grades 9–12 across 13 school districts.

Survey Results

In North Carolina high schools, students are required to take Economics and Personal Finance (EPF) as part of their graduation requirements. EPF courses are designed to teach students about economics, financial literacy, and real-world money management skills such as budgeting, investing, taxes, credit, loans, and saving. The following percentages reflect how students felt about the availability of economics education opportunities, the real-world relevance of their instruction, and the topics they most want to learn more about in school.

Of the survey results, 

• 69.4% of respondents reported taking EPF.

• 30.6% had not yet taken the course.

• Roughly 7 out of 10 students surveyed have completed or are currently enrolled in EPF coursework.

Students were asked whether there are enough opportunities in North Carolina for students to learn about economics.

• 41% of students agreed there are enough opportunities to learn economics.

• 12.6% strongly agreed.

• 25.3% responded neutrally.

• 16.7% disagreed.

• Approximately 4.6% strongly disagreed.
  
  

Students were also asked whether their economics instruction relates to real-world issues:

• Below is an interpretation of this data:

  • 47.4% agreed that economics instruction connects to real-world issues.

  • 28.3% strongly agreed.

  • 13.9% responded neutrally.

  • Roughly 7% disagreed.

  • Approximately 3–4% strongly disagreed.

  • In total, 75.7% of students felt economics instruction has real-world relevance.

  • Fewer than 1 in 10 students expressed negative views on the practicality of economics instruction.

Topics Students Want to Learn More About

• Students selected topics they would like to explore further in school.

• 68.8% of students want to learn more about stock market investing.

• 63.6% want to learn more about psychology of economic decision-making (behavioral economics).

• 43.4% want more instruction on economic inequality and poverty.

• 39.3% want to explore environmental economics and climate-related economic issues.

• 32.9% want to learn more about international trade.

• More than 2 out of 3 students expressed interest in investing and stock market education.

• Nearly two-thirds of respondents are interested in behavioral economics and decision-making psychology.

• Over 40% of students want greater discussion of inequality and poverty-related economic issues.

This suggests students are especially interested in practical financial literacy and understanding how economics influences human behavior and real-world systems.

Student’s Opinions on Education Needs Being Met

The chart shows that most students feel Economics and Personal Finance courses are meeting their educational needs at a moderate to high level. Ratings of 5, 6, and 7 made up the majority of responses, with 6 receiving the highest percentage at 30.6%. Very few students selected the lowest ratings, suggesting that most respondents believe these courses provide valuable and relevant knowledge for their education and future goals.

The survey ran from December 2025 to March 2026 to collect student insight on their experiences with advanced coursework, and collected input from students in grades 9-12 on the use of advanced coursework in schools. Input was collected from around 65 students across 12 school districts and one charter school. The survey included questions about challenge level and whether coursework prioritizes meaningful learning or workload.

Survey Results

In high schools, North Carolina advanced courses such as AP or honors classes are issued for classes in almost every subject area. Students may opt to take these classes, or take Academic classes instead. The following percentages reflect how well respondents felt advanced courses challenged them and how well these courses contributed to their learning.

• 43.5% sometimes feel challenged

• 38.7% often feel challenged

• 12.9% rarely feel challenged

• 4.8% always feel challenged

On a scale of 1–7, survey respondents on average reported that advanced coursework is more focused on workload than meaningful learning, with a majority selecting scores of 5 or 6, indicating strong agreement with this concern.

This shows that most students experience some level of rigor, but relatively few feel consistently challenged. Respondents expressed that advanced coursework would be more effective if it emphasized:

• Critical thinking and discussion-based learning

• Real-world application of concepts

• Project-based assessments over repetitive assignments

• Deeper exploration of topics rather than faster pacing

• Learning quality over workload quantity

The survey ran from May-June 2025 to collect student insight on the use of standardized assessments and grades in relation to what they learn in class. Input was collected from 62 students across 17 school districts and 1 charter school.

Survey Results

• On a scale of 1-10,  with 10 being the most accurate, survey respondents on average gave a score of 6.46 on the accuracy of the standardized assessments reflecting what they learn in class. The following chart provides a more in-depth look at the scores.

This survey ran from November-December 2024 and collected input from high school students on the use of cellphones in school as well as district and school cell phone policies. Input was collected from 86 students across ten school districts and one charter school. 

The presentation of survey results to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and State Board of Education, alongside perspectives from teachers, can be viewed here. 

Survey Results:

• 59% of respondents thought that there should be some restrictions on cell phone use at school, claiming cell phones:

  • Cause procrastination and distractions.

  • Impede social interaction.

  • Lead to cheating and disruptive behavior.

  • Take away from the learning environment.

• 41% of respondents thought that there should be no restrictions on cell phone use at school, claiming cell phones:

  • Are necessary in today's world and a tool for learning.

  • Belong to students, not schools.

  • Communicate with parents quickly.

  • Provide information quickly and keep students up to date with news.

• 85% of respondents had a cell policy in their school.

• 44% of respondents thought their school's cell policy worked in restricting the use of cell phones, claiming:

  • Students may access phones outside of the classroom, and phones are kept in the classroom.

  • Students obey the teachers.

  • Teachers enforce the policy.

  • The policy is not too extreme, but not too lenient.

• 56% of respondents thought their school's cell phone policy did not work in restricting the use of cell phones, claiming:

  • Lack of consequences for disobeying the policy.

  • It led to a stronger desire to go on phones.

  • Students got around the policy easily.

  • Teachers did not enforce it, and/or gave leniency to certain students.

• The following chart reflects the amount of time respondents used their cell phones per week, during school hours, for schoolwork. 

• The following chart shows what respondents primarily used their phone for during school hours (outside of school-related work).