New York, NY – April 27, 2020
Working in Support of Education (W!se), a national educational nonprofit, announced the 2020 ranking of the “100 Best W!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance” today during a virtual ceremony sponsored by Voya Financial®. Hurley High School in Virginia earned first place. The High School for Math, Science & Engineering in New York City placed second while Virginia’s Richmond Community High School placed third.
“A feeling of pure joy came over me when I learned that Hurley HS is this year’s top ranked school” said Pam Tester, Principal of Hurley High School. “I am so proud of my students and my teacher, Ms. Wolford for this outstanding achievement.”
The “100 Best W!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance”, in its eighth year, is the first and only national ranking in high school financial education, recognizing excellence in personal finance instruction within W!se’s national network of schools participating in its Financial Literacy Certification program.
Phyllis Perillo, President and CEO of W!se said, “During this challenging period, we are delighted to host this ceremony that puts a spotlight on the right to financial education for all young people, and on the exceptional schools from 17 states who are the best in America fulfilling this mission.”
The ceremony was attended by members of the W!se Board. Special guests included John Pelletier, Director, Center for Financial Literacy, Champlain College and Dr. James Lane, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Virginia Department of Education.
Angela Harrell, senior vice president, Chief Diversity & Corporate Responsibility Officer and Voya Foundation President, opened the ceremony by saying, “The empowerment that comes from financial security cannot be underestimated. We know that a secure financial future starts with the individual, and then that trickles down and influences the family, institutions, and communities.”
W!se’s Financial Literacy Certification program, now in 49 states, supports personal finance instruction in high schools. Participating schools teach personal finance and administer W!se’s Financial Literacy Certification Test. Students passing the Test become Certified Financially Literate™ (CFL), a nationally recognized credential. Through the program, more than one million students have graduated from high school financially literate.
The “100 Best” ranking is determined based on the average Certification 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. Follow W!se on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @wisenewyork.
About Voya Financial®
Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), helps Americans plan, invest and protect their savings — to get ready to retire better. Serving the financial needs of approximately 13.8 million individual and institutional customers in the United States, Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $7.5 billion in revenue in 2019. The company had $603 billion in total assets under management and administration as of Dec. 31, 2019. With a clear mission to make a secure financial future possible — one person, one family, one institution at a time — Voya’s vision is to be America’s Retirement Company®. Certified as a “Great Place to Work” by the Great Place to Work® Institute, Voya is equally committed to conducting business in a way that is socially, environmentally, economically and ethically responsible. Voya has been recognized as a 2020 World’s Most Admired Company by Fortune magazine; one of the 2020 World’s Most Ethical Companies® by the Ethisphere Institute; as a member of the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index; and as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” on the Disability Equality Index by Disability:IN. For more information, visit voya.com. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter @Voya.
About Voya Foundation
Voya Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in communities where Voya Financial operates and its employees and customers live. Voya Foundation provides grants and establishes signature partnerships in the areas of financial literacy and children’s education and fosters employee engagement to deepen our positive impact on the community. For more information, visit www.VoyaFoundation.com
Media Contacts:
Samantha Spina
Working in Support of Education (W!se)
212-421-2700
sspina(at)wise-ny.org
Yasmine Lewis
Voya Financial
Yasmine.Lewis(at)voya.com
