State Treasurer Jeb Spaulding says Vermont high school seniors have more financial smarts than their peers nationally, but they still lag in understanding the basics of personal finance and economics.
Students at nine high schools were among about 7,000 teenagers nationally to participate in the JumpStart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy survey, which asked them questions about income, money management, savings, spending and debt.
Nationally, students averaged only 48.3 percent of the answers right in the 31-question survey.
In Vermont, students averaged 50.3 percent, slightly better but still a failing grade.