The 15 things school should teach but usually does not are: money, mental and physical health, relationships, taxes, friendship skills, debt, learning to learn, values, job hunting, public speaking, self-care, digital literacy, health education, civics and discipline. In 2026 some of this is changing: 39 US states now require personal finance coursework to graduate, according to the Council for Economic Education. This list covers what we wish we had learned, from our perspective.
15 school subjects at a glance
| # | Missing subject | Skill area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | How money works | Personal finance |
| 2 | Mental and physical health | Self-care and first aid |
| 3 | Relationships and communication | Emotional intelligence |
| 4 | Taxes and bills | Taxes and budgeting |
| 5 | How to make friends and be sociable | Networking and friendships |
| 6 | Debt, interest and mortgages | Credit and loans |
| 7 | How to learn for yourself | Meta-learning |
| 8 | How to find your passion and values | Self-knowledge |
| 9 | How to find the right job and prepare for an interview | Career skills |
| 10 | Public speaking and selling an idea | Communication |
| 11 | Basic cooking, self-care and home maintenance | Self-sufficiency |
| 12 | Digital literacy and personal etiquette | Online presence |
| 13 | Health education, relationships and parenting | Health and family |
| 14 | Human rights, how government works and why voting matters | Civic basics |
| 15 | Time management and discipline | Self-discipline |
Why does this matter?
Most people spend 12 years or more in education, which is over 15% of an 80-year life. The goal should be to make people self-sufficient and capable members of society. School does a decent job on knowledge, but it could do better on life skills. Prefer video? Watch below.
1. How money works
Why do some people earn more, how do you raise your income, how do you save and invest? Money is still a taboo in many homes, and many parents and teachers never learned it themselves. The good news is that this is changing: according to the Council for Economic Education’s March 2026 survey, 39 US states now require personal finance coursework to graduate from high school, though only some of those require a standalone course. Still, budgeting, saving for retirement and choosing between a business and a job are skills many graduates pick up later, on their own.
2. Mental and physical health
Mental illness is common. In 2022, 23.1% of US adults had a mental illness, and the rate was 36.2% among adults aged 18 to 25, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Yet most students never learn how to take care of their minds: how to spot burnout, anxiety or depression and where to get help. The same applies to the body: how it works, what it needs to run well, and first aid. We believe first aid should be taught everywhere.
3. Relationships and communication
Most of us will spend much of our lives in close relationships, yet nobody teaches how to choose well or how to build one. Dating apps and social media changed how people meet, and they emphasize the image we show over character. Relationships need effort, communication and emotional skill, which are learnable. The curriculum should be updated alongside technology, and taught by people who understand it.
4. Taxes and bills
Taxes are certain, as Benjamin Franklin said, and you will deal with them more often than you will use geometry. Yet few graduates know how to budget to keep the lights on, what a deductible is, or how taxes work. Getting this wrong causes serious problems later.
5. How to make friends and be sociable
We leave this to chance: put kids in a room and they will figure it out. It works until you leave school, when making new friends gets harder. Your net worth is correlated with your network, so social skill matters. The timeless resource is How to Win Friends and Influence People, still widely read. You can get the audiobook through alux.com/freebook.
6. Debt, interest and mortgages
Most people finish school with no introduction to good debt versus bad debt, interest, or how a mortgage works. Meanwhile, student borrowing is huge: the US federal student loan portfolio stood at about $1.72 trillion for 42.6 million borrowers in March 2026. Graduates start adult life with a financial handicap and then face high living costs. Without understanding how banks work, you run hard just to stay in place, like the Red Queen’s race in Alice’s looking-glass world.
7. How to learn for yourself
Learning how to learn is the skill that rules them all. School rewards grades, which means recalling information that is one search away, or in 2026 one AI prompt away. The valuable skill is turning information into useful knowledge: combining resources, time, focus and feedback loops. Once you have a method, you can learn, do or become almost anything.
8. How to find your passion and values
School should not tell you what to value, but it could give you a framework to find out. Imagine spending a year on introspection instead of memorizing rivers: What do I want to feel? What do I like about myself? What are my values? How do I want to be treated? We have identity crises because we never ask these basic questions. School puts everyone in the same box.
9. How to find the right job and prepare for an interview
After school, most people ask their parents for advice and compromise at each step. Finding a good fit is prospecting: the skill of weighing options on data, used for jobs, cities and partners. You also need to show you add value: write a real CV, research the company, present yourself well and negotiate your salary and path. Many people end up working in fields other than what they studied.
10. Public speaking and selling an idea
Surveys have long reported that many people fear public speaking more than death. Imagine finishing 12 years of school with that fear conquered. Life is a connect-the-dots game of uncomfortable conversations. A job offer is you selling an idea, and so is a marriage proposal. Selling has a bad reputation, but it simply means articulating a future that others will back with time, effort and money. For speaking, we recommend TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking, available as a free audiobook via alux.com/freebook.
11. Basic cooking, self-care and home maintenance
By the end of school you should be self-sufficient. You eat several times a day, yet nutrition and cooking are rarely taught. Cooking is a basic skill, and it is where a healthy life starts. Add CPR, treating a wound, how medicine works and how to apply it. Knowing the basics can be the difference between life and death.
12. Digital literacy and personal etiquette
We live much of our lives online, and nearly everyone you meet will look at your digital profiles. How your data is used, what you post and how you behave all have consequences. In 2026 it also includes recognizing AI-generated content and deepfakes. Your online presence is the cover of the book that is you, and people judge it. Good manners did not go out of fashion; they are just rarely taught.
13. Health education, relationships and parenting
Most schools leave health education to the family, friends and the internet, so young people fill the gaps on their own. Age-appropriate, factual education reduces confusion and fear, and people fear what they do not understand. Most people become parents at some point, yet they learn parenting from blogs. Raising better children is how a society improves step by step.
14. Human rights, how government works and why voting matters
Human rights are the backbone of a functioning, free society, and governing structures build on them. Ask a random person how their government works and most struggle to explain it. It is not that complicated once you look. Civic education should be non-partisan and practical: how laws are made, how budgets work, how to vote and how to take part locally.
15. Time management and discipline
Give a student three weeks for a project and the last four hours do the work. That habit follows people through life. Discipline is the most valuable skill you can nurture, and it works best when you build it yourself rather than having others impose it. Manage the time you have so you enjoy the ride instead of rushing from deadline to deadline. See our video on 15 steps to master self-discipline below.
Question: what would you add to the list? Tell us in the comments.
Keep reading
- 15 personal finance lessons everyone wishes they knew sooner: the money subject in depth
- 15 financial hacks you’ll wish you knew at 20: practical next steps
- 15 ways to invest in yourself: how to teach yourself what school did not
FAQ
What should be taught in school but is not?
Personal finance, mental and physical health, relationships, taxes, debt, learning how to learn, career skills, public speaking, self-care, digital literacy, civics and self-discipline.
Do US schools teach personal finance now?
More than before. According to the Council for Economic Education’s March 2026 survey, 39 states require personal finance coursework to graduate, though only some require a standalone course.
How common is mental illness among young adults?
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 36.2% of US adults aged 18 to 25 had a mental illness in 2022, compared with 23.1% of all adults.
How big is student debt in the US?
The federal student loan portfolio was about $1.72 trillion for 42.6 million borrowers as of March 2026.
Is learning how to learn really a school subject?
It should be. Information is cheap, so the valuable skill is turning it into knowledge using time, focus and feedback.
How can adults learn these skills now?
Read, take short courses, find mentors and practice. Start with budgeting, taxes and communication, which pay off quickly.
Last updated: October 2026.
