Naperville Central Wins State Financial Literacy Contest, Advances to National Competition (Naperville, IL) – A team of students from Naperville Central High School claimed first place in the 2026 Illinois Personal Finance Challenge, earning college savings scholarships and a spot in the national finals.
Hosted by Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs, the statewide competition brought together top-performing high school students to test their knowledge of personal finance, including topics such as saving, investing, credit management and risk.
The Naperville Central team — Harsh Patel, Krish Patel, Taran Nathan and Rohan Jain — outperformed nine other finalist teams during the April 14 championship round in Springfield. With the win, each student received a $1,500 Bright Start college savings scholarship and will advance to represent Illinois at the National Personal Finance Challenge in Atlanta on May 31 and June 1.
Students from Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville earned second place, with each team member receiving a $1,000 Bright Start scholarship.
In total, 579 students from 169 teams across Illinois participated in the competition earlier this year, with 10 teams advancing to the state finals. The final round included a case study evaluation followed by a quiz bowl featuring the top four teams: Naperville Central, Neuqua Valley, Illinois Math and Science Academy and Monticello High School.
Participants said the experience provided valuable real-world knowledge. Andrew Bledsoe of Monticello High School said the competition helped students engage with financial concepts that will impact their futures, including investment strategies and debt management.
Laila Jaoko of Collinsville High School encouraged other students to take part, noting that personal finance skills are both practical and widely applicable later in life.
Treasurer Frerichs emphasized the importance of financial education as part of long-term economic success.
“I believe in giving people the tools they need to invest in themselves,” Frerichs said. “We wish the team from Naperville Central the best of luck in Atlanta.”
Other schools represented in the state finals included Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Moline Senior High School, University High School in Normal, West Chicago Community High School and William Fremd High School in Palatine.
The Illinois Treasurer’s Office, which manages approximately $60 billion in state funds, sponsors the annual competition as part of its broader effort to promote financial literacy and provide resources to residents on saving, investing and managing money.
Naperville Central Wins State Financial Literacy Contest, Advances to National Competition
