Hillsboro, OH (August 22, 2025) – Today, National Cooperative Bank (NCB), a leading financial institution that provides banking products and services to Southern Ohio, unveiled its annual impact data regarding the digital financial education curriculum offered to high school students throughout Highland County. This curriculum is provided to schools at no cost, thanks to NCB’s strategic partnership with an educational provider.
Since the inception of its financial education initiative in 2014, NCB has successfully expanded its program and its influence on students, schools, and the local community. To date, over 2,500 students in Highland County have participated in the financial education course.
Highlights from the 2024-2025 school year include:
• Reach: The program helped 222 students actively participating across three schools.
• Knowledge Gain: With 508 hours of learning, students increased their assessment scores.
• Attitudinal Changes: After taking the course, students reported substantial increases in their confidence to manage financial tasks now and in the future.
“Financial education is increasingly vital for today’s youth as they prepare for their futures,” stated Jocelyn Leeth, Branch Manager at NCB. “We take pride in collaborating with local schools to offer this essential program, along with NCB’s digital financial education resources for adults, to empower our community with the knowledge and tools necessary for financial success.”
As part of the financial education program, NCB provides a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior from each participating high school. This year’s scholarship recipients include:
• Caden Faust – Lynchburg-Clay High School
• Riley Garrison – Hillsboro High School
• Janelle Clift – Whiteoak High School
Additionally, NCB grants a $2,000 Technology Grant to the school with the highest percentage of students completing the Money Matters Financial Literacy program for the year. Lynchburg-Clay emerged as the winner.