Every graduating senior in the Clarke County School District this school year will receive $1,000 investment portfolios and financial education through a brand-new initiative and partnership between the district and nonprofit organizations Gifted Savings and TED-Ed. The initiative will make CCSD the first public school district in the nation where every senior graduates as an investor.

As part of the program, an anonymous donor has directly gifted the portfolios to more than 800 12th-grade students at Cedar Shoals, Clarke Central, and Classic City high schools. Each portfolio contains a growth-focused exchange-traded fund (ETF), bond fund, bitcoin ETF, and a Certificate of Deposit. 

The initiative serves to help fulfill CCSD’s mission of creating educational journeys that empower all students to fulfill their potential. It also reinforces one of the district’s core beliefs – that we must embrace new ideas, techniques, and technologies to be responsive to the evolving needs of our learners and the rapidly changing world.

“At CCSD, we’re committed to helping every student see what’s possible and reach for it,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott. “By giving our seniors real investment portfolios and the tools to grow them, we’re not just teaching financial literacy—we’re building confidence, ownership, and long-term opportunity.”

Students at each high school were surprised with their gift during assemblies held Thursday, Aug. 7. In addition to their portfolios, each senior will be given access to a personal account on the Gifted Savings app, complete with weekly lessons on saving, investing, and using their money with purpose. Upon turning 18 and completing the program, students will take ownership and have full control of their investments. Through the district’s partnership with TED-Ed, students will share what they’ve learned at a special TEDx event at the end of the year.

“A teacher asked me, ‘Why Athens,’ and the answer is simple,” said Josh Landay, Executive Director of Gifted Savings. “We believed we could make a real generational impact here, and the community has shown the drive and heart to make it possible. Athens is a place where people come together to do big things, and it can serve as a shining example for the rest of the country.”

The $1.2 million gift from the anonymous donor will fund the first year of student portfolios and includes a match committed for year two. The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, Athens Area Community Foundation, and many local leaders have pledged to raise the remaining funds to sustain Gifted Savings in Clarke County through at least 2030.