Mathews High School is one of the top 30 schools in the nation in terms of personal finance instruction, according to Working in Support of Education (W!se), a New York-based nonprofit group that promotes financial literacy education.

Overall, 38 of the nation’s 100 best high schools are in Virginia. Working in Support of Education announced the top-100 list in April during a ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange.

“The Class of 2015 is the first to have the advantage of earning a diploma that required them to successfully complete and pass a course in economics and personal finance,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction Steven R. Staples said. “Here in Virginia—and with support of the business and financial organizations including the Virginia Council on Economic Education—we value economic literacy as an indicator of college and career readiness.”

Virginia students—beginning with those who entered the ninth grade in 2011 must ...