At Budget Challenge, we’re always looking for ways to make teaching easier and learning more meaningful. Each year, we carefully review teacher and student feedback to identify improvements. Here’s what’s new for the 2025–2026 school year:
+Investing is now included in every Budget Challenge license.
No more separate purchases. Pricing is $30/license (‘forever’ licenses that never expires) or $24/license with the volume discount (valid for the year purchased only).
Engagement Scoring, Mobile App & Engagement Booster Tools
Our motto “Learning by Doing” includes learning from mistakes. Therefore, having an engagement score that more accurately reflects student effort, 
independent of performance, that gives clear actionable feedback is imperative. We understand that students have to get up the learning curve, they won’t be perfect from the get-go. The goal of the new engagement score is to help students build good habits to make financially sound decisions. This is what the newly redesigned engagement score brings to the table. Check out the Engagement Score video that explains how the new Engagement Score works.
Student engagement data is visible to teachers on Teacher Home using the Boost Engagement button next to the class. This is where teachers can
identify students that need reminders or encouragement to participate. The new Engagement Booster functionality allows teachers to communicate with students who need nudging via customizable notifications to the student’s Budget Challenge account, app, and email (if using).
The mobile app has also been upgraded. Students can now receive push notifications directly on their devices, and teachers can 
“nudge” students for things like missed logins, unpaid bills, or high credit card utilization. You can also send custom push notifications to an entire class, making it easier to maximize engagement and extend learning beyond the classroom.
Updated Teacher Guide, Pacing Guide, and Weekly Guide Emails for Teachers
We received many requests for better guidance on how to pair the textbook curriculum with the simulation. The updated Teacher Guide aims to bridge that gap with more details on how the simulation works, a Pacing Guide, and icons for easier navigation within the Teacher Guide, Textbook, and website.
The new Pacing Guide outlines material to be covered beginning with 2 weeks of student onboarding and 10 weeks of the simulation. It recommends
which textbook chapters, Real-World Activities, and Guided Readings best align with the progression of the learning and events that happen in the simulation.
A Weekly Guide Email will be sent to teachers with just in time information on what expect in the upcoming week. This email combines information from the Pacing Guide as well as quick tips to help you stay on track with the curriculum and simulation.
+Investing Enhancements
We’ve added a News Desk that displays daily market headlines, market indicators, and commentary to accompany daily changes in fund pricing and market data. This gives students a more realistic connection between news events and market behavior.
Easier Teaching Team Management
You can now invite new teachers directly to your team through the Manage Users page. This skips the manual verification process and speeds up onboarding.
Streamlined Teacher Menus and Icons
Administrative functions like class creation, requesting a quote, and managing your teaching team are now grouped under an Admin Menu (click your name in the top right corner). Your Teacher Home pages will remain focused on simulation, curriculum, and teaching tools. We are also adding color coded icons (some are featured here) to help find the resources you are looking for.
Create a Class Page
We’ve redesigned the Create a Class page to encourage more competition and collaboration. You’ll now be able to see when other teachers are running simulations and how many licenses they’re using, making it easier to sync up with colleagues.
SSO / Class Rostering
We’ve made a major step forward integrating with popular educational platforms. Budget Challenge now works with ClassLink, Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, & Clever. There are more on the way, so lo let us know what you use.
