The program will continue prioritizing low- and moderate-income students in Dallas and Mesquite Independent School Districts throughout the upcoming school year

American National Bank of Texas (ANBTX) recently announced the results from its “Keys To Your Future” program, an innovative, scalable and measurable financial education and career readiness course for North Texas middle and high school students, for the 2023-24 academic year. This marks the first full year of the program since its launch as part of the bank’s three-year partnership with EVERFI® from Blackbaud®, a leader in K-12 financial education.

The course prepares students for various post-secondary and workforce options through six teacher-led lessons on topics that include career success, starting your career, balancing daily life, choosing a path, preparing for high school and life goals.

“ANBTX proudly supports financial education efforts in the communities we serve,” said Fannon Meador, Community Development Officer at ANBTX. “We’re proud of the results from the first year and look forward to continuing to provide high school students from Dallas and Mesquite Independent School Districts (ISDs) with the tools they need to succeed far after graduation. As part of the program, students learn about career readiness and finance, how to manage their money and credit and the effects both can have on their future. This scalable, equitable learning platform helps build a strong, resilient workforce, which makes every company, community and resident better.”

The program reached nearly 1,500 students across 20 area schools and included over 1,800 hours of learning, all located in low- to moderate-income communities in Dallas and Mesquite ISDs. The course tests students before and after each lesson, and on average, students’ assessment scores across the six topics rose from 51% to 78%, a 27% increase. In addition, 88% of students agreed the classes helped them better understand how to achieve their long-term goals, while 98% of educators agreed the course quality was good or excellent and enhanced the material they teach in the classroom.

EVERFI from Blackbaud currently partners with financial institutions across the country and was recently awarded the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Seal, which recognizes excellence in educational technology products.

“We’re pleased to work alongside ANBTX to empower students across North Texas to take control of their financial future and connect them to new opportunities through an engaging, digital curriculum,” said Ryan Ottobani, Customer Success Team Lead at EVERFI from Blackbaud. “ANBTX is an ideal partner to move the next generation forward, and we’ve had success with ANBTX, both in terms of the number of schools participating and the number of students completing the course. We’re both deeply invested in our communities and committed to closing the gap in financial education.”

ABOUT AMERICAN NATIONAL BANK OF TEXAS

American National Bank of Texas, founded in 1875 in Terrell, Texas, is an independently owned bank with assets over $6.1 billion and 30 locations throughout North Texas, serving Collin, Dallas, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Rockwall, Tarrant, and Van Zandt Counties. As a community bank, American National Bank of Texas offers traditional banking products and services to individuals, businesses and municipal governments, as well as individual and corporate trust, investment and estate planning services through their Wealth Management Group. ANBTX has consistently been ranked one of the Top Workplaces DFW by The Dallas Morning News. Visit American National Bank of Texas online at www.anbtx.com.

Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. NMLS #445248

Owen Ramsey Cooksey Communications 614-214-6932 owen.ramsey@cookseypr.com