Using $150,000 in simulated funds and real-time market prices, a team from our school claimed first place in the Texas Stock Market Game, outperforming thousands of teams statewide. At the beginning of each semester, Economics students are put into teams of five and given $150,000 of virtual money to paper trade.
In the fall 2025 semester, David Curington, TWHS economics teacher, once again led his students to victory, earning the state championship title. This marks Curington’s second win, with his first being in 2023. The team’s achievement reflects not only strategic thinking and disciplined investing, but also the strength of TWHS’ economics program. Their success sets a high standard for future participants, and demonstrates how hands-on learning can translate into exceptional results while teaching students the basics of the stock market.
This semester, there are 4,001 teams competing, and it appears that another one of Curington’s teams is in the running for first place. As a reward, winning students are given a medal, gift card, and a certificate. While the prizes are a nice bonus, Curington believes the real value is in the knowledge gained about both the stock market and economy.
“It is important for students to know about the market, it’s a vehicle of wealth. For anyone that wants to be financially wealthy, you’re going to have to be involved in the market. There are few millionaires in America who are not invested in the stock market.” David Curington says.
With so much competition, participants must be meticulous in how they prepare for the game. At TWHS, students prepare by creating a shared google sheet before the game begins. Each student then fills out their sheet accordingly based on the category of stocks they are given to focus on. After they begin to grasp the concept of how it works and what they want to invest in, the groups are given the freedom to buy whatever stocks they choose with their $150,000.
“We only play for three months, not what you would typically do [buy and hold], we don’t have that time. Day trading forces them to focus on keeping track of what the stock is doing on a daily basis to be organized and keep notes. It also helps them understand the economy and the news and know what it means,” explained Curington.
As the game continues and students become more comfortable with the unfamiliar concepts, they begin to develop new skills that they will likely use now, as well as in the future.
Curington says, “There’s a lot of growth in that aspect where most students have no knowledge of the market, and as they go through it, they realize the active investment isn’t difficult. They learn how to read a ticker symbol and understand how to look at stock quotes and buy stock. I can tell them relevant things happening, and they know what it means and how to predict the economy as a result.”
The Stock Market Game has led to students’ understanding of the market and the overall economy by teaching personal financial literacy in a hands-on way. Instead of learning economics by reading about money, students actually practice managing finances and making financial decisions. With seniors graduating in just three short months, it’s important to understand the basics of saving, investing and managing money before stepping into adulthood.
