LPS students expand economic knowledge at stock market contest

May 13, 2026

Lincoln Public Schools students made exciting educational investments this spring in a fast-paced stock market environment.
 
Investors from all eight LPS high schools took part in the Junior Achievement of Lincoln Stock Market Challenge at Pinnacle Bank Arena. They joined future business professionals from across the state who tried to increase their $1 million portfolios during the morning. The contest gave each four-person team a chance to practice savvy market analysis in real-time scenarios.
 
LPS students like Noah and Caden were part of an event that featured 111 squads. Noah said he and his North Star teammates were gaining a lot of valuable business knowledge. They rushed up to stock traders to buy and sell company shares, debated the best business sectors to invest in and reacted to national and world events included in the simulation.
 
“It’s really important that we know what we’re getting here is what we’re going to be doing in real life,” Noah said.

A North Star High School student smiles after receiving good news about a stock his team has in its portfolio. He is looking up at a jumbotron screen from the floor of Pinnacle Bank Arena at the JA of Lincoln Stock Market Challenge.

From left, Southeast High School students Daniella, Lindsay and Par smile from their table at the JA of Lincoln Stock Market Challenge at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
 
Caden joined Standing Bear teammates Liam, Jace and Brooks at their table for the frenetic event. They kept close track of a market ticker that ran on the arena’s jumbotron. It listed the status of individual stocks and up-to-the-second results of how each group was faring. Students had 60 days to improve their positions on the leaderboard, with each “day” lasting one minute.
 
Caden said the Grizzlies were having fun deciding which stocks to buy and sell. He said they were discovering that a calm and steady approach would generate the most long-term value.
 
“Be patient with your stocks and watch the floor at all times,” Caden said. “You have to watch the trends and analyze those.”

Four Standing Bear High School students watch a jumbotron screen from their table on the floor of Pinnacle Bank Arena. They are competing in the JA of Lincoln Stock Market Challenge.

A Southeast High School student speaks with a trader about buying a stock on the floor of Pinnacle Bank Arena. He is part of a team that is competing at the JA of Lincoln Stock Market Challenge. The trader is processing the stock purchase on an iPad that she is holding in her right hand.
 
Junior Achievement of Lincoln President and Chief Executive Officer Toni Rupe said those enriching experiences are why the organization holds the annual contest. She said it is inspiring to watch students apply their economics and financial knowledge on the arena floor.
 
“It’s incredible,” Rupe said. “I love when they pull up the newsletters and the alerts and just seeing all of the energy of the students. They’re running around trying to make their trades, get to traders and have a better idea of how real-life action impacts the market.”
 
Junior Achievement is a nonprofit organization that teaches a wide range of financial literacy lessons. The Lincoln chapter is one of more than 100 branches operating from coast to coast. JA of Lincoln reaches nearly 28,000 students each year with its educational programs and services.
 
Teams prepared for this year’s stock market challenge by taking lessons in their business classes. They learned about investment strategies, stock market operations and historical data of different monetary assets. They examined the financial background of fictitious companies before selecting their starting portfolios.

Three Northwest High School students react with excitement after reading good news about their stocks in a newsletter. The student in the middle is holding the newsletter with both hands while the other two are looking at it.

From left, a Lincoln High student watches a trader process the purchase of a stock at the JA of Lincoln Stock Market Challenge. The trader is holding an iPad on the floor of Pinnacle Bank Arena.
 
Caden said he was impressed with the realistic nature of the contest. High schoolers reacted to market trends with critical thinking, communication and teamwork skills. Breaking news happened regularly throughout the morning. This flow of information forced groups to adjust their immediate and long-term stockholding strategies.
 
“I think the competition’s really good, and it’s fun, continuously buying and selling stocks,” Caden said.
 
Rupe said many encouraging moments have come after the final trading bell. She said multiple students have walked up to her and shared stories about their enriching experiences. They have also shown a strong interest in pursuing business opportunities in college and beyond, thanks to the program.
 
“A ton of students have come to us and said how much this makes them feel inspired to pursue or even have a side hustle in this,” Rupe said.
 
A group from Southwest High School earned third place with an amount of $1,593,054.90. The Silver Hawks became the latest LPS team to represent the school district well at state. An East High School squad won the Nebraska title in 2025 and later finished eighth in the national competition.
 
The stock market challenge is one of many business-related opportunities that LPS students can concentrate on each year. The Nebraska Council on Economic Education sponsors an annual stock market game for elementary, middle and high school teams. Multiple LPS middle and high school squads have won state awards in recent years, and Lincoln students are also involved in activities such as Future Business Leaders of America, DECA and the Nebraska Business Focus Program.
 
Noah said he was glad he had chosen to take part in the stock market challenge. He said he and his teammates would remember their educational investments for a long time.
 
“It’s fun,” Noah said. “I love the guys that I’m with. We’re all great friends and we love doing stuff together.”
 
Learn how LPS students are thriving with the business knowledge they gain in our career and technical education classes and activities.
 
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Published: May 13, 2026, Updated: May 13, 2026

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Three East High School students huddle together to decide whether or not to buy a stock at the JA of Lincoln Stock Market Challenge. Teams from all eight LPS high schools gathered at Pinnacle Bank Arena this spring for the event. They tested their business knowledge in a fast-paced format.