Seventy-two students on 12 teams from outstate Minnesota competed Tuesday in the state competition of LifeSmarts, a national high school program that helps students learn about financial, computer and health literacy. Two teams from Le Sueur-Henderson competed in the state finals in St. Paul.

For students, the program emphacizes practical application. Jackie Klimek, a senior at Le Sueur-Henderson, said that being in the LifeSmarts program taught her that consumers have more rights than she originally thought. Senior Erin Kelso decided to drive 55 more often after she learned how much gas it saves. Elizabeth Tressler liked learning the disadvantages and advantages of leasing vs. buying a car. AJ Smith is already trying to save on his taxes. "I found out what I can and can't deduct," said the employed junior.

Operated by the nonprofit National Consumers League, LifeSmarts is run in Minnesota by the Better Business Bureau. The program supplements existing curriculum in high schools and is used in classrooms or as a free extracurricular activity for grades nine through 12.

Such programs are more necessary these days than ever. According to a nationwide survey released by the Federal Reserve, high school seniors, on average, answered correctly only 48.3 percent of questions about personal finance and economics.

Young people don't understand how their financial behavior affects their financial future, said Nathan Dungan of Share Save Spend financial education company. Few students know that credit scores can affect their ability to get a job; even fewer know what a credit score is. He advocates changing state policy to mandate financial literacy.

Le Sueur-Henderson competed against a team from Willow River in the semi-finals. Both schools have been frequent winners in the Minnesota competition. LSH teams have won state in 2000, 2002 and 2003 and a national championship in 2002, said coach Cathy Schluter.

Willow River won in 2001, 2009 and 2010.