What if students could learn core academic concepts while solving real problems for real businesses? That’s the idea behind 3DE by Junior Achievement, an innovative high school model coming to Utah with the support of $1.5 million in funding from the Utah State Legislature, along with generous support from Bank of America and Intermountain Health. During the coming year, Granite and Jordan School Districts will begin the work of planning and designing 3DE for their schools, with the first ninth-grade students participating in the 2027–28 school year.

Through 3DE, students will work in teams to tackle real-world case challenges presented by local and national businesses. They’ll conduct research, analyze information, apply concepts from their academic classes, and receive coaching and feedback directly from business professionals before presenting their solutions back to the company. As students progress through high school, those experiences become increasingly sophisticated—from team-based case challenges in ninth and tenth grades to entrepreneurship and case studies in eleventh grade and a consulting experience with a real organization as seniors. Along the way, students develop critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, self-direction and other skills designed to prepare them for college, careers and life.

Utah has always been a state of pioneers—people willing to think differently, solve hard problems and build what comes next. 3DE brings that same spirit into our classrooms, empowering young people to graduate not only with knowledge, but with confidence, innovative ideas, meaningful connections and powerful real-world experience. By bringing educators, businesses and communities together in a new approach to learning, Utah has an opportunity to lead the way in preparing the next generation of pioneers—young people ready to create, contribute and shape the future of our state.

Interested in learning more or getting involved? We’d love to connect with you.