What if RISD students could step into real-world careers before they even leave elementary school? Beginning this school year, all 5th grade students will have the opportunity to visit RISD’s new experiential learning center that brings real-world learning to life through two signature experiences.
Through a partnership with Junior Achievement of Dallas, RISD students will have access to the new JA Discovery Center at Greenwood Hills Learning Center. The new JA Biztown space is a truly immersive experience, designed to turn lessons about money, careers, and decision-making into a world where they can see, touch, and navigate for themselves.
The new center, which had its official ribbon-cutting grand opening on August 27, 2026 will provide more than 5,000 RISD students each year with opportunities to practice skills and explore careers long after they leave elementary school.
JA Biztown is like stepping into a miniature city, simulating how students can manage a storefront, own a local business, manage a bank account, visit City Hall, write a letter home and drop it off at the post office, and so much more. Biztown incorporates familiar local landmarks like Richardson’s Main Street and businesses, helping students to see the connection between their learning and the larger community.
Junior Achievement brings its nationally recognized curriculum to RISD, and the center’s programming is reminiscent of RISD’s former Enterprise City program—remembered fondly by generations of RISD students—that began in 1985 at Canyon Creek Elementary.
As a second phase in the spring semester, JA Finance Park will open as an experience for every 7th grader to visit to build financial literacy skills while exploring how career choices, income, and financial decisions shape their future.
Learning experiences like this are what Richardson ISD is all about: hands-on learning that makes lessons memorable and sticks with our students for life. “We have taken a space and transformed it into one that will host a whole new generation of dreams. Without experiences like these, our students may not have the action steps and skills they need to see that their dream is really possible,” says Superintendent Tabitha Branum.
Richardson ISD is committed to helping students build the skills needed in a rapidly changing world and to be confident in financial literacy, critical thinking, effective communication, emotional intelligence, and making real-world connections. Learn more about the RISD Graduate Profile.
