Aspen Peaks School District landed a $282,277 state grant in July to figure out which career and technical education programs its students need most.

The Applied Professional Education Experiences (APEX) Center Planning Grant makes Aspen Peaks one of only nine education agencies statewide to receive planning-phase funding this year, according to the district. The money buys a full year of research into community workforce needs, existing partnerships and which career pathways deserve investment before the district opens July 1, 2027.

Alpine School District currently offers more than 32 CTE pathways. The split that created Aspen Peaks gives the new district a chance to decide which of those programs to keep, expand or replace for students in Alpine, Highland and Cedar Hills.

"We didn't feel like we were ready to jump straight into implementation," said Ryan Nield, Aspen Peaks' director of CTE. "This planning year gives us an opportunity to take a deep dive into what's sustainable, what's economical, what industry actually needs, and where we may already have services available through partners like MTECH and UVU."

Nield outlined three models the district could adopt: a CAPS-style approach pairing students directly with industry partners on real-world projects; a magnet-school model housing specialized programs at individual campuses; or a centralized APEX Center where students from multiple schools access pathways in fields such as transportation, construction or engineering.

The district will evaluate services already available through Mountainland Technical College (MTECH) and Utah Valley University as part of the planning year, Nield said.

He pointed to coding as a cautionary example. A decade ago schools invested heavily in coding programs, but the rise of artificial intelligence has reshaped the field. The planning grant is meant to help Aspen Peaks avoid sinking resources into programs that may not stay relevant.

The APEX Grant Program was created through H.B. 447 during the 2025 legislative session, inspired by the Davis Catalyst Center that opened in 2022. A separate, larger round in July distributed roughly $99 million in implementation funding to 22 districts statewide, according to Utah Policy. Aspen Peaks' award falls under the smaller planning-grant tier.

The planning year runs through mid-2027, ahead of the district's July 1, 2027, launch under Superintendent Dr. Joel Perkins. No board vote or public comment window for the final pathway decision has been announced.