Abstract: The three-stage current protection is a widely adopted relay protection method in power systems, featuring fast action speed, high reliability, and good selectivity. Based on the MATLAB/Simulink platform, this paper models and simulates the three-stage current protection for distribution networks, aiming to help students deeply understand its working principle and action characteristics through virtual simulation technology. The research verifies the effectiveness of the three-stage current protection and provides an intuitive and vivid simulation experiment method for relay protection teaching, which is conducive to enhancing students′ understanding and practical ability of power system relay protection theory.