10 Computer Science Summer Camps for Middle School Students
Summer camps for middle school students are more than just a seasonal activity—they’re a chance to explore passions, build practical skills, and gain exposure to advanced topics in a supportive environment. These camps introduce you to subjects you may not encounter in traditional classrooms, such as robotics, coding, creative writing, or environmental science. By diving into these fields early, you can discover your interests and talents, setting the stage for informed choices about your high school courses and extracurricular activities.
Early exposure to specialized subjects through summer camps can also positively impact college applications down the road. Whether students gain hands-on experience with AI, participate in research projects, or develop a creative portfolio, these experiences demonstrate initiative and curiosity—qualities highly valued by admissions committees.
Here’s a list of 10 summer science camps that provide mentorship opportunities, immersive learning experiences, and the chance to collaborate with peers, all designed to help you thrive academically and personally.
Location: Online
Program Dates: Various cohorts run throughout the year
Cost: $2400. Financial aid available.
Eligibility: Open to students in grades 6 through 8
Deadline: Deadlines vary for each cohort. Check out specific deadlines HERE.
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program offers an engaging 8-week experience for middle schoolers. You will be paired with a mentor to explore your academic interests and develop a meaningful project. Mentors are accomplished scholars from top-tier institutions like Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Duke, and LSE. You will get a chance to delve into diverse subjects, including computer science, mathematics, artificial intelligence, history, and social anthropology, among others.
Throughout the program, you progress through structured phases: in the first four weeks, you explore various topics and tracks. Weeks five and six intensify this exploration, allowing you to focus deeply on a single area of interest. The final two weeks are dedicated to project creation, where you work closely with your mentors to bring your ideas to life.
Location: University of Pennsylvania campus, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $650 per student; limited need-based financial assistance available.
Application Deadline: March 4.
Dates: June 24 – June 28.
Eligibility: Open to 6th–8th-grade students in the Philadelphia area with a minimum B average.
The Penn GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science) Summer Camp is a week-long program that introduces middle schoolers to engineering and STEM. This day camp focuses on disciplines like bioengineering, nanotechnology, graphics, and computer science. Projects include themes like Glow in the Dark Science, Robotics, and Animation, designed to spark curiosity and creativity. In this camp, you will be grouped into small cohorts and work closely with Penn doctoral and master’s students who lead the sessions. Beyond building problem-solving skills, the camp helps you connect with role models in STEM, instilling confidence and enthusiasm for pursuing advanced studies in science and engineering.
Location: Online
Program Dates: 25 hours over 2 weeks (on weekdays) during the summer cohort
Cost: $1990. Need-based financial aid is available
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8
Deadline: Rolling deadlines. Check out specific deadlines HERE
The AI Trailblazers program by Veritas AI is an excellent opportunity for middle school students interested in computer science to gain foundational knowledge in artificial intelligence and machine learning. This 25-hour virtual program introduces essential skills in Python programming, data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics—key areas for anyone pursuing computer science. With a 5:1 student-to-mentor ratio, participants receive personalized guidance in both lectures and group sessions.
The program emphasizes hands-on learning, culminating in a project tailored to each student's interests. Previous participants have tackled exciting challenges like designing machine-learning models to classify music genres or developing algorithms to generate personalized educational resource lists. These projects showcase how the program equips students with practical skills and real-world applications, making it a valuable step toward a future in computer science.
Location: Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Cost: $60–$320 per camp; need-based scholarships are available.
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary by camp. Check out the website for more information.
Dates: Programs run from June to August.
Eligibility: Open to rising 6th–8th graders.
Oregon State University’s STEM Academy presents a comprehensive series of summer camps tailored to inspire and equip middle school students with critical skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Students with an interest in computational thinking and programming can explore the following specialized camps:
ActivityBots Camp: This camp immerses participants in the mechanics and programming of ActivityBot 360 robots. Core topics include sensor integration (infrared, ultrasonic, and touch) and advanced navigation techniques.
Making with Microcontrollers: This camp emphasizes on building systems that respond dynamically to environmental inputs, combining hardware and software innovation.
Making Arcade Games: Designed for both novice and intermediate coders, this program introduces you to the MakeCode platform. You will get to create functional arcade games while mastering programming logic in block-based and text-based formats, including JavaScript.
Flying Robots Camp – Wonderful World of Drones: This camp delves into the principles of drone flight, their application in research, and the technical skills needed for programming and piloting drones. You will explore the intersection of aerodynamics, control systems, and coding.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,990; need-based scholarships available.
Application Deadline: June 5 or until full.
Duration: 6 weeks
Eligibility: Open to 8th–12th graders.
The MehtA+ Machine Learning Bootcamp is a 6-week virtual experience to introduce high school students to machine learning and data science fundamentals. This camp is led by engineers from MIT and Stanford and dives into the mathematical concepts behinds AI. Here, you will work in teams of 3-4 on both midterm and final projects, applying machine learning to domains like medicine, economics, digital humanities, and linguistics. The culmination of the program involves creating a research paper and technical poster, which will be showcased at the annual MehtA+ Machine Learning conference. This event provides an opportunity to present your findings to university professors and gain potential publishing opportunities in research journals.
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Cost: Starts at $1999; limited scholarships available
Application Deadline: Rolling basis until full
Dates: July 14 - August 1
Eligibility: Students aged 12 to 18 with some proficiency in Python
The Berkeley Coding Academy offers a summer program for teens on Data Science and AI applications. Over three weeks, students dive into hands-on projects involving image classification, astronomical object detection, movie/music recommendation systems, text generation, and deepfake detection. The focus is on deep learning, where you will build and optimize models using technologies such as CNNs, RNNs, LLMs, and GANs.
You will also complete several mini-projects, culminating in a special final project of your choice. The program offers permanent access to the Berkeley Coding Academy's extensive learning materials, including over 100 4K Data Science videos, Colab Notebooks, and other resources. The course is available in two cohorts: one for students with basic Python proficiency (including writing functions and using libraries) and another for beginners new to coding.
Location: Virtual or Online
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: Rolling Applications
Program Dates: Typically Summer
Eligibility: Girls in Grades 6-12
The Girls Who Code Summer Clubs program provides middle school students with a free, flexible chance to explore computer science in an inclusive, female-focused environment. You can join interactive online or in-person sessions where they work on engaging coding projects, develop technical skills, and build lasting connections with peers and mentors. Open to girls in grades 6-12, the program includes comprehensive resources like guides, tutorials, and facilitator support to ensure a rewarding experience.
Since the pandemic, Girls Who Code has provided free, downloadable computer science activities accessible to all. These activities vary in complexity and include both online and offline options. Not only this, each activity highlights the contributions of women in technology.
Location: University of California, San Diego, CA (Some courses offered virtually)
Cost: $175 - $450 per course; financial aid available (Based on last year’s costs)
Application Deadline: Tentatively May 31(Based on last year’s dates)
Program Dates: July 7 - July 25(Courses vary by week; one course per week)
Eligibility: Open to all middle and high school students
The Sally Ride Science Academy at UC San Diego offers a comprehensive STEAM education program tailored to students in grades 3-12. In the program, you will engage in topics like computer science, robotics, and entrepreneurship. The academy provides flexibility with both in-person and virtual options, allowing you to explore your interests in a format that suits them best.
Workshops are organized into weekly sessions, each focusing on practical applications in a specific discipline. For instance, computer science enthusiasts can dive into workshops like Android App Design, where they learn app development fundamentals, or Raspberry Pi, which introduces them to Python programming and hands-on hardware projects. These sessions emphasize project-based learning led by university instructors, fostering technical expertise and problem-solving skills.
Location: Oakland University, Rochester, MI
Cost: $425 (includes lunch)
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Program Dates: June 10 - 14
Eligibility: Open to all middle school students
Oakland University's Engineering Exploration summer camp offers an immersive, week-long experience ideal for middle school students with an interest in computer science. You will be introduced to coding through platforms like Scratch and Python, while also exploring many engineering disciplines, including industrial, mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering.
The curriculum integrates both traditional programming and GUI-based object-oriented programming, encouraging you to apply creativity in open-ended exercises. This hands-on learning opportunity provides a solid foundation in engineering and computer science, setting you up for success in high school and beyond.
Location: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
Cost: Varies based on the course
Application Deadline: TBA
Program Dates: June 23 - August 15(varies by camp)
Eligibility: Open to all middle school students
iD Tech partners with universities like Caltech and Harvard to offer a range of summer tech camps that dive deep into coding, game creation, robotics, and design for middle school students. The camps cover topics such as Java, C++, Python, Scratch and more. You’ll be learning in small classes (maximum 8 students per instructor), getting a taste of college life, enhancing your STEM knowledge, and making new connections.