10 Summer Academic Programs for Middle School Students in Chicago
- Lumiere Education
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Middle schoolers in Chicago who want to make the most of their summer can participate in academic programs. You can expand your knowledge in various subjects by completing challenging courses. The programs are typically led by experienced faculty and involve interactions with professionals, who provide insights into their career pathways.
In addition to academics, hands-on projects equip you with skills relevant for a career in your chosen field. Furthermore, you can meet with like-minded peers from diverse backgrounds. Here are some summer academic programs in Chicago for you to choose from.
10 Summer Academic Programs for Middle School Students in Chicago
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies; financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Highly selective
Dates: 8 weeks; varies by cohort
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8
If you are looking for a program that helps you conduct original research, you can consider Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program. Here, you are paired with PhD mentors from prestigious universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and Princeton, who are experts in their respective fields. By conducting research under their mentorship, you gain specialized knowledge. Throughout the program, you learn how to read and interpret academic literature, build research questions, and create outputs such as a high school-level research paper or case study, which enables you to build crucial skills. Feedback and writing coaching sessions help you develop scientific communication skills. You can opt for the Junior Research and Publication Program, where you can publish your research in academic journals.
Location: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Cost/Stipend: Progressive; based on family income
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Highly selective
Dates: June 29–July 4
Application Deadline: April 10
Eligibility: Students in grades 7–12 in the Chicago area and surrounding suburbs
The YSP is a mathematics program for talented middle schoolers. You delve into various math topics and concepts to develop your understanding of and skills in the subject. Each year has a different theme, and you attend classes according to your grade band. During the program, you attend two daily lecture-based classes as well as a small group discussion. To be selected you must not only be passionate about math but also have demonstrable affinity for the subject in the form of test scores or participation in competitions.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies; financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 25 hours over 10 weeks (weekend spring cohort) or 25 hours over 2 weeks (weekday summer cohort)
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8
Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers program is an interdisciplinary course for students curious about technology. The program provides foundational knowledge of AI and machine learning. The coursework introduces you to a variety of topics like Python, data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. Upon completing the theory, you apply your learnings to a practical project. This project must devise a technological solution for a real-world challenge in any field that intrigues you. In the past, students have built a machine-learning model to classify music genres and a machine-learning algorithm to provide a custom list of educational resources based on selected specifications.
Location: Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
Cost/Stipend: $500–$4,500
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Varies by program
Application Deadline: May 8
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8
This program offers a range of courses for middle and high school students. You benefit from hands-on learning and collaborative activities that help you build creative thinking and teamwork skills. Courses are available in different subjects. For example, students interested in business can opt for the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. Each course involves completing a project relevant to the subject. In addition, you can participate in campus activities.
Location: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Cost/Stipend: $570; scholarships available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: July 20–July 31
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8
The Summer Lab program helps you develop practical skills through engaging projects and activities. In the Al Gaming and Machine Learning track, you are introduced to AI and machine learning. The course covers topics like augmented reality, simulated learning and functions, and AI behaviors. Thereafter, you use these tools and knowledge to develop fast-paced interactive games. You explore your passions while developing independent thinking as well as teamwork skills. Outside the classroom, you go on field trips.
Location: Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 40 (tentative)
Dates: 3–4 weeks in summer
Application Deadline: April 15
Eligibility: Rising 7th–10th graders
Middle schoolers interested in nature and botany can opt for this program. This 3-week program involves hands-on activities, nature walks, and science experiments. Expert educators teach you about plants, animals, and the environment. Some of the activities you partake in include kayaking, building your own aquaponics system, and so on. Rising 9th and 10th graders can also conduct original scientific research and learn lab techniques.
Location: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Cost/Stipend: $3,025 (tuition) + $2,405 (residential fee) + $150 (lab fee)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Dates: June 28–July 17
Application Deadline: One week before start date
Eligibility: Students entering grades 6–8 who meet Indigo-tier criteria
Northwestern’s CTD offers a range of programs for gifted middle schoolers, including the Comparative Anatomy track. Here, you learn about and compare various species through hands-on activities. You also perform dissections. You study large and microscopic organisms and apply the methods to conduct original research. Through this program, you explore human bodies and the diseases that affect us. Completing this course prepares you for advanced topics in anatomy.
Location: School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Cost/Stipend: $1,300
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: July 27–August 7
Application Deadline: June 15
Eligibility: Middle school students aged 10–13
If you’re interested in architecture, you can opt for this camp at SAIC. In this program, you rediscover your environment and learn how human needs and behaviors shape architecture. You learn the methods used by architects to build their ideas as well as the structures, materials, and technologies that shape architecture. Hands-on activities include perspective drawing, drafting, model making, and using digital software programs to study Chicago’s architecture. You also go on field trips and sketching tours around the city in addition to examining the work of famous architects.
Location: Loyola Water Tower Campus, Chicago, IL
Cost/Stipend: $2,400 (non-MathCON Online Test participants) or $1,600 (MathCON Online Test participants)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Dates: June 15–19
Application Deadline: To be announced
Eligibility: Students in grades 7–12
This is an intensive one-week math camp for middle and high schoolers. Before attending the camp, you must have completed the online round. You encounter advanced math topics to enhance your knowledge and problem-solving skills. Some of the topics covered by the program are number theory, problem-solving, algebraic expression, geometry, and combinatorics. You also develop a different perspective regarding math. You also go on field trips and participate in extracurricular activities to make your summer memorable.
Location: Science and Arts Academy, Des Plaines, IL
Cost/Stipend: $625–$1,200
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: June 15–26 (Session 1) | June 29–July 10 (Session 2) | July 13–24 (Session 3)
Application Deadline: June 1
Eligibility: Students in grades 1–8
This is a summer enrichment camp for middle schoolers. You can expect to benefit from holistic learning that helps you develop in terms of intellectual, artistic, physical, social, emotional, and creative aspects. You can choose from a range of tracks in math, science, visual and performing arts, computer programming, specialty athletics, and more. In addition to enrichment classes in the morning, you partake in summer hands-on activities. Thus, you develop teamwork and leadership skills alongside enhancing your knowledge of different topics. Classes are grouped according to grade bands.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
Image Source - University of Chicago logo