10 Summer Computer Science Programs for Middle School Students in Boston
- Stephen Turban
- Jun 17
- 6 min read
Middle schoolers in Boston who want to delve into computer science can opt for summer programs. Such programs are often rigorous and challenging, preparing you for advanced academics in the subject. You can expect to meet and interact with professionals in the field who introduce you to various career pathways.
Furthermore, by collaborating with peers from diverse backgrounds, you can build teamwork and communication skills. In addition to broadening your knowledge, these programs provide a fun learning experience for you to make the most of your summer. Here are a few computer science summer programs in Boston to help you get started.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Dates: 8 weeks, varies by cohort
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8
If you want to enhance your knowledge of computer science by conducting hands-on research, you can apply for Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program. You are paired with PhD mentors from prestigious universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and Princeton, who are experts in computer science. 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. The program helps you build scientific communication skills through feedback and writing coaching sessions. You can opt for the Junior Research and Publication Program, where you can publish your research in academic journals.
2. dynaMIT
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: To be announced
Application Deadline: To be announced
Eligibility: Rising 6th – 9th grade students
Talented middle schoolers interested in science and technology can opt for dynaMIT. This program is designed and executed by MIT students. Aimed at cultivating an interest in engineering, this program is rigorous and challenging. MIT students mentor you throughout the program as you participate in hands-on experiments and activities. Although this is not a purely computer science program, you learn crucial skills relevant to various subjects in science and engineering.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Dates: 25 hours over 10 weeks (on weekends) during the spring cohort and 25 hours over 2 weeks (on weekdays) during the summer cohort.
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 – 8
Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers program is an interdisciplinary option for students interested in computer science and technology. Here, you learn the basics of AI and machine learning. The course covers a range of topics like Python, data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. The completion of the theoretical segment is followed by a practical project. This project must use technology to solve a real-world problem in a field of your choice. 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.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 12 per class
Location: Brooks School, North Andover, MA
Cost: Ranges from $750 per week – $937.50 per week
Dates: June 22 – July 1, July 6 – 17, July 20 – 31, or August 3 – 7
Application Deadline: First-come, first-served basis
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 – 11
This is a 2-week summer program for you to cultivate your skills and knowledge in various subjects of your choice. Each term offers different subjects, such as math, storytelling, fashion, history, biology, and more. Term IV delves into artificial intelligence, a growing field in computer science. You attend classes in 75-minute blocks, which cover your chosen topic in detail. You can pair these classes with afternoon Fine Arts studios that foster creativity. The small class size facilitates personalized attention to ensure your learning.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,365 – $1,420
Dates: June 17 – July 22 (Summer A) or July 13 – August 17 (Summer B)
Application Deadline: May 22 (Summer A) or June 8 (Summer B)
Eligibility: Students in grades 7 – 10 who meet CTY-level quantitative scores
Johns Hopkins’s CTY offers a range of programs for ambitious middle schoolers, including courses in computer science and related fields. This course introduces you to app-building using MIT App Inventor. You don’t need prior coding knowledge or experience. During the program, you design, test, and launch your own original app from start to finish. The course is designed as a blend of interactive discussions and practical activities. You learn to analyze problems, design algorithmic solutions, and troubleshoot coding errors using systematic debugging strategies. To build an app, you need to understand design features, media, and interactive elements for originality and user-centered design.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Virtual
Cost: $860
Dates: June 3 – August 14
Application Deadline: One week before the start date
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 – 12 who meet the Indigo-tier eligibility criteria
To solidify your interests in computer science, you can consider this machine learning program by Northwestern CTD. You learn how data scientists, prompt engineers, and roboticists train AI tools and smart devices to recognize patterns, make predictions, and take "intelligent" actions autonomously. The course covers data science from a machine-learning perspective. It delves into a range of topics such as neural networks, regression, classification, clustering, dimensionality reduction, and deep learning. Using the design cycle, you modify your own AI innovation to solve a real-world challenge.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Cost: $500 per week
Dates: July 13 – 17 or July 20 – 24
Application Deadline: First-come, first-served basis until June 12
Eligibility: Students in grades 5 – 7
TechSplorers is a STEM camp for middle schoolers. Here, you delve into a range of subjects, including computer coding, forensic science, kitchen chemistry, smart technology, and freshwater ecology. You work in small teams to confront and answer a complex question, challenge, or problem in computer science. The program is designed with hands-on activities that help you build practical skills. Through TechSplorers, you can expect to polish your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Online
Cost: $1,895; scholarships are available
Dates: Various sessions of different lengths are available
Application Deadline: Varies according to session
Eligibility: Students aged 13 and older
Artificial intelligence is a fast-growing domain in computer science. This program by Dartmouth helps you understand how AI is rapidly changing diverse fields while teaching hands-on coding skills. You learn to build, test, and refine your own AI interaction through professional no-code platforms. The program equips you with the ability to identify "hallucinations," hidden biases, and common failure points. For the capstone project, you create a functional AI demo, mockup, or interaction and provide a detailed written explanation about your process.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 6 per cohort
Location: Virtual
Cost: From $2,599
Dates: July 6 – 31
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students aged 11 – 18
Berkeley’s rigorous program imparts basic instruction in AI, data science, and coding, crucial topics in computer science. You begin by learning programming with Python, which prepares you to understand big data. As you progress through the program, you learn how to create data visualizations, build machine learning models, and apply AI in the real world. During lecture time, you learn new theoretical topics and techniques while maintaining a coding notebook. During cohort time, you work in small groups to complete practical projects. You also conduct original research in these cohorts. By the end of the program, you will have a portfolio of work and a certificate of completion.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Online
Cost: $1,895; scholarships are available
Dates: Various sessions of different lengths are available
Application Deadline: Varies according to session
Eligibility: Students aged 13 and older
This program introduces you to the security aspect of computer science. You learn how cyberspace evolved, how it opened the door for cyberattacks, and how the world of the dark web came to exist. Experts from the FBI and CISA talk about vulnerabilities that exist on the web, how they’re being exploited, and how cybersecurity experts analyze them. You also discover the impact and uses of AI in cybersecurity. For the final project, you either work on a simulated text or email thread or an infographic.
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.