7 Best History Programs for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Oct 26
- 5 min read
If you are a middle schooler with a passion for history, you can consider participating in history programs to enhance your knowledge. Covering a range of topics, these programs allow you to delve deeper into the subject and prepare for college-level academics. Participating in such programs provides an opportunity to meet and interact with professionals in the field, thereby helping you form a network.
Completing history programs boosts your profile and demonstrates your desire to learn. You will gain valuable hands-on skills that can be applied to a career in the field. We have compiled a list of the best history programs that you can participate in.
7 Best History Programs for Middle School Students
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies; financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 8 weeks starting June 2 (Summer Cohort I) or July 14 (Summer Cohort II)
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort
Eligibility: Middle school students
An intensive and selective program like the Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is a solid option for you to learn about history. This program encourages you to complete an independent research project in a field of your choice and develop practical research skills. PhD mentors, who are from PhD mentors from top universities like Harvard, Columbia, and MIT, provide 1-on-1 guidance as you conduct research. The 8-week program provides you with specialized knowledge, and by the end, you will have a complete research project.
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: Fully funded
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 3 weeks in July and fall semester from mid-August–December
Application Deadline: March 20
Eligibility: Low-income students in grades 6 or 7 who reside in and attend school in the U.S., with a family income of less than $90,000.
Stanford University’s SMSSP is a rigorous online program. You can choose from several subjects, and students interested in history can opt for the History through Graphic Novels track. In this track, you will learn three pivotal moments in 20th-century U.S. history through graphic novels. These three moments are about the Holocaust, Japanese internment camps during World War II, and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. After completing the summer programming with classroom instruction online, you will attend weekly meetings in the fall semester. The program also provides high school and college counselling, support with academic writing, and guidance for further academic opportunities and selective programs.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies; financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
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 is an intensive virtual program for middle school students. The program helps you build a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence and machine learning. In 25 hours of programming, you will learn diverse topics such as Python, data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. In the practical component where you apply your learnings to develop a project, you can explore how AI and ML can be used in history studies. Thus, as an interdisciplinary program, you will develop skills in AI as well as history. Students have previously built a machine-learning model to classify music genres and created a machine-learning algorithm to provide a custom list of educational resources based on selected specifications.
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: $700; financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Limited spots
Dates: January 21 – March 18
Application Deadline: One week before the start date
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 – 12 who meet the Indigo tier-level requirements as specified here
Northwestern’s CTD offers a range of courses for middle and high school students. The Red, Brown, Green, and Blue: A Sociological Study of Chicago’s CTA track is a sociology-based course but involves a study of history as well. Here, you will learn about how Chicago developed since 1982 by studying about the elevated trains that connected diverse communities. Critically examining public policies, political incentives, and urban planning teaches you about how the city was shaped and the impact of policy. The sessions are held live, and you can expect to complete 6 – 8 hours of coursework each week.
Location: Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA, or UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
Cost: Pennsylvania: $7,259 (residential) or $6,459 (commuter) | California: $7,501 (residential) or $6,701 (commuter). Financial aid is available.
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 16–18 students per session
Dates: Session 1: June 22 – July 11 (Pennsylvania) or June 29 – July 18 (California) | Session 2: July 20 – August 8 (California)
Application Deadline: To be announced; registration opens in January
Eligibility: Students in grades 7–11 with CTY-level verbal scores
This residential program blends history with law. You will learn about landmark cases in U.S. history that had a significant impact on society. Some of these historical cases include Marbury v. Madison, Lochner v. New York, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, and so on. You will understand civil rights, due process, and the power of the government within a historical context. During the program, you will participate in debates and simulations as well as complete group projects and individual research. You will learn to critique some of the most important legal decisions in U.S. history.
Location: Remote; National Event held at the University of Maryland, MD
Cost/Stipend: Varies by contest; scholarships and monetary prizes may be available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified; around 3,000 participants at the National Event
Dates: Varies by competition
Application Deadline: Varies by competition
Eligibility: Open to all students
The National History Day Contest invites students to complete a history research project. You will submit a project related to the annual theme. One such theme is Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History. The project can be in the form of a paper, performance, documentary, exhibit, or website. Based on feedback from the judges, you can revise and refine the research project as the selected projects advance through the divisions. The top two entries from each category are invited to the National Contest. Winners receive awards, such as certificates, medals, scholarships, or even monetary awards. You can expect to build skills in communication, project management, and historical thinking.
Location: Regional tournaments vary depending on the event. The National Championship is held at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, Orlando, FL.
Cost: $50 for regionals
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Regionals are held both online and in person from October to May; National Championships take place May 22–24
Application Deadline: Depends on the tournament
Eligibility: Students in 8th grade and younger
The History Bee is a quiz competition that tests your knowledge of the history of all eras and all parts of the world. After completing a qualifying exam, you will compete in regional history bees. If you are among the top participants, you will compete at the national level held in Florida. Study guides are provided in advance to help you prepare. Competing at nationals also opens up the possibility of participating at the International History Olympiad. Thus, this competition helps you build your knowledge of history in a competitive setting.
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.
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