15 Best Summer Camps for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 57 minutes ago
- 10 min read
As a middle school student, summer camps can be a great way to add to your classroom learning over the school break and build new skills beyond the standard curriculum. These camps can introduce you to advanced high school and college topics, university life, and valuable connections with students and mentors. They also encourage you to explore your interests in a structured but fun environment that supports your academic and personal growth.
What makes a camp different from other programs?
Unlike longer pre-college programs, camps are usually shorter, focused on a single subject, and often encourage teamwork and creativity. You might take part in academic workshops, creative projects, or team-based activities that help you think critically and apply what you learn in new ways. Some camps even include field trips or guest speakers, giving you a glimpse into future careers and experiences. Opting for selective camps offered by organizations and universities can help you challenge yourself and gain valuable experiences.
In this blog, we have identified the 15 best summer camps for middle school students.
If you are interested in STEM summer camps, check out our blog here.
15 Best Summer Camps for Middle School Students
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type; full financial aid offered
Dates: Eight weeks in the summer; dates vary
Application deadline: Rolling deadlines for each cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 – 8
Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program is a camp-like, eight-week research-focused opportunity for middle school students. Under the 1-on-1 guidance of a PhD-level mentor, you will complete a deep dive into a field of your choosing, with options ranging across STEM, social science, and arts fields. You will start by studying a series of specialized topics in the field, then use your newfound knowledge to design and execute a research project of your own. You will also learn about new developments in the chosen track and work with real-world data to complete an academic paper or an advanced project by the end of the program.
Location: United States Military Academy, West Point, NY
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 1 – 6
Application deadline: February 13
Eligibility: 6th and 7th graders who are U.S. citizens
West Point offers a free, week-long summer camp that brings middle school students to campus for educational programming and hands-on STEM activities. You will live in West Point barracks, learn about student life at the U.S. Military Academy, and be mentored by current cadets on discerning your plans. You will also take part in activities like designing bridges, soldering circuits, analyzing data, and building robots under the instruction of West Point professors. Outside of hands-on projects, you will attend educational STEM workshops focused on high school preparation.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: 25 hours over two weeks in the summer
Application deadline: May/June deadlines for summer cohorts
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 – 8
The AI Trailblazers run by Veritas AI is a virtual program that allows middle school students to learn about the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Over 25 hours, you will gain insights into the basics of Python as well as topics like regression, image classification, data analysis, neural networks, and AI ethics. You will learn through lectures and group sessions following a 5:1 student-to-mentor ratio. You will also work on an AI-focused project. Previous student projects have included building a machine-learning model to classify music genres and creating a machine-learning algorithm to provide a custom list of educational resources based on selected specifications.
Location: USC Main Campus, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 32 students/ year
Dates: July 14 – 25
Application deadline: May 5
Eligibility: Rising 6-8th-grade students who have at least a B average in STEM courses
Hosted by one of the largest aerospace and defence companies in the world, Northrop Grumman, this Summer Engineering Camp at UC is a fully funded program for middle schoolers interested in exploring engineering careers. You will explore primary engineering fields like mechanical, aerospace, civil, and electrical engineering, and apply your knowledge to activities like building rockets and circuits, coding robots, and programming apps. The camp offers opportunities to network with Northrop Grumman engineers, who will share guidance on exploring careers in engineering and defense. You will also engage in workshops covering coding and engineering basics, as well as tours of USC research facilities. At the end of the camp, you will participate in a team-based design showcase and receive feedback from industry professionals.
5. MIT dynaMIT
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Small cohorts each year
Dates: Mid – late August; two separate week-long sessions for rising 6th–7th graders and rising 8th–9th graders
Application deadline: February 10 (tentative)
Eligibility: Massachusetts students entering grades 6–9; students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds lacking access to STEM enrichment programs are encouraged to apply.
MIT’s dynaMIT program is a one-week summer camp for middle school students focused on interdisciplinary STEM education through project-based learning. Here, you will work with MIT undergraduate and graduate student mentors engaging in STEM activities and group-based experiments across fields like materials science, electricity, magnetism, and forensics. In the past, the program has offered activities like exploring diseases, investigating fingerprints in mock crime cases, and working with Arduino microcontrollers. With support from mentors, you will create and complete projects and gain insights into STEM fields.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost: None
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: July 14 – 18
Application deadline: Typically, in May; dates TBA
Eligibility: Rising 8th and 9th graders
SEE offers a one-week engineering-focused camp designed for middle school students with an interest in math and science. Focusing on the theme of "Making & Engineering," the camp introduces you to engineering disciplines and foundational design principles. You will engage in two projects: a group-based week-long assignment and a smaller group-based project focused on creativity and innovation using commonly available materials. Through these activities and supplemental educational sessions, you will work on building critical thinking, problem-solving, and design skills.
Location: The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Cost: None
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: July 7 – 11
Application deadline: March 30
Eligibility: Students who will be entering grades 7 – 9 and are enrolled in schools within the State of Ohio
The Ohio State University’s Translational Data Analytics Institute offers a free program for middle school students to explore the field of data science and analytics. Here, you will learn about the scientific methods used to extract insights from data and how these skills can be applied to healthcare, urban planning, education, and business. Over the course of five days, you will work within teams alongside mentors to refine analytical and problem-solving skills, engage with researchers and professionals in data science, and gain hands-on experience in data analysis. The program also offers access to discussions on academic and career pathways, with opportunities to interact with college students in related fields.
Location: Oak Ridge, TN
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 26 students/session
Dates: One week in July
Application deadline: December 3
Eligibility: Middle school students living and attending school in the Appalachian region and holding U.S. citizenship
The Middle School Appalachian STEM Academy is a fully-funded one-week summer camp for Appalachian middle school students with an interest in STEM. You’ll complete small-group collaborative research projects in science, engineering, and design, with potential focuses in AI, city planning, and 3D Printing. Throughout the camp, you’ll learn and apply skills including digital simulation, data visualization, hands-on design, data analysis, and drawing connections between small-scale experimental results to larger questions in the field. For your final project, you’ll design an entrepreneurial STEM project to address a real-world problem in Appalachian communities.
Location: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Cost/Stipend: Sliding scale based on family income; ranges from full scholarship to $1,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: June 30 – July 25
Application deadline: April 11
Eligibility: Students in grades 7 and 8 who are residents of Chicago, the surrounding suburbs, or Northwest Indiana; high school cohorts are also available.
UChicago’s Young Scholars Program offers three weeks of high-level mathematics education, with a rotating focus on either number theory or geometry. Every day of the program, you will attend two classes taught by UChicago faculty members, followed by a breakout session led by UChicago Math students practicing putting your skills into action. As a small, selective program, it offers coursework that is customized each year to students’ interests and abilities. You will also undertake research projects throughout the camp, where you will apply math and computer science skills to real-world questions in STEM. Older students—including former middle school participants—are eligible to apply for the more advanced high school cohort.
Location: Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
Cost: $2,200; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 60 students/year; acceptance rate under 20%
Dates: June 7 – 19
Application deadline: Rolling admissions beginning in January
Eligibility: Current middle school students
The Mathworks Junior Summer Math Camp is an opportunity for middle schoolers with advanced skills in math to broaden their quantitative skills and learn about applications of math to other STEM disciplines and future careers. You’ll study high-level mathematics concepts, including Advanced Algebra, Probability, Combinatorics, Mass-Point Geometry, and Number Theory under the instruction of university professors. Your study will emphasize hands-on work, shaping your abilities in creative problem-solving techniques and critical thinking. You’ll be mentored by faculty in exploring future opportunities in math, including college majors, advanced high school courses, and mathematics-focused study in science and engineering. Outside of your work, you’ll attend collaborative study sessions, fun activities, and field trips.
11. Penn GEMS
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $650 based on past year
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 22 to 26
Application deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders living within 60 miles of UPenn with a minimum B average
GEMS is a week-long engineering-focused summer camp for middle school students hosted by the University of Pennsylvania. Here, you will focus on a different science and engineering concept each day; past offerings included studying structural engineering in response to earthquakes, extracting DNA from fruit, building catapults, and learning coding skills for animation. You will participate in lab sessions and group activities. You will also learn about life at an Ivy League university and plan for your future by networking with current UPenn students, who will offer mentorship and insights into engineering pathways.
Location: Online or at Bryn Mawr College, Philadelphia, PA; St. Edward’s University, Austin, TX; University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
Cost: Depends on program; ranges from $600–$5,695; financial assistance available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 30–300 students, depending on the camp; 1:4/5 faculty to student ratio
Dates: July 21 – August 1 (LD Online) | June 30 – July 11 (PF Online) | July 13 – August 2 (LD Flagship) | June 29 – July 12 (LD Philadelphia & Austin; PF Philadelphia 1 & Austin) | July 13 – 26 (PF Philadelphia 2)
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 – 12
The National Symposium for Debate offers summer camps for middle schoolers who are active on their school’s debate team or looking to get a head start on high school competitions. You will choose to focus on either Public Forum (PF) or Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debate formats and be placed in a small, skill-matched “lab” group. You will undergo training led by debate coaches and former nationally-ranked debaters. You will participate in rigorous training and practice sessions each day, including workshops on research and case writing, argumentation and rhetoric skills, and rebuttals and cross-examination. You will also complete daily practice rounds to apply your skills in a competition-style setting. At the end of the camp, you will compete in a final tournament focused on the upcoming resolution for the beginning of the debate season.
13. SigmaCamp
Location: Silver Lake Camp and Conference Center, Sharon, CT
Cost: $1,850; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; ~40-50 students from around the world
Dates: August 2 – 9
Application deadline: April 15
Eligibility: Middle and high school students, ages 12–16
SigmaCamp, run by a nonprofit, is an advanced STEM-focused summer camp for middle school students, where you will learn from faculty and researchers from top universities, including Princeton, Yale, and MIT. You will explore topics across computer science, chemistry, theoretical physics, and engineering through daily lectures and “Semilabs”, which combine laboratory experiments with seminar discussions. After lessons end for the day, you will participate in academic and extracurricular activities, with options ranging from glassblowing to chess to sports. You will also participate in the Sigma Tournament, a problem-solving competition drawing from disciplines from Linguistics to Biology. The program also offers opportunities like leading an Experiment of the Day and teaching a workshop at the Junior Instructor Challenge.
Location: Interlochen Center for the Arts, Interlochen, MI
Cost: $7,265 (three weeks) | $10,350 (six weeks); financial aid offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size varies by track, but strong proficiency in the specific art field is expected for each camp
Dates: Multiple three- and six-week camps available in June – August
Application deadline: January 15
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 – 8; each camp comes with rigorous portfolio requirements.
Interlochen’s Art Camps are summer camps designed for middle school students with advanced skills in arts, music, and writing. You will apply to a camp in your area of specialization, where you will attend workshops, masterclasses, one-on-one lessons, and guest lectures from professionals in the chosen field. Music camps focus on helping you build classical performance skills, undergo instrument training, or explore ensemble performance through tracks like Jazz Performance & Improvisation or Advanced Strings. If you are looking to hone your writing skills, the multi-genre Creative Writing camp blends training in playwriting, poetry, and fiction. Interlochen also offers unique options in disciplines rarely represented in standard arts camps, with options including Fashion, Animation, and Theater Design & Production. All camps include performance opportunities, ranging from poetry readings to concerts to full-length play performances.
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: Fully-funded
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 12 students/year
Dates: July 6 – 24 + additional weekly meetings from August 26 – December 9
Application deadline: March 25
Eligibility: Low-income students in grades 6 and 7 in the U.S.; typically, accepted students’ family income is below $90,000/year (on average, ~$55,000/year).
The Stanford Middle School Scholars program is an advanced academic program for economically disadvantaged middle school students, centered around an intensive summer camp learning experience. Here, you will spend three weeks during the summer taking a specialized course; recent options included Democracy and Dissent, History Through Graphic Novels, and Real-Life Applications to Mathematics. You will focus on building advanced academic skills through studying topics like applying philosophy to historical analysis, the development of mathematics over history, and political theory. During the school year, you will connect weekly with instructors to focus on academic planning, which comes with support for applying to Stanford Online High School and other competitive high schools.
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 in which students work one-on-one with a mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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