10 Critical Thinking Programs for Middle School Students

In today’s fast-changing world, critical thinking is one of the most important skills students can develop early on. For middle schoolers, programs focused on critical thinking offer a unique opportunity to explore college-level learning environments, sharpen problem-solving skills, and gain practical exposure to decision-making, analysis, and creative reasoning. These experiences help you learn how to question assumptions, interpret information, and form logical conclusions, skills that prove invaluable across every academic and career path.

Beyond academics, such programs often include interactive workshops, team-based projects, and real-world case studies that build communication and collaboration skills. For those of you eager to take your curiosity further, exploring scholarship-backed or fully funded critical thinking programs can make this journey even more accessible. We’ve carefully curated a list of the top critical thinking programs for middle school students, each known for its rigorous curriculum, strong mentorship, selective admissions, and affiliation with prestigious institutions. 

1. Lumiere Junior Explorer Program (JEP)

Location: Online (Founded by Harvard and Oxford researchers; HQ – Wilmington, DE)

Cost: Varies; need-based financial aid available

Program Dates: 8 weeks (rolling cohorts throughout the year)

Application Deadline: Varies across different cohorts

Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8; open to motivated students globally interested in exploring academic research or writing.

The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program pairs middle school students with Ph.D. mentors from universities such as Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and Princeton to explore academic subjects and develop a written project. Across eight weeks, you’ll learn to read and interpret academic literature, build research questions, and create outputs such as a high school-level research paper or case study. You’ll receive individualized feedback through eight mentor sessions and two writing-coach sessions, ensuring you master both analytical and writing fundamentals. Research topics range from gene editing to behavioral economics. The program’s rigorous selection process and personalized mentorship make it one of the most competitive and enriching academic writing experiences available for middle school students. Lumiere also offers a Junior Research and Publication Program for students who wish to publish their research in academic journals.

2. Middle School Critical Thinking 1a: Introduction

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open-enrollment online program

Location: eDynamic Learning (Online; offered through Pearson Education Inc., Hoboken, NJ)

Cost: Varies by partner school or district; typically offered as part of digital course subscriptions.

Program Dates: Self-paced; offered year-round

Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment

Eligibility: Middle school students (Grades 6–8) with interest in logic, reasoning, or analytical problem-solving.

The Middle School Critical Thinking 1a: Introduction course introduces students to analytical reasoning through engaging, real-world scenarios. You’ll explore how to gather, evaluate, and apply information to make informed decisions across social, academic, and community contexts. The course emphasizes clarity, accuracy, and logical reasoning as core components of critical thought. Through interactive units like We’re On the Case! and Be the Change: Problem-Solving in Your Community, you will practice breaking down arguments, identifying biases, and communicating solutions. By the end of the course, you will develop a structured approach to problem-solving that blends creative inquiry with evidence-based reasoning, preparing you for more advanced coursework in logic, communication, or STEM disciplines.

3. Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers

Application deadline: Rolling deadlines.

Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8

Program dates: 25 hours over 10 weeks (on weekends) during the spring cohort and 25 hours over 2 weeks (on weekdays) during the summer cohort.

Fee: Varies

Financial assistance: Need-based financial aid is available 

The AI Trailblazers program by Veritas AI is a virtual program that teaches middle school students the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Over 25 hours, you will learn the basics of Python as well as topics like data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics.  Students learn through lectures and group sessions with a 5:1 student-to-mentor ratio. Previous projects done by students 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.

4. A+ Summer Middle School by Education Unlimited

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective academic enrichment program; exact cohort size not published

Location: Multiple U.S. campuses and online options (Education Unlimited, Berkeley, CA)

Cost: Varies by location and session

Program Dates: Summer sessions (specific 2026 dates to be announced)

Application Deadline: Rolling until seats are filled

Eligibility: Rising 6th–8th grade students with strong academic performance (typically A’s and B’s)

The A+ Summer Middle School program introduces you to interdisciplinary learning that sharpens critical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. Each year’s theme blends storytelling, science, and logic — the Mystery Summer edition immerses you in detective fiction and forensics-based investigation. You will read classic works by Agatha Christie, Edgar Allan Poe, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, applying deductive logic, evidence analysis, and creative reasoning to craft your own mystery stories. In science labs, you will explore crime scene forensics, practicing fingerprinting, blood typing, and code-breaking. Daily brain challenge tournaments further strengthen analytical reasoning, teamwork, and resilience, making this program ideal for ambitious learners who enjoy blending logic with creativity.

5. Bright Thinker – Middle School Curriculum

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open-enrollment; school and homeschool options available

Location: Bright Thinker, Dallas, TX (Online and blended formats available)

Cost: Varies by school or subscription; available through accredited partner institutions and homeschool programs

Program Dates: Year-round access; pacing set by school or student schedule

Application Deadline: Rolling admissions

Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8; available to both school-enrolled and homeschool learners

Bright Thinker’s Middle School Curriculum combines academic rigor with real-world reasoning to strengthen critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration across core subjects. You will engage with interactive modules, inquiry-based STEM projects, and diagnostic tools that adapt learning to individual strengths. The program’s STEAM-aligned framework and home science kits allow you to apply classroom concepts through hands-on experiments, reinforcing logical reasoning and curiosity. With emphasis on evidence-based analysis, reflective questioning, and skill-building across math, language arts, and science, Bright Thinker provides a comprehensive foundation for advanced critical and creative thinking.

6. M/J Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Learning Strategies – Florida Virtual School (FLVS)

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open-enrollment online course

Location: Florida Virtual School (Online)

Cost: Varies by enrollment (Florida public school students typically at no additional cost; FLVS Global/out-of-state tuition applies)

Program Dates: Two segments over 32–36 weeks; multiple start dates (earliest start in October)

Application Deadline: Rolling; courses subject to availability

Eligibility: Recommended for 7th–8th grade students

This semestered, for-credit FLVS course builds practical critical-thinking through structured work on argumentation, evidence use, and problem-solving across ELA, math, and science contexts. Through the course, you will practice time management, goal-setting, and study design while analyzing texts, evaluating sources, and presenting claims with supporting evidence. YOu will apply scientific inquiry (variables, procedures, data interpretation) and mathematical reasoning (constructing and critiquing arguments) to real-world tasks. The syllabus emphasizes precision, logic, and metacognitive strategies where you learn to plan, monitor, and evaluate your own thinking. By the end, learners can translate strategies like mind-mapping, note-taking frameworks, and source validation into better performance across subjects and everyday decision-making.

7. CodeWizardsHQ – Critical Thinking Through Coding

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open-enrollment, small live cohorts (8–12 students per class)

Location: CodeWizardsHQ, Online (based in Austin, TX)

Cost: Varies by course; financial aid and scholarships available

Program Dates: Ongoing; multiple cohorts offered across fall, spring, and summer sessions

Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until classes fill

Eligibility: Students ages 8–18; separate elementary, middle, and high school tracks

CodeWizardsHQ integrates critical thinking and problem-solving into its live, instructor-led coding curriculum for middle school students. Each cohort works on progressively challenging projects like building games, apps, and websites using Python, HTML/CSS, or JavaScript, while applying logical reasoning and analytical thinking to each task. You learn to deconstruct complex problems, evaluate alternative solutions, and iterate through trial and error, fostering resilience and creativity. Collaboration through live group coding sessions and feedback from professional developers enhances communication and reasoning skills. By combining real-world programming challenges with guided mentorship, the program builds your ability to think systematically and make evidence-based decisions, core traits of strong critical thinkers.

8. William & Mary – Camp Launch

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; exact cohort size not published

Location: Williamsburg, Virginia

Cost: Free (fully funded for selected students)

Program Dates: July (two-week residential program)

Application Deadline: Typically February

Eligibility: Gifted students entering grades 7–8 from all socioeconomic backgrounds

Camp Launch, hosted by the Center for Gifted Education at William & Mary, is a residential summer program designed to expand middle schoolers’ critical thinking, writing, and STEM abilities. You will participate in courses such as Scientific Reasoning, Writing and Rhetoric, Ethics, and Leadership, combining classroom learning with applied research, debate, and problem-solving activities. Faculty-led sessions emphasize evidence-based reasoning and reflection, helping you learn how to analyze data, construct logical arguments, and collaborate effectively. By integrating advanced academics with leadership and professional development modules, Camp Launch equips you with higher-order thinking and decision-making skills that extend well beyond the classroom.

9. Pathways to Empower – Middle School: Learning to Thrive

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open-enrollment (school or classroom adoption program)

Location: Available nationwide (online and classroom-based via Kendall Hunt Publishing)

Cost: Paid (school or individual licenses available)

Program Dates: Year-round; flexible for middle school schedules

Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment

Eligibility: Middle school students (grades 6–8); implemented by teachers or schools

Developed by the Mental Health Literacy Collaborative and distributed by Kendall Hunt Publishing, Pathways to Empower helps middle schoolers strengthen critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and resilience through neuroscience-based learning. The curriculum integrates four structured modules - Neuroscience 101, The Resilient Mindset Model™, Brain-Based Relationships, and Mental Health Literacy - to teach you how to analyze challenges, evaluate evidence, and make thoughtful decisions. You also engage with interactive visuals and character-based brain models that simplify cognitive concepts. By connecting scientific reasoning with practical life skills, the program equips you to think critically about your emotions, behaviors, and relationships, laying the foundation for mindful, evidence-driven problem-solving.

10. ARISE Foundation – Middle School Life Skills Curriculum

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open-enrollment (used by schools, youth programs, and community organizations)

Location: Available nationwide and online (U.S.-based)

Cost: Paid (individual workbooks and instructor manuals available; volume packages for schools)

Program Dates: Year-round; flexible, lesson-based format

Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment

Eligibility: Designed for middle school students ages 11–14, particularly those in at-risk or transitional learning environments

The ARISE Middle School Life Skills Curriculum is a comprehensive, evidence-based program focused on developing critical thinking, emotional regulation, and problem-solving in young learners. The curriculum spans multiple themed volumes, including Anger, Conflict and Drugs, Learning Strategies, Self-Esteem and More, and Healthy Life Choices, each combining guided lessons, reflection exercises, and role-play activities. You learn to evaluate decisions, manage stress, communicate effectively, and apply reasoning to everyday social and academic challenges. Additional modules cover environmental awareness, dropout prevention, and mental well-being, encouraging you to think critically about your actions and community roles. Through structured discussion, analysis, and practice, ARISE equips you with lifelong cognitive and social-emotional skills essential for independent, responsible decision-making.

One more option—The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program

The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is a program for middle school students to work one-on-one with a mentor to explore their academic interests and build a project they are passionate about. Our mentors are scholars from top research universities such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Duke, and LSE.

The program was founded by a Harvard & Oxford PhD who met as undergraduates at Harvard. The program is rigorous and fully virtual. We offer need-based financial aid for students who qualify. You can find the application in the brochure! To learn more, you can reach out to our Director, Dhruva, at dhruva.bhat@lumiere.education, or go to our website.

Multiple rolling deadlines for JEP cohorts across the year, you can apply using this application link! If you'd like to take a look at the upcoming cohorts + deadlines, you can refer to this page!

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 - Lumiere Education logo