10 History Summer Programs for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 41 minutes ago
- 6 min read
History is more than a study of past events; it helps understand the world as it is today. If you are a middle schooler interested in these facets, you could consider pursuing a history summer program. Offering a rigorous curriculum alongside hands-on activities, you can expand your knowledge of history.
These programs also allow you to interact and network with professionals in the field. Thus, in addition to field-specific skills, you can develop communication and problem-solving skills. Here are 10 programs for you to explore.
10 History Summer Programs for Middle School Students
Location: Virtual
Cost: 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 to 8
If you are looking to conduct research in history, Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program may be a suitable option. The program pairs you with PhD mentors from prestigious universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and Princeton, who are specialists in history and related fields. During the program, you learn to read and interpret academic literature, build research questions, and create outputs such as a high school-level research paper or case study, thereby building crucial research skills. Through feedback and writing coaching sessions, you polish your scientific communication skills. You can publish your research in academic journals by opting for the Junior Research and Publication Program.
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: Fully funded
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 6 to July 24 for summer. August 26 to December 9 for fall
Application Deadline: March 25
Eligibility: Low income students in grades 6 or 7 who live in and attend school in the U.S. Family income below $90,000
Ambitious middle schoolers looking for a rigorous program may opt for SMSSP, which is held online in the summer and fall. During the summer, you attend live interactive classes led by Stanford faculty. In the fall, you participate in weekly debates and discussions related to your chosen track. From the various available tracks, students interested in history can consider History through Graphic Novels. Through graphic novels, you explore two landmark moments in US history: Japanese internment camps during World War II and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. You partake in textual analysis, reflective writing, and discussions to develop critical thinking. The program also provides support for applying to other prestigious programs.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies. Financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 25 hours over 10 weeks on weekends during the spring cohort. 25 hours over 2 weeks on weekdays during the summer cohort
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8
Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers is a program for you to combine your interest in history with technology. The program provides a basic understanding of AI and machine learning. You explore a range of topics such as Python, data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. After completing the theoretical part of the program, you apply your learnings to a practical project. This project must solve a real-world problem in history using technology. 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: American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
Cost: $1,300. Financial assistance available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Varies by track. Week long sessions in July
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8
The American Museum of Natural History offers the Science Alliance Program for middle schoolers. With a range of tracks to choose from, you can explore history from various perspectives. For instance, in the Neanderthals: Life in the Ice Age track, you learn about how neanderthals lived, who they were, and why they disappeared. You examine fossils, build stone tools, and examine DNA. All tracks enable you to think like scientists through hands-on activities. Programs are available throughout the year.
Location: Remote. National Event held at the University of Maryland, MD
Cost/Stipend: Varies by contest. Scholarships and monetary prizes available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified. About 3,000 participants at the National Event
Dates: Varies by competition
Application Deadline: Varies by competition
Eligibility: All students
This is a contest that invites you to conduct history research. You submit a research project according to the annual theme. As you advance through the rounds, you can revise and refine your research according to feedback. Your project can be in the form of a research paper, performance, documentary, exhibit, or website. If you make it to the top two entries at the affiliate contests, you will be invited to the National Event. Winners may receive certificates, medals, trophies, special topic-related prizes, scholarships, or monetary awards.
Location: Regional tournaments vary by event. National Championship held at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, Orlando, FL
Cost: $50 for regional tournaments
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Approximately 60 percent qualify for regionals
Dates: Regional tournaments held online and in person throughout the year. National Championships run May 22 to May 24
Application Deadline: ORQE remains available until registration closes for the final regional tournaments
Eligibility: Students in 8th grade and younger. No minimum age limit
This quiz competition tests your knowledge of history from around the world. After completing the regional qualifying examination, you move on to the regional tournaments, where you compete with other teams. If you progress, you make it to the nationals held in Orlando. In addition to the competition, you can participate in other events, talks, and receptions. The format may vary according to the level. You can also qualify for the International History Olympiad.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specifiedLocation: Bloomington, ILCost: To be announcedDates: 5-day camp; specific dates to be announcedApplication Deadline: Varies by sessionEligibility: Students in grades 5 – 7
This 5-day camp focuses on science and history. Here, you can discover and explore various careers in history. The camp is led by museum staff and field specialists. During the camp, you study architecture, analyze archaeological artefacts, explore museum studies, and learn about preservation. You also go on field trips that involve archaeological digs. Thus, the camp blends theory with hands-on activities to provide holistic learning.
Location: Online
Cost: $700. Scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 10 to August 12
Application Deadline: One week before the start date
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8 who meet the Emerald tier eligibility criteria
This 9-week course teaches you the interplay of geography and history. You explore ancient civilizations from around the world. You will study ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece, and Rome. The program allows you to learn about their innovations, governments, and cultures. Practical activities involve map explorations, interactive projects, building ancient structures, and more. Thus, you gain an in-depth understanding of the impact of the past on the contemporary world.
Location: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Cost: $1,005 plus $825 residential fee. Scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 26 to July 31
Application Deadline: One week before the start date
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8 who meet the Emerald tier eligibility criteria
This program by Northwestern CTD delves into Chicago’s haunted history. You explore various questions such as whether the Couch Mausoleum holds a vampire, what happened in H.H. Holmes's Castle, and more. You examine the history of Chicago from a supernatural lens to understand why there are so many believers. These analyses are from a critical perspective that enable you to question and seek answers. As part of the program, you also create your own supernatural story about one of Chicago's landmarks.
Location: Gilman School, Baltimore, MD
Cost: $3,212
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 16 to 18 students
Dates: June 28 to July 17
Application Deadline: May 11
Eligibility: Students in grades 7 to 8 with CTY level verbal scores
Johns Hopkins CTY’s program takes a legal approach to history. In this program, you examine the landmark cases that shaped American legal and social thinking. Some of the cases you study are Marbury v. Madison, Lochner v. New York, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, and more recent cases like Roe v. Wade and Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Clinic, and so on. Through this historical analysis, you gain an understanding of civil rights, due process, and the power and limit of the government within their historical, political, and social contexts. You engage in debate and discussion, group projects, simulations, and individual research, thereby building critical thinking, persuasive writing, and research skills.
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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