10 Middle School Enrichment Activities
- Stephen Turban
- Oct 16
- 6 min read
Middle school students can benefit from participating in enrichment activities because they provide exposure to advanced academics and hands-on activities. You will understand the real-world applications of diverse subjects while interacting with experienced faculty and industry experts. This also allows you to build a network and work towards a career in the field of your interest.
If you are looking to enhance your knowledge through rigorous instruction and activities, we have compiled a list of 10 enrichment activities. These options are intensive and offered by prestigious institutions, making a valuable addition to your profile. So, you can get started on college-level academics while in middle school.
10 Middle School Enrichment Activities
Location: Virtual
Cost: 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 by cohort
Eligibility: Middle school students
Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program is an intensive and highly selective research program that allows middle school students to undertake advanced research and develop skills. You will benefit from 1-on-1 guidance from PhD mentors from top universities like Harvard, Columbia, and MIT. After choosing a subject of your choice, which can range anywhere from artificial intelligence to history, you will conduct original research. By the end of the 8-week program, you will have completed a research project. In addition to gaining specialized knowledge, you will learn to think critically, innovate, and approach theoretical and practical academic endeavors with independence.
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: July (summer session) and October – May (academic year session)
Application Deadline: April 15 (summer) and November 1 (academic year)
Eligibility: Students in grades 7–12 with an interest in medicine or related STEM fields; applicants should have at least an 80% average, particularly in math and science subjects
S-PREP by Columbia University is a preparatory program for middle school students who want to pursue medicine or STEM careers. The program aims to prepare you for advanced academics in math and science. You will take classes in Anatomy, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Brain & Cognitive Science, Ready for PreMed, Physics, Psychology, Algebra, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus and Statistics. The program also helps you prepare for the SAT in addition to providing career and college application guidance, field trips, and college tours. Participating in this program makes you eligible for other prestigious courses.
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 6–8
Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers is a virtual program that teaches middle school students the foundation of machine learning and artificial intelligence. With 25 hours of programming, you will learn numerous topics such as Python, data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. To ensure you are able to apply what you have learned, you will complete a project related to these topics. In previous years, students have 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: United States Military Academy, West Point, NY
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 2–6 (for 6th and 7th graders) | June 9–13 (for 8th and 9th graders)
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–9 who are U.S. citizens
The Center for Leader Development in STEM offers middle and high school students workshops in STEM subjects. Through these workshops, you will complete inquiry-based projects, develop problem-solving skills, enhance your knowledge, and take a step towards building a STEM career. Meals and tuition are covered by the program. In the past, students have participated in activities such as soldiering circuits, robotics, egg drop competition, fuel cell cars, mechanical circuits, fish biodiversity, water chemistry, data analytics, and bridge building. The week-long workshops are taught by academy faculty and USMA cadet mentors.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 7 – 11
Application Deadline: To be announced
Eligibility: Rising 8th and 9th graders
Students who want to explore engineering may benefit from this week-long summer experience. Rising 8th and 9th graders can apply for the Making & Engineering track. In this program, you will receive an introduction to different engineering disciplines and design. During the week, you will complete two projects. The first is a structured group project, and the second is an individual or small-group project to apply your creative skills. The program and projects aim to teach you creative problem-solving, critical thinking as well as design concepts.
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Cost/Stipend: $75. Full scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 7–14 per class
Dates: June 23 – July 30
Application Deadline: February 26
Eligibility: Middle school students enrolled in public or parochial schools in New Haven, CT
Ulysses S. Grant Foundation is a 6-week academic enrichment program held at Yale University and taught by Yale undergraduates. You will prepare for higher education by taking humanities classes and investigations in the morning and electives in the afternoon. The humanities courses teach art, writing, poetry, and philosophy, and the investigations classes cover topics such as biology, chemistry, finance, and architecture. For the electives, you can choose from How To Write A Pop Song, Letter Series, and Inventing A Language. The course also offers guest speaker sessions, field trips, and theme days.
Location: New York University, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: $100; waivers available for students who are economically eligible
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: Held on Saturdays throughout the semester
Application Deadline: To be announced
Eligibility: Students in grades 8–12 (7th graders may apply for the Academic Year cycle); must be New York residents with a B average in Math, Science, and English, and meet state-determined income criteria
STEP is a pre-college enrichment program in math and science. In this program, you will take morning enrichment classes in math topics like Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus AB, and Calculus BC. The afternoon electives impart hands-on techniques and interdisciplinary knowledge to introduce you to real-world opportunities in various subjects. College counselling and career development activities prepare you for a future in the subject of your choice. Similarly, supervised training arms you with practical research skills.
Location: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Cost: $400–$650; scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Weekly programs in June and July
Application Deadline: First come, first served basis
Eligibility: Rising 6th–8th graders
Offering one- and two-week immersive experiences, CEISMC Summer PEAKS delves into STEAM subjects. You will partake in hands-on activities that build your problem-solving skills and confidence in applying STEAM topics to real-world challenges. The courses are taught by a mixture of Georgia Tech faculty/staff, Georgia Tech students, and area science, technology, engineering, arts, and math teachers. You can choose from a wide range of workshops where you will be placed according to your grade band.
Location: Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks, CA
Cost: $525
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 16 – July 11
Application Deadline: June 1
Eligibility: 5th–8th graders
Notre Dame High School offers a 4-week enrichment program for middle school students to explore their interests in creative and academic endeavors. Courses are available in debate, filmmaking, and STEAM subjects. The filmmaking track teaches you the entire process of producing a film from pre-production and filming to editing. Similarly, the debate track allows you to learn how to construct your argument, communicate it, and defend it. Thus, through these enrichment programs, you will gain practical experience.
10. Penn GEMS
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: $650 (tentative); need-based financial assistance available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 22 – 26
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders with at least a B average
If you want to learn engineering, math, and science, you can apply for Penn GEMS. You will learn topics such as bioengineering, robotics, AI, materials science, and so on. The courses are taught by Penn faculty, researchers, and students. Interacting with Penn mentors and other participants allows you to build a network. Similarly, by completing challenging STEM projects, you will gain practical experience. You can expect to develop skills in teamwork, communication, and critical thinking. This program helps you determine whether a STEM career is suitable for you.
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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