15 Online Writing Programs for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Sep 19
- 9 min read
Updated: Oct 13
If you're in middle school and want to develop your writing skills, online programs offer a flexible and effective option. Online writing programs allow you to build advanced academic and practical skills while also strengthening important habits like communication, organization, and creative thinking.
Since these programs are online, they’re often more affordable than in-person camps or workshops and remove the barrier of travel, making them accessible to a wider range of students. Whether the focus is on creative writing, journalism, or essay development, these experiences help young writers connect their interests with future opportunities in school and beyond.
To make the search easier, we’ve narrowed down a list of 15 online writing programs for middle school students, focusing on those that offer a mix of strong mentorship, structured curriculum, and a platform for young writers to grow and share their work.
15 Online Writing Programs for Middle School Students
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type (Need-based financial aid available)
Dates: This is an 8-week program with a spring cohort in March and a summer cohort in June
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year, you can apply using this application link
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8 are eligible
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program gives middle school students the opportunity to work one-on-one with mentors from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford while developing skills in research and academic writing. Over eight weeks, students explore different topics in fields like AI, biology, or astrophysics before selecting one focus area to develop into a high school-level project. Weekly sessions guide students through the process of refining a research question, organizing evidence, and presenting their findings clearly. The program emphasizes not only building subject knowledge but also learning how to communicate ideas in writing, a key part of scholarly work. By the end, students produce a portfolio-ready project that demonstrates both rigorous inquiry and strong writing practice. Need-based financial aid is available for qualifying students.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type
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
The AI Trailblazers program by Veritas AI is a virtual course designed for middle school students to explore artificial intelligence while building academic writing skills through structured projects. You will begin with the basics of Python and progress to concepts like data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. With a 5:1 student-to-mentor ratio, participants receive personalized guidance in both coding and documenting their work. Projects completed in past cohorts include building a machine-learning model to classify music genres or creating an algorithm that generates custom educational resources. Alongside coding, you will practice writing clear explanations of the process and results, mirroring the style of academic research. This dual focus helps students strengthen both technical and communication skills early in their learning journey.
Location: Virtual
Cost: No cost
Dates: July 7 – July 25, with weekly meetings August through March
Application Deadline: March 20
Eligibility: Students from low-income backgrounds currently in grades 6 or 7 who reside in and attend school in the United States
The Stanford Middle School Scholars Program (SMSSP) is a free, online summer program designed to help middle school students enhance their academic writing and math skills in preparation for high school. Over three weeks, you will attend live classes with Stanford Online High School instructors while participating in workshops and community activities that support overall growth. A major focus is writing, where you practice organizing ideas, developing arguments, and communicating clearly in academic formats. After the summer, the fall component continues with weekly one-hour sessions that cover academic writing, math enrichment, and guidance on navigating high school options. Alongside skill-building, you gain exposure to a supportive community of peers, instructors, and families who work together to support your success.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $650
Dates: July 14 – July 25
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students in grades 5–8
The UCLA Writing Project offers two online writing workshops for middle school students, tailored by grade level. For 5th and 6th graders, the program focuses on creative expression through short stories, personal reflections, and dialogue practice, culminating in the publication of selected pieces in a class anthology. Students in 7th and 8th grade explore environmental themes by engaging with a variety of texts and creating personal narratives that connect to the natural world. As a participant, you will also develop persuasive skills by writing argumentative essays that address ecological issues and propose solutions. Across both courses, students gain practice in storytelling, critical thinking, and peer review, while using writing as a tool to express ideas and inspire change.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $885
Dates: September 17 – December 9
Application Deadline: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Open to everyone who is proficient in English and has a solid grasp of English grammar
UC Berkeley’s The Craft of Writing course introduces students to the key elements of creative writing, including imagery, voice, character, scene, summary, and setting. You’ll explore how these elements function in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, and apply them in your own work through guided practice. Weekly readings and discussions help you identify what makes writing effective, while peer review sessions allow you to analyze classmates’ work and refine your own. The course emphasizes both critical reading and revision, ensuring you develop the skills to strengthen clarity, voice, and narrative impact. By the end, you will build a portfolio that includes poems, a short story, and a sample of creative nonfiction, showcasing your growth as a writer.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $799
Dates: Multiple sessions throughout the year. Check dates here
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–12
Interlochen Arts’ Short Fiction Writing Certificate Program is a four-week online program consisting of three courses that guide students through the fundamentals and refinement of fiction writing. The first course introduces the essential elements of storytelling, while the subsequent two courses focus on structure, detail, and techniques for engaging readers. You will participate in live video sessions with faculty, receiving feedback and discussing your work in a workshop setting. Alongside discussions, you will also complete writing projects that help strengthen your craft and contribute to a developing portfolio. Upon completion, students earn a high school arts credit as well as a certificate from Interlochen.
Location: Virtual
Cost: 1 Credit Honors: $835 | 2 Credit Honors: $1,425; financial aid available
Dates: June 3 – August 14
Application Deadline: Flexible enrollment window
Eligibility: Many courses are open to students entering grades 6–8
Northwestern Accelerated Summer Online allows middle school students to take advanced courses for credit in a condensed summer format. Courses cover the equivalent of one or two credits and enable students to progress through the material at an accelerated pace. Writing options include creative writing and effective essay writing, where students read and analyze texts while composing original work across different genres. You will also explore narrative identity, world-building, and character creation as part of their writing development. This structure provides middle schoolers with a rigorous yet engaging academic experience that mirrors higher-level study.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $885
Dates: September 16 – November 25
Application Deadline: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Open to everyone who is proficient in English and has a solid grasp of English grammar
UC Berkeley’s Writing Skills Workshop is designed to strengthen clarity, grammar, and structure across a variety of writing contexts. The course emphasizes drafting, revising, and polishing your work while analyzing literary essays as models of effective prose. Through writing exercises, journal assignments, and peer critiques, you’ll learn to adapt tone and style for different audiences and purposes. Class discussions and practice activities help you avoid common grammar pitfalls, refine syntax, and develop a confident individual voice. The workshop also develops practical skills that translate into effective writing for business, technical, journalistic, or academic purposes.
Location: Online and in-person option available
Cost: $790 per 3-week session, $395 per week, book and material fee $60
Dates: July 1 – July 18 | July 28 – August 13
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Options are available for grades 3–11
The A-Plus Program’s Summer Writing Programs is a three-week program that strengthens both written and verbal communication skills. You will practice creative, persuasive, and expository writing while also developing effective public speaking techniques. Through workshops, group discussions, and personalized feedback, you will learn how to brainstorm, organize, draft, and revise your work into polished pieces. In addition to building a strong writing portfolio, the program prepares students for academic success on assignments and standardized exams such as the MCAS, ISEE, HSPT, and PSAT.
Location: Online
Cost: £665
Dates: April 22 – July 3 | September 8 – November 21
Application Deadline: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Open to all
Oxford University’s Advanced Writing Lives course explores how personal experiences can be transformed into compelling narratives through advanced techniques in memoir and narrative writing. Designed for second-year university students or at a Level 5 standard, the course challenges students to engage in rigorous academic study while developing originality and innovation in their work. You will take part in weekly reading and writing exercises, receive peer feedback, and benefit from close tutor guidance, with discussions centered on shared learning rather than individual workshopping. Recommended for students with considerable writing experience and advanced English skills, the course supports those ready to embark on a sustained personal project.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies based on course
Dates: Depending on the course
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Multiple courses are available for middle school students
The Lighthouse Writers Workshop offers an array of creative writing programs for students aged 8-18, available both in-person (in Denver) and online. Workshops cover a diverse range of genres, including fiction, poetry, memoir, playwriting, and screenwriting, and are taught by published, award-winning authors who guide students through hands-on writing exercises, peer feedback, and community-building activities. Educators also offer specialized formats such as weekend sessions, after-school clubs, week-long summer camps, and the Young Authors Collective, which supports ongoing collaboration and publication efforts. In select sessions, participants may submit work to the annual anthology, practice writing in thematic genres like sci-fi or poetry, and even join homeschool enrichment groups, all within a supportive cohort of peers.
Location: Online via Coursera
Cost/Stipend: No cost
Dates: Self-paced course
Application Deadline: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Open to all
UC Irvine’s Academic English: Writing Specialization is a five-course series designed to build strong academic writing and research skills. The program starts with the basics of grammar and punctuation before moving into essay writing and advanced composition techniques. You will also learn how to locate and evaluate credible sources, organize arguments, and structure research-based essays. The sequence includes courses in Grammar and Punctuation, Getting Started with Essay Writing, Advanced Writing, and Introduction to Research for Essay Writing, with each course requiring about 17-20 hours. The specialization concludes with a capstone project in which students produce a complete research paper on a topic of their choice. By the end, participants gain the tools to write more clearly, effectively, and persuasively in academic settings.
Location: Virtual via Coursera
Cost: Free to audit; $79 to earn a certificate
Dates: Self-paced program
Application Deadline: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Any student can join
Stanford Online’s Writing in the Sciences course is designed to help students write with greater clarity and confidence, particularly in scientific and technical fields. The first four modules cover general writing principles, such as improving sentence structure, building stronger paragraphs, and organizing ideas, that are valuable across disciplines. The latter half of the course shifts to topics specific to scientific communication, including manuscript formatting, authorship, peer review, and strategies for presenting research to broader audiences. You will learn through video lectures, quizzes, short writing assignments, and peer editing, allowing you to apply concepts in practice. The syllabus progresses from the basics of clear, concise writing to more advanced issues in publication ethics and reproducible research.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies according to the course
Dates: Multiple sessions in a year, including summer
Application Deadline: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Varies depending on the course; several courses are open to middle school students
The Johns Hopkins CTY (Center for Talented Youth) offers a range of online Language Arts courses for middle school students aiming to deepen their creative and analytical writing skills. Options include “Art Meets Science: Nonfiction,” where students read works at the intersection of science and art and practice structuring personal essays through a comprehensive writing process, including brainstorming, drafting, and revising. Other session-based courses, such as “Crafting Fiction” and “Crafting Poetry,” focus on developing narrative techniques, dialogue, plot, character, and poetic structure within a supportive online environment. Across these offerings, you will engage in thoughtful peer and instructor feedback, elevating your writing structure, style, and critical reading abilities in a global virtual classroom.
Location: Online
Cost: Varies depending on the program level
Dates: 10 weeks. The program is self-paced, and students can start any time during the summer
Application Deadline: No deadline
Eligibility: Students in grades 1–12 can participate based on their level
The Essentials in Writing Summer Program is a flexible course designed to strengthen writing skills over a 10-week period. Using a video-based curriculum, students receive step-by-step instruction in grammar, sentence structure, and the writing process while practicing narrative, persuasive, expository, and research-based writing. The program allows students to work at their own pace, making it adaptable for both catching up to grade level and enriching existing skills. Along with independent practice, learners build confidence in drafting, revising, and producing polished essays and narratives.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD 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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