12 STEM Summer Camps in Virginia for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 3 minutes ago
- 8 min read
STEM summer camps can be a strong option for middle school students who want to explore science, technology, engineering, or math beyond the regular school curriculum. These camps introduce you to new subjects, strengthen problem-solving skills, and build confidence through structured lessons and collaborative activities. You also get the chance to meet peers who share your interests and learn from instructors who can guide your curiosity in focused, supportive environments.
What STEM summer camps are available for middle schoolers in Virginia?
Virginia offers a wide range of STEM summer camps hosted by universities, science centers, school districts, and private organizations across the state. Depending on the camp, you might explore robotics, coding, cybersecurity, space science, biomedical research, environmental science, or engineering through guided projects, lab sessions, and team challenges. These camps give you early exposure to academic settings while helping you build technical skills and explore future interests.
To help you navigate your options, here are 12 STEM summer camps in Virginia for middle school students.
If you’re looking for online summer programs, check out our blog here.
Location: Various sites in Fairfax/Loudoun Counties, VA
Cost: Starting at $450
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: Not specified
Application Deadline: Until slots are full
Dates: Summer weeks (tentatively)
Eligibility: Grades PK-8
Club SciKidz offers themed STEM camps throughout Fairfax and Loudoun Counties where middle schoolers can explore a wide range of topics, including robotics, space exploration, forensics, video game development, and emergency medicine. Lessons involve observation, measurement, experimentation in life, earth, and physical sciences, often incorporating language arts, history, and math. Camps are held at safe locations in Fairfax and Loudoun, with extended-day options. Programs focus on practical science applications with hands-on projects, while also fostering social interaction skills through various activities.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type; full financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 1:1 Mentorship
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines for each cohort. You can apply here.
Dates: Multiple cohorts on different dates throughout the year
Eligibility: Grades 6–8
Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program offers a guided research experience in STEM fields for middle school students, with need-based financial aid available. Over eight weeks, you work one-on-one with a mentor from a university or research institution to plan and carry out an independent research project. You choose a general subject area such as physics and astrophysics, AI and data science, biology, medicine and public health, or environmental studies. The program begins with introductory instruction to build background knowledge and help you narrow your interests into a manageable research question. As you move forward, you focus on a specific topic and develop your project through regular mentor meetings and feedback. While not a traditional camp, the experience is designed to support academic development and introduce you to the research expectations commonly encountered in high school and beyond.
Location: Loudoun County, VA
Cost: Starting at $199/week
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: Not specified
Application Deadline: Rolling
Dates: Various sessions year-round
Eligibility: Ages 5–12 (includes grades 6–8)
You attend weekly camps using LEGO bricks for robotics, coding, technology, and STEAM themes. Campers build robots, program their movements, and complete obstacle courses or survival challenges. Half-day options available. Programs develop problem-solving, creativity, and confidence in supportive groups. Themes encourage educational play.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type; full financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Small cohorts; 5:1 student-to-mentor ratio
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines
Dates: 25 hours over 2 weeks (weekdays during the summer) or 25 hours over 10 weeks (weekends)
Eligibility: Grades 6–8
Veritas AI runs a STEM summer program for middle school students interested in understanding how artificial intelligence is used in everyday technology. You learn foundational concepts, including Python programming, machine learning, data analysis, and neural networks, through structured lessons and hands-on coding activities. The program introduces how AI is applied across fields such as gaming, healthcare, political science, sports analytics, education, and crime analysis. Assignments may include building simple games, working with image data, finding patterns in text, or creating basic voice-based applications. Instructional sessions are paired with group activities that emphasize problem-solving and collaboration. After completing the core lessons, you work in a small group to design and develop a project centered on an AI application that aligns with your interests.
Location: Multiple college campuses across the U.S., including Virginia; remote and hybrid options available
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Application Deadline: Varies by host institution; check local site for details
Dates: 3 – 4 week sessions, depending on host institution; continuing educational programming offered during the academic year
Eligibility: Open to all middle schoolers; priority given to students from under-resourced schools
Verizon works with colleges and universities nationwide to offer no-cost STEM summer camps for middle school students, with a focus on supporting students from underrepresented and under-resourced communities. The camps provide hands-on learning experiences focused on augmented reality, 3D printing, robotics, and app development. You participate in structured activities that develop technical skills, problem-solving, and collaboration. The program also includes instruction in social entrepreneurship, covering career pathways and the basics of turning an idea into a business. During the school year, you may participate in additional STEM workshops, visit college campuses, and attend lab-based field trips that extend your exposure to STEM learning environments.
Location: Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
Cost: Not specified
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 25 students
Application Deadline: Rolling
Dates: July 14 – 18
Eligibility: Students in grades 7 to 12
Old Dominion University’s Summer Cyber Camp is a one-week program for middle and high school students that introduces foundational cybersecurity concepts through hands-on activities and guided instruction. You work through hands-on labs and exercises covering cryptography, computer forensics, network security, and penetration testing. The camp includes practical challenges such as analyzing network traffic and configuring firewall rules. Robotics is incorporated through lessons using Zumi cars, as well as simulated cyberattack demonstrations and a structured racing challenge. You also attend lectures led by cybersecurity professionals, take part in industry-focused discussions, and visit ODU’s Data Center. The week concludes with interactive cybersecurity games and a poster presentation, which allow you to share what you have learned and reflect on the skills you have developed during the program.
Location: Online
Cost: Tuition-free
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: Highly selective with cohorts of 12 students
Application Deadline: March 25
Dates: Summer course: July 6 – 24 | Fall meetings: August 26 – December 9
Eligibility: Current grades 6–7, U.S. residents attending U.S. schools, low-income households (typically under $90,000)
SMSSP supports middle school students from low-income backgrounds as they prepare for academically demanding high schools through live, online instruction. You begin with a three-week summer program, followed by weekly fall sessions focused on building core academic skills and planning for high school. Coursework includes academic writing, math enrichment, and an overview of different high school pathways. During the summer component, students participate in synchronous classes led by Stanford Online High School instructors, engaging in discussions, collaborative tasks, and academic reflection. Fall sessions extend learning through weekly sessions that reinforce skill development and prepare students for high‑school transitions. The program also includes resources for families, such as conferences and information on selective high school admissions.
Location: The Langley School, McLean, VA
Cost: $1,350 per session
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: Not specified
Application Deadline: Rolling
Dates: Various sessions from June 22 to August 14
Eligibility: Rising grades 5–10 (Seniors group)
TIC Summer Camp offers a hybrid experience that integrates technology learning and physical activity into daily schedules. Half of each day is devoted to technology electives, including robotics, game design, animation, digital photography, and programming languages such as Lua, enabling students to build and complete creative projects under guided instruction. The other half comprises structured athletic and recreational activities, such as team sports and water‑based play, promoting balance between cognitive and physical engagement. Sessions run in two‑week blocks, giving students time to develop meaningful tech projects and refine skills while maintaining consistent physical activity.
Location: Virginia Air & Space Center, Hampton, VA
Cost: Members: $325/week ($270 holiday week) | Non-members: $350/week ($300 holiday week)
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: Not specified
Application Deadline: Rolling
Dates: Various sessions running from June 16 to August 15
Eligibility: Rising 6th-8th grade (must be 5+ years old)
Camp NASA at the Virginia Air & Space Center offers themed weeks of STEM activities in which middle school students explore robotics, aviation, space science, and engineering through experiments and building challenges. You participate in themed weeks covering Robotics (Ozobots, Spheros, LEGO Spike, VEX coding), Aviation (flight forces, model planes, pilot challenges), STEM Discovery (robots, rockets, Eggstronaut capsules), Space (Mars survival, Curiosity rover, Artemis project), or Engineering (Rube Goldberg, catapults, roller coasters, water filtration). Daily schedules include a mix of experimentation, team projects, and small‑group problem solving, allowing campers to apply concepts in real time.
Location: William & Mary (Williamsburg, VA); UVA (Charlottesville, VA); Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA); Radford University (Radford, VA); Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA)
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: Not specified
Application Deadline: February 1
Dates: June 21 – 24 | June 28 – July 1 | July 15 – 18 | July 19 – 22 | July 26 – 29
Eligibility: Virginia rising 8th-9th graders, no prior STEM experience required
BLAST STEM Immersion Camps take place on multiple Virginia university campuses and introduce rising 8th and 9th-graders to foundational STEM concepts through short, intensive workshops. Over three- to four-day sessions, students participate in interactive demonstrations and experiments led by faculty, staff, and STEM professionals covering science, technology, engineering, and math. Activities are designed for beginners, with no prior STEM experience required, and include collaborative challenges that encourage teamwork and applied thinking. Sessions rotate across partner schools — William & Mary, UVA, Virginia Tech, Radford University, and Old Dominion University — giving learners the option to attend in different regions of the state.
Location: Charlottesville Catholic School (Charlottesville, VA); STEAM Incubator (Charlottesville, VA); St Edward-Epiphany School (Richmond, VA); Roanoke, VA
Cost: Paid ($100 non-refundable deposit per course; full pricing varies)
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: Not specified
Application Deadline: Rolling; health forms due May 1
Dates: Week-long sessions in the summer (specific weeks per course)
Eligibility: Current K-8th graders (must be 6+ years old, completed full-day kindergarten)
STEAM Summer Workshops offer one‑week courses where students from elementary through middle school can dive into STEM and arts topics tailored to their grade levels. Each workshop centers on a specific area, such as engineering structures, robotics and coding, scientific experiments, or creative arts projects. It includes several guided sessions in which learners create, test, and refine their work. The daily timetable combines teaching with project work, breaks for snacks and movement, and group discussions that encourage critical thinking. Friday capstone activities allow students to showcase what they’ve created or learned during the week at a student open house.
Location: Ella Fitzgerald Middle School, Newport News, VA
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: Lottery if oversubscribed
Application Deadline: May 15
Dates: July 7 – 24 (Mondays – Thursdays)
Eligibility: Rising grades 3–10 NNPS students
Hosted at Ella Fitzgerald Middle School in Newport News, the ELEVATE STEAM Camps give extended STEAM exposure over a 12‑day schedule focused on hands‑on investigation and collaborative problem solving. Daily activities combine science, technology, engineering, arts, and math by engaging students with real-world problems that encourage creative thinking and teamwork. Guest speakers and college mentors supplement daily lessons with insights on STEAM careers and research areas. At the same time, field trips broaden students’ understanding of how STEAM fields connect to community and professional settings. The program culminates in a Community Expo where campers display projects and share what they’ve learned with peers, family members, and staff.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics. 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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