12 Summer Programs for High School Students in Portland, Maine
- Stephen Turban
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
If you’re interested in exploring new subjects over the summer, programs in Portland can give you opportunities beyond your regular classes. These experiences introduce you to areas like art and design, film, STEM research, and technology while helping you build skills in creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration. They also provide a way to learn in structured environments with guidance from instructors and mentors.
In Portland, programs are offered through colleges, research institutions, arts academies, and local organizations. These options include residential pre-college courses, short-term workshops, research programs, and community-based initiatives, with offerings across both creative and technical fields.
Why should I do a summer program in high school?
Summer programs allow you to explore your interests in more depth while experiencing different academic and creative environments. You might work on studio art projects, film production, scientific research, coding, or environmental initiatives while learning alongside peers and instructors. Over time, these experiences can help you build skills, discover new interests, and prepare for future academic choices.
In this blog, we have curated 12 summer programs for high school students in Portland, Maine.
If you’re looking for free online summer internships, check out our blog here.
Location: Statewide host institutions across Maine
Cost/Stipend: Free; paid stipend
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Dates: Six-week summer research program
Application Deadline: February 13
Eligibility: U.S. citizens; Maine residents; enrolled as a high school junior at a Maine school
The MERITS Program offers a competitive, six-week paid summer research experience for those interested in STEM fields. You are placed at host institutions across the state, where you engage in real-world research and technology development alongside professional researchers. The program emphasizes hands-on learning and exposure to “real-time” STEM applications in research-focused work environments. You’ll gain practical experience, build technical and professional skills, and produce a final research report at the conclusion of the program.
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Varies by program type
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Dates: 12-week cohorts offered in summer, fall, winter, and spring
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students demonstrating strong academic performance
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas. The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Location: University of Southern Maine, Portland Campus, Portland, ME
Cost/Stipend: $50 program fee
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Multiple week-long sessions between July 6 and August 7
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors enrolled in Southern Maine high schools
The Maine-SMART High School Research Program offers immersive, week-long summer research sessions designed to introduce you to the full research process within Maine’s targeted technology sectors. The program emphasizes hands-on, mentored research alongside exposure to university faculty and industry professionals. Each session focuses on algae growth research, allowing you to experiment with different species and environmental conditions using campus resources. You’ll build technical skills, research literacy, and confidence in STEM through intensive daily programming.
4. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies by program type; full financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Dates: Varies by cohort
Application Deadline: Rolling cohort-based deadlines. You can apply to the program here.
Eligibility: High school students; recommended to have completed AI Scholars or have basic Python or AI familiarity for advanced programs
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students who are passionate about artificial intelligence. Students looking to get started in AI, ML, and data science would benefit from the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, students are introduced to the fundamentals of AI & data science and have the opportunity to work on real-world projects. Another option for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, students have the opportunity to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that students have access to the in-house publication team to help them secure publications in high school research journals. You can also check out some examples of past projects here and read about a student’s experience in the program here.
Location: Maine Media Academy, ME
Cost/Stipend: $8,895
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Dates: June 22 – July 17
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students ages 13–19
The 4-Week Summer Film School at Maine Media Academy is an immersive, on-campus pre-college filmmaking experience for those seeking hands-on training in cinematic storytelling. The program is structured as two consecutive workshops: a foundational 2-week Film School followed by a 2-week Advanced Film School, allowing you to progressively deepen your technical and creative skills. You’ll engage in all core aspects of filmmaking, including directing, cinematography, sound, editing, and collaborative production, using industry-standard equipment.
Location: Portland Youth Corps, Portland, ME
Cost/Stipend: $500 for the summer program
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Crew 1: June 22 – July 17 | Crew 2: July 27 – August 21
Application Deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: High school students attending school in Portland or high school–age teens living in Portland
The Portland Youth Corps is a paid youth development and conservation program that promotes personal and professional growth through hands-on community service and environmental stewardship. You’ll work as part of a crew completing outdoor conservation projects in Portland’s parks and green spaces, gaining real-world experience in teamwork, leadership, and environmental care. The program emphasizes connection to nature, physical activity, and personal identity development through outdoor projects and recreational experiences such as hiking, kayaking, and camping.
Location: Maine Media Academy, ME
Cost/Stipend: $4,495
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 10 students per cohort
Dates: June 22 – July 3
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students ages 14–18
The 2-Week Digital Photography program at Maine Media Academy is an intensive, on-campus summer experience designed for those eager to explore and strengthen their photographic practice. Through hands-on instruction, you’ll learn foundational camera skills, image composition, lighting, and visual storytelling while experimenting across genres such as portraiture, landscape, still life, and conceptual photography. The workshop emphasises both technical mastery and creative development, with guided shooting assignments, field trips along Maine’s coast, and daily critiques that help you refine your artistic voice.
Location: Maine College of Art & Design, Portland, ME
Cost/Stipend: $5,300 (single room and board) | $4,800 (shared room and board); $500 non-refundable deposit due upon acceptance
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: July 12 – August 1
Application Deadline: April 15
Eligibility: High school students ages 15–18
The ApplyConnectVisit Pre-College Program at Maine College of Art & Design is a three-week summer experience designed for those exploring a future in art and design. You’ll enrol in a focused studio major, such as animation, painting, ceramics, or fashion design, while also completing a figure drawing course that supports foundational skills. You’ll work closely with experienced faculty through hands-on projects, critiques, and portfolio development, gaining insight into the expectations of a collegiate art environment.
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Open enrollment
Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment
Eligibility: Open to all learners; no prior programming experience required
This introductory computer science course is designed to teach foundational programming concepts in a rigorous yet accessible way. Taught by Princeton professors Robert Sedgewick and Kevin Wayne, the course emphasizes computational thinking as a core literacy alongside reading, writing, and mathematics. You’ll learn fundamental programming constructs such as variables, conditionals, loops, arrays, functions, recursion, and object-oriented programming using Java. The curriculum prioritizes problem-solving, modular design, and algorithmic thinking over language-specific syntax.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Tuition-based; varies by cohort
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Dates: January 5 – 9
Application Deadline: Rolling until filled
Eligibility: High school students with a strong math background; Python proficiency required
The Harvard Computer Society AI Bootcamp is a selective, five-day intensive program designed to introduce you to cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning research. Taught by Harvard undergraduate and graduate researchers, the bootcamp synthesises decades of collective AI research experience into a fast-paced academic environment modelled after Harvard coursework. You’ll choose between an Introductory and an Advanced track, allowing you to match the program rigor to your prior experience.
11. Summer@Brown
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: Tuition-based; varies by course length and format
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: June 15 – July 25
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Students completing grades 9–12; ages 14–18 by June 14
Summer@Brown is a comprehensive pre-college program that allows you to explore college-level academics through Brown University’s Open Curriculum. You’ll choose from over 230 non-credit courses across disciplines, including STEM, humanities, social sciences, arts, and course-based research experiences. Courses are offered in flexible formats, including 1-, 2-, and 3-week on-campus sessions and a 5-week hybrid option combining online and residential learning.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Program is unpaid; one-time nonrefundable application fee: $95
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly available
Dates: June 22 to August 14
Application Deadline: Deadline usually extended to March 1
Eligibility: Open to high school juniors or seniors aged 14+
The SHTEM Summer Internship Program is an interdisciplinary, research-focused summer experience hosted by the Stanford Compression Forum at Stanford University. Designed to provide early exposure to academic research, the program places you into small, mentored research groups working on projects that bridge STEM fields with the humanities. Research themes may integrate areas such as computer science, engineering, neuroscience, linguistics, psychology, philosophy, design, and the arts. You’ll work closely with Stanford-affiliated faculty, staff, and student mentors for 20–30 hours per week in a fast-paced academic environment.
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 in which students work one-on-one with a research mentor to develop a research paper.
Image Source - Lumiere Education logo