13 Summer Internships for High School Students in Boston
If you are a high school student interested in gaining early professional experience, summer internships can be a valuable way to explore different fields. Through these opportunities, you may support research teams, assist with educational programs, contribute to healthcare operations, or work with companies and nonprofit organizations. These experiences help you develop workplace skills such as communication, teamwork, time management, and professional responsibility.
Why should you intern in Boston?
Boston offers a strong environment for high school internships because of its concentration of universities, hospitals, museums, and research institutions. Many organizations in the city run structured programs designed specifically for high school students, often including mentorship, training sessions, and professional development opportunities. Whether you are interested in science, healthcare, technology, education, or public service, Boston provides a wide range of internship opportunities to explore different career paths.
To help you navigate options, we've compiled a list of 13 summer internships for high school students in Boston.
If you’re looking for free online programs, check out our blog here.
1. Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center CURE Program
Location: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston)
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive
Dates: 7-11 weeks in summer (exact dates TBA)
Application Deadline: February 6
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, or seniors; at least 16 years old; Massachusetts residents
This summer research internship places Massachusetts high school students in cancer-focused labs at Dana-Farber, where they work closely with mentors on active biomedical research projects. Depending on the lab, interns may assist with experimental procedures, data collection, literature review, or analysis related to cancer biology, genetics, or treatment research. The program also includes seminars and professional development sessions that introduce participants to research ethics, scientific communication, and pathways into medicine and science. Since the internship runs full-time for several weeks, students gain a realistic sense of how academic research labs operate day to day. Most cohorts conclude with a presentation or research summary that allows interns to explain what they worked on and what they learned.
2. Ladder Internships
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program; full financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary by cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November). You can apply here.
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students interested in startups and real-world projects, who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships span a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech to AI/ML, health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder’s start-ups are, on average, high-growth companies that raise over a million dollars. In the program, interns work closely with their managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company.
3. New England Aquarium Summer Teen Internships
Location: New England Aquarium, Boston, MA
Stipend: Paid (approximately $15/hour)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified; around 40 participants
Dates: July 5 – August 15
Application Deadline: Opens in March
Eligibility: Teens aged 14 and older, with priority for Boston and Cambridge residents
The New England Aquarium’s teen internship program combines public engagement training with education about marine ecosystems, conservation, and aquarium operations. After an initial training period, interns take on roles such as greeting visitors, guiding visitors through exhibit interactions, or helping them understand ocean science and environmental issues. The program is centered more on interpretation, communication, and public-facing education. Weekly workshops and advocacy sessions expand the experience beyond day-to-day responsibilities and introduce broader topics in marine conservation. Optional behind-the-scenes programming provides interns with more context on how the aquarium functions as both an educational institution and a conservation organization.
4. Paul Revere House High School Internship
Location: Paul Revere House, Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: No cost; no stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited; 8-10 participants
Dates: July 20 – 24
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: Students entering 10th-12th grade; open to those interested in history.
This short internship introduces students to museum work through the lens of history, preservation, and public interpretation. As a participant, you’ll observe how museum staff manage collections, prepare educational materials, and think through questions of historical storytelling and institutional ethics. The program includes both independent and collaborative work tied to real museum objects, which helps students see how historians and curators turn artifacts into public-facing content. Discussions also address how museums handle contested narratives and how interpretation changes over time. Because of its small cohort size, the internship tends to be discussion-driven and interactive rather than lecture-heavy.
5. Boston Children's Hospital COACH Summer Internship
Location: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
Stipend: Paid ($17.50 – $21.50/hour)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 8 – August 14
Application Deadline: February 17 (varies by posting)
Eligibility: High school students interested in healthcare
COACH places students in a hospital setting where they work on projects tied to healthcare operations, patient services, or institutional programs. Specific responsibilities vary by department, but placements may involve supporting administrative initiatives, assisting with hospital-based programs, or contributing to research and outreach efforts. Mentorship is a central feature of the internship, and students work alongside hospital staff who provide guidance on both workplace expectations and healthcare career pathways. The program provides participants with a broad view of how a major pediatric hospital operates across its units. Interns also build professional habits in communication, teamwork, and time management through their daily work responsibilities.
6. Museum of Science Summer Youth Internship
Location: Museum of Science, Boston, MA
Stipend: Varies; about $15 per hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 25 or 26 – August 16 (varies by position)
Application Deadline: Rolling basis, often in February/March
Eligibility: High school students aged 14 – 19
This youth internship is structured around workplace readiness and museum-based public engagement. Interns work within museum departments where they may support exhibits, educational programming, or visitor-facing activities while learning how a large science museum operates. Because placements vary by department, some students may spend more time engaging directly with visitors, while others support operations behind the scenes. The museum setting also gives interns exposure to informal science education as a field.
7. Fidelity High School Internship Program
Location: Fidelity offices in Boston
Cost/Stipend: Paid (amount not specified)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; small cohorts
Dates: July – August (5 weeks)
Application Deadline: Opens in February
Eligibility: Female high school students
Fidelity’s high school internship program introduces students to financial services through a mix of workplace exposure, mentorship, and structured learning activities. You’ll engage with professionals across investment operations, technology, and customer support, giving you a broader view of how a large financial institution operates. Workshops and mentoring conversations help interns connect daily work to longer-term academic and career planning. Because the program specifically serves female students, it also creates a peer cohort centered on representation in finance and related industries.
8. Boston PIC Tech Apprentice
Location: Companies throughout Boston
Cost/Stipend: Paid ($15 – $18/hour; approximately $3,000 - $3,500 total)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July – August (6-7 weeks)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Tech-savvy Boston Public Schools high school students considering IT majors
The Boston PIC Tech Apprentice program places Boston Public Schools students in paid summer roles with companies that need entry-level technical support and digital project assistance. Placements vary, but interns may work on help desk support, website updates, quality assurance, social media production, or other technology-related tasks, depending on the employer. Because internships are hosted across different industries, participants also see how technology skills are used outside of purely software-focused companies. The program is especially useful for students considering IT, digital media, or applied technology pathways after high school.
9. Massachusetts Life Sciences Center High School Apprenticeship Challenge
Location: Throughout Massachusetts (including the Boston area)
Stipend: Paid (up to $4,080 per intern at $17/hour)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Over 150 opportunities
Dates: Internships take place between May 1 and April 30 (summer focus)
Application Deadline: First-come, first-served
Eligibility: Underrepresented and low-income high school students.
This statewide apprenticeship initiative supports paid placements for high school students at biotechnology companies, research organizations, and life sciences employers, including many in the Boston area. Students are matched with host sites where they contribute to professional work in lab, technical, or operational settings, depending on the organization. Before placement, participants often complete pre-internship training designed to prepare them for workplace expectations and technical tasks. Because the program is organized around employer partnerships, the specific experience can vary widely, but most placements provide students with direct exposure to how life sciences organizations operate. For Boston-area students interested in biotech or biomedical work, it offers one of the more direct pipelines into the life sciences workforce.
10. Northeastern University C2C Summer Jobs Program
Location: Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Stipend: Paid ($15/hour; up to 25 hours/week)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Over 100 participants; lottery if over-enrolled
Dates: June 25 – August 8
Application Deadline: April 27
Eligibility: Boston residents aged 14 - 18; younger students need a teacher recommendation
C2C is a paid summer program that blends academic instruction with enrichment and career preparation on Northeastern’s campus. Participants take classes in math and STEM subjects while also attending workshops in robotics, biology, chemistry, or finance. The structure is more school-based than a traditional internship, but students still gain professional exposure through team-building activities and workplace skill sessions. Because the program is open to younger high school students as well, its focus is on preparation and skill-building rather than specialized job placement. The paid component helps make it more accessible while still rewarding participation.
11. Mass General Brigham Youth Program
Location: Mass General Brigham hospitals (Boston area)
Stipend: Paid internships
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 75 participants
Dates: Summer focus (exact dates vary)
Application Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 - 12 from Boston
The Mass General Brigham Youth Program connects Boston high school students with paid internship placements and mentoring across affiliated hospitals and healthcare settings. Students are introduced to medical and science-related careers through supervised work experiences that vary by site and department. In addition to the job placement itself, the program includes support intended to strengthen academic persistence, workplace readiness, and long-term planning. Because it operates across a large hospital system, the experience can expose students to both clinical and non-clinical sides of healthcare.
12. Brigham and Women's Hospital Student Success Jobs Program (SSJP)
Location: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 90 participants
Dates: Year-round with summer focus
Application Deadline: Varies through partners
Eligibility: Boston high school students.
The Student Success Jobs Program places Boston students in paid hospital-based roles and pairs them with professionals who provide mentorship and career guidance. Interns contribute to real-world operations within the hospital system, helping them understand how large healthcare institutions function beyond what patients see. Responsibilities vary by placement, but the program consistently emphasizes professional development, accountability, and exposure to medical and science careers. Because the internship can continue beyond a single summer, it offers more continuity than many short-term youth programs. Recruitment through Boston school and community partners also aligns with a broader local workforce development effort.
13. Summer ZooTeen Program
Location: Franklin Park Zoo, Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: Paid (amount not specified)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Summer sessions (exact dates TBA)
Application Deadline: Opens mid-March
Eligibility: Ages 14-18; paid roles available only to residents of Boston or Cambridge.
The ZooTeen Program at Franklin Park Zoo places students in a range of operational and educational roles that support the zoo’s daily programming. Depending on the assignment, participants may assist with visitor education, youth camp activities, horticulture, marketing, or, in some cases, observational support connected to animal care environments. The program is structured to give teens a realistic view of the many departments that contribute to zoo operations, rather than focusing narrowly on animal handling. Public-facing roles are especially common, which means interns spend substantial time helping visitors engage with exhibits and conservation messages. Professional development sessions are built into the experience to help students strengthen workplace and communication skills.
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With Veritas AI, which was founded by Harvard graduate students, you can work 1-on-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we have had over 1000 students learn AI & ML with us. Check out a past student’s experience in the program here. You can apply here!
Image source - Ladder Internships