15 Free Summer Programs for Middle School Students in Los Angeles
If you’re a middle school student looking for an accessible way to explore your interests beyond the school curriculum, consider participating in a free program during the summer. Free summer programs can be a great way for you to explore new subjects without the high costs that often come with academic camps. These programs are designed to help you develop an academic mindset and learn about your fields of interest.
Many free summer programs for middle school students take place in Los Angeles at reputable universities and organizations, such as USC or the California Science Center. From math and chemistry to coding, robotics, and science, summer programs give you space to experiment, build new skills, and meet peers who share your interests.
Here is a list of 15 Free Summer Programs for Middle School Students in Los Angeles!
15 Free Summer Programs for Middle School Students in Los Angeles
1. Northrop Grumman Summer Engineering Camp @ USC
Location: University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: July 14 – 25
Application Deadline: May 5
Eligibility: Rising 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who have at least a B average in science and math classes.
During the Northrop Grumman Summer Engineering Camp at USC, middle school students are introduced to a wide range of engineering and coding disciplines. Run by The Viterbi School of Engineering's K-12 STEM Center, you and 32 other students will be taught by USC faculty and engineers from Northrop Grumman. You will explore aerospace, civil, electrical, environmental, and mechanical engineering through planned activities, like building circuits, rockets, and bridges. You'll attend coding workshops, learn engineering fundamentals, and tour USC’s research facilities. Finally, you will present your design project with your team and get feedback from experts.
2. Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program; Up to 100% financial aid offered
Dates: Multiple cohorts offered throughout the year
Application Deadline: Rolling; Varies by cohort
Eligibility: 6th-8th graders
The AI Trailblazers program, offered by Veritas AI, is a virtual initiative designed to introduce middle school students to the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and machine learning. With the help of a 25-hour curriculum, you will gain a basic understanding of Python programming, along with topics such as data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. You will learn through lectures and group sessions, supported by a student-to-mentor ratio of 5:1. Previous student projects have included developing a machine learning model to classify music genres and creating an algorithm to generate personalized educational resource recommendations based on specified criteria.
3. Pasadena City College Math Academy for Middle School Students
Location: PCC Community Education Center in Pasadena, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: June 23 – August 1
Application Deadline: May 31
Eligibility: Rising 7th and 8th-grade students
The Math Academy for Middle School Students at Pasadena City College is designed for middle school students looking to build their mathematics skills. You can choose from a variety of free noncredit math courses like Math Basics, Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1A, Algebra 1B, and Geometry. Each class may vary in the amount of homework and testing expected. The focus is to support your transition into the high school math curriculum. You’ll receive a letter grade at the end of the program and get a glimpse of college life by being on campus and networking with peers.
4. Lumiere Junior Explorer Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program; Up to 100% financial aid offered
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions (varies based on cohort)
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program (JEP) is a competitive 8-week research opportunity designed for middle school students across various academic disciplines. As a participant, you’ll get to work one-on-one with PhD mentors from top universities like Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and Yale, developing custom research projects based on your interests. The program emphasizes independent research, critical thinking skills, and project-based learning across STEM and humanities fields. It prepares you for academic competitions and future research.
5. Girls Who Code Clubs
Location: Remote and in-person options
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Year-round sessions
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Students in grades 3-12
Girls Who Code Clubs are held during the summer, after school hours, or on weekends, and are available in both in-person and online formats. You’ll learn programming concepts like loops, variables, and functions while working with a team to design a project that addresses a real-world problem you choose to work on. Clubs also emphasize community, with activities that build confidence and introduce you to women in technology. All resources, tutorials, and facilitator guides are provided at no cost, so you can focus on building your skills and finishing a project with your peers.
6. UCLA Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP)
Location: University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: Free
Dates: TBA
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: 7th-8th graders enrolled at a UCLA EAOP partner school
The Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) at the University of California in Los Angeles is an academic preparation program for middle school students from underserved backgrounds. Throughout your middle school career, you will work with peers to develop skills relevant to college admissions competitiveness. The purpose of the program is to ensure that student potential is answered with opportunity and resources for a successful career ahead.
7. BEAM Discovery & Pathway Programs
Location: Various locations in NYC and LA
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Varies by program and location
Application Deadline: February – March
Eligibility: 6th-7th graders from underserved communities and low-income backgrounds
Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) is a long-term program for middle school students from underserved communities who are interested in learning mathematics. You’ll start after 6th grade with BEAM Discovery, a five-week summer day program. In the next year, you’ll attend BEAM Summer Away, a three-week residential program. Throughout the program, you’ll be guided by mentors as you explore advanced mathematical topics not covered in the school curriculum. If selected for the BEAM Pathway Program, you’ll receive support for your transition to high school and college through weekend classes, individual advising for high schools, summer programs, and college admission.
8. Verizon Innovative Learning STEM Achievers Summer Program
Location: Cal State, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: 3 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Applications open at April end/early May
Eligibility: Middle school students
The Verizon Innovative Learning STEM Achievers Summer program is designed to empower middle school students from under-resourced communities to take up STEM subjects for career options. You’ll explore coding, robotics, 3D printing, AR/VR, and design thinking. Along with this, you’ll participate in practical exercises that will train you in problem-solving for current and emerging challenges, and explore the career opportunities in the technology fields with industry professionals.
9. Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) National Festival
Location: LA Phil, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: Fully funded
Dates: Session One: July 28 – August 5, Symphony Orchestra and Overture Chamber Music Program | Session Two: August 5 – 13, Overture Orchestra and Symphony Chamber Music Program
Application Deadline: March 10
Eligibility: Students between the ages of 12-18
The YOLA National Festival at the LA Phil is a prestigious summer orchestra program for young musicians from El Sistema-inspired and community-driven music programs across the United States. The program consists of two separate sessions, consisting of one Orchestra and one Chamber Music Program per ensemble level. You’ll learn from the faculty and the performing guest artists, and witness performances by renowned conductors.
10. Girls in STEM Teen Club
Location: La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: Free with museum admission
Dates: Multiple sessions throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies based on cohort
Eligibility: Middle school students in grades 7 and 8
The Girls in STEM Teen Club at the La Brea Tar Pits, part of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, is a five-day STEM program. You’ll work for a total of 20 hours with the museum staff. Work includes behind-the-scenes exploration of the storytelling at the museum and the processes involved in the decision-making around it. You’ll learn about La Brea Tar Pits excavation sites, practice fossil repair methods using terracotta pots inside the Fossil Lab, and use fossil matrix to discover microfossils.
11. California Science Center: Hands-On Science Camp
Location: California Science Center, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: Half-Day: $230; Full Day: $460 (Up to 100% scholarships available)
Dates: Multiple 1-week camps from June 16 – August 8
Application Deadline: General enrollment opens on February 26
Eligibility: Middle school students
The California Science Center runs the Hands-On Science Camp at the Wallis Annenberg Building for Science Learning and Innovation. As a middle school student, you can sign up for half-day or full-day sessions over seven weeks in the summer. Classes include options like Chemical Meltdown, where you’ll test different reactants, and All Cooked Up!, which uses kitchen experiments to illustrate chemistry concepts. You’ll also spend time in the Science Center’s Big Lab, a space designed for large-scale experiments in physics, engineering, and other fields. Camps are taught by trained educators and industry professionals, and your schedule often includes live demos and access to the center’s interactive exhibits.
12. Women’s Alliance in STEM and Humanities (WASH) Summer Research Institute
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: June 22 – July 27
Application Deadline: May 21
Eligibility: 6th-11th graders
The WASH Summer Research Institute is a six-week virtual program for students interested in exploring advanced topics in STEM. As a participant, you’ll get to choose from three course offerings: Introduction to Number Theory, Computational Neuroscience, and Demystifying Deep Learning. A central component of each course is the capstone project held at the end of the program. Depending on your specific course, this may involve implementing and testing an encryption scheme, developing a computational model of a neural circuit and analyzing its behavior, or designing and training a deep learning model.
13. University of Michigan – Python Basics Course
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: 4 weeks; Self-paced course
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Middle school students
The University of Michigan’s Python Basics is an online learning experience for students looking to explore Python 3 Programming. It is the introductory course in the five-course series of the Python 3 Programming Specialization and is taught by professors from the University of Michigan’s School of Information. During the course, you’ll learn to draw reference diagrams, understand the elements of control and data structures, and develop a basic understanding of debugging.
14. Kode With Klossy Summer Camps
Location: Virtual and in-person options
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Multiple 2-week sessions
Application Deadline: March 31 (tentative); Rolling
Eligibility: Girls and gender-expansive teens (13-18) interested in technology; No coding experience needed
The Kode With Klossy program offers multiple two-week coding camps to youth who are underrepresented in STEM fields, specifically young women and those who identify as gender inclusive. As a participant, you’ll choose from one of four tracks: Web Development, Machine Learning, Data Science, and Mobile Application. Based on your course, you’ll create websites using JavaScript and HTML, learn to code in Apple’s programming language, use SQL and Python to analyse data, or learn the basics of machine learning and AI. All camps are led by a team consisting of two instructors and two instructor assistants.
15. Stanford Middle School Scholars Program
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Summer Course: July 7 – 25
Application Deadline: March 20
Eligibility: 6th-7th graders from low-income families in the U.S.
The Stanford Middle School Scholars Program is a free hybrid course for low-income students in grades 6-7 across the U.S. In July, you’ll spend three weeks in daily online sessions, working on math enrichment, academic writing, and workshops about growth mindset, and preparing for high school. The program continues with weekly meetings through December, where you revisit these skills. Stanford Online High School instructors, most of whom hold PhDs, teach classes with a maximum of 12 students, allowing for close interaction with both teachers and peers. By the end, you will have learned practical strategies for problem-solving and developed habits to carry into high school.
The WASH Summer Research Institute is a six-week virtual program for students interested in exploring advanced topics in STEM. As a participant, you’ll get to choose from three course offerings: Introduction to Number Theory, Computational Neuroscience, and Demystifying Deep Learning. A central component of each course is the capstone project held at the end of the program. Depending on your specific course, this may involve implementing and testing an encryption scheme, developing a computational model of a neural circuit and analyzing its behavior, or designing and training a deep learning model.