15 Robotics Programs for High School Students in Texas
If you are a high school student interested in robotics, joining a structured program can be a great way to bring your ideas to life and test your problem-solving skills. These programs go beyond theory, providing you with the opportunity to design, build, and program robots while developing essential skills such as teamwork, communication, and critical thinking. These experiences can provide a clearer understanding of how engineering and technology concepts are applied in real-world settings.
In Texas, you’ll find robotics opportunities in several different formats, from university programs and research-style labs to structured summer camps. Even though they look different on the surface, all of them emphasize practical learning, whether that’s writing code for a robot, experimenting with sensors, or exploring how AI connects to robotics. With the state’s strong mix of STEM resources and growing interest in robotics, you’ll have the chance to explore everything from mechanical design to computer vision.
To help you get started, we’ve put together 15 robotics programs for high school students in Texas.
1. Texas High School Aerospace Scholars
Location: Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Tiered selectivity; The online course is moderately selective, but later phases are highly selective
Dates: Late October – April; June and July for summer
Application Deadline: September 27
Eligibility: Texas-based high school juniors who are U.S. citizens
Texas High School Aerospace Scholars takes place over nearly a year and introduces you to skills directly tied to NASA’s missions. While not limited to robotics, the program strengthens technical and problem-solving skills that align with robotics and related STEM fields. During the online portion, you’ll complete modules on space exploration and aeronautics while learning coding, CAD, and engineering basics. If you’re among the top students, you’ll move on to team-based summer projects, where you’ll collaborate on a Moon-to-Mars mission simulation guided by NASA mentors. If your team excels in the summer challenges, you may present your solutions at the Johnson Space Center.
2. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program (financial aid available)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Dates: Several cohorts year-round
Application Deadline: Varies by cohorts.
Eligibility: High school students; The AI Scholars program has no prerequisites, but the AI Fellowship requires completion of the AI Scholars or experience with Python
Veritas AI offers structured programs where you explore artificial intelligence and its applications. In the AI Scholars track, you’ll complete a ten-session boot camp that introduces you to machine learning concepts and project-based applications. For more advanced learners, the AI Fellowship pairs you with a mentor to design and execute an independent project, with the option of pursuing publication in research journals. Both tracks focus on applying AI methods to practical problems, highlighting how algorithms and data shape real-world systems. While the emphasis is on artificial intelligence, the skills gained, such as model training, data analysis, and coding, directly support robotics and automation. This progression allows you to engage with AI at both introductory and advanced levels. You can apply to the program here.
3. UT Dallas’ NanoExplorers
Location: University of Texas, Dallas, TX
Cost: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Early June – early August
Application Deadline: March 28
Eligibility: Rising 10th-12th graders
The NanoExplorers program places you directly in a university research lab, where you contribute to ongoing nanotechnology projects. You’ll start with lab safety and technical training, then gradually transition into independent or team-based research. Robotics plays a role here through work on projects such as artificial muscles for robotic jellyfish, showing how nanoscale science links to advanced robotics applications. The expectation is that you contribute to results that align with active research funded at UT Dallas. At the end of the program, you’ll share your work in a symposium, giving you the chance to practice presenting complex projects to an academic audience.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program: Robotics Track
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program (financial aid available)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts year-round
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Academically strong high school students
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a research-based experience where you’ll design and complete an independent project under the guidance of a PhD mentor. While not exclusively a robotics program, you can propose topics in robotics, computer science, engineering, or data science and develop them into a structured study. Over twelve weeks, you’ll learn how to frame research questions, review relevant literature, and apply methods to investigate your chosen subject. The program emphasizes critical thinking and academic writing, ending with a formal research paper. It’s a way to connect robotics or STEM interests with research methods used in higher education.
5. St. Mary’s University’s Drone Piloting Summer Camp
Location: St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, TX
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: July 22 – 25
Application Deadline: June 30
Eligibility: High school students aged 14-18
While this camp centers on drone piloting, it connects closely to robotics through its focus on autonomous systems and control. You’ll practice operating drones by learning pre-flight procedures, airspace rules, and weather considerations, which are skills that overlap with robotics concepts of sensing and responding to environments. The program introduces design and safety principles, showing how hardware and software come together in unmanned systems. Sessions also prepare you for certification topics like the FAA TRUST exam, linking your piloting to industry standards. By the end, you’ll have an introduction to robotics-adjacent technologies and how they’re used in aviation and beyond.
6. Academy for Robotics at UT Austin
Location: University of Texas, Austin, TX
Cost: $2,100 (scholarships available)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Session 1: June 15 – 20; Session 2: June 22 – 27
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students entering grades 10-12
At this robotics program for high school students in Texas, you’ll experiment with everything from coding in C++ to programming Arduino boards. The focus is on making wheeled robots move through tasks like skid steering and PID control, giving you a practical introduction to engineering problem-solving. You’ll assemble and program a Bot’n Roll One A robot, then test your work in both simulations and live races. Faculty and industry professionals guide workshops, offering insights into tools used in modern robotics research. By the end, you’ll have firsthand experience applying concepts in robotics design, coding, and control systems.
7. Rice University's ELITE Tech Camps
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Cost: $3,899 (residential); $1,799 (commuter)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Multiple one-week sessions across June and July
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students
At Rice University’s ELITE Tech Camp, you can choose from multiple engineering and technology tracks, including robotics. Each track emphasizes hands-on learning, where you practice applying the engineering design process to challenges that mirror real-world problems. Robotics courses cover both mechanical building and the integration of sensors, while other tracks span AI, data science, and 3D printing. Professors and researchers guide you through advanced concepts, but the content is tailored to a high school level. This structure allows you to explore robotics while also understanding how it connects with other branches of engineering.
8. UT San Antonio: Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Camp
Location: The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
Cost: Day camp: $550 ($250 with financial assistance); Overnight camp: $750 ($450 with financial assistance)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: July 7 – 11
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: 9th-12th graders
In this camp, you’ll design, code, and assemble a robot while learning how artificial intelligence connects to robotics. Faculty and student mentors guide you through every stage, from circuitry to programming, so you can see how individual components integrate into a working system. The Robotics and Automation Society also collaborates, helping you prepare for a team-based competition that tests your project. In addition to building robots, you’ll take part in lessons and lab tours that highlight how AI is applied in research and industry. By the end of the camp, you’ll have a clearer view of how robotics and AI intersect in real-world problem-solving.
9. Texas A&M University-Victoria’s High School Robotics Summer Camp
Location: Texas A&M University-Victoria, Victoria, TX
Cost: Not provided
Cohort Size: 12 students
Dates: July 22 – 26
Application Deadline: Not provided
Eligibility: High school students
This robotics program for high school students in Texas introduces you to both digital simulation and robotics engineering. You’ll explore the basics of programming languages, applying them to build confidence in computer science and problem-solving. Small group sizes mean you’ll get focused guidance as you experiment with fundamental robotics concepts. The camp balances technical instruction with campus-based activities, giving you a mix of lab work and community experiences. Over the course of a week, you’ll see how coding and hardware combine to create functional robotic systems.
10. UT Dallas’ Robotic Art: STEM Camp
Location: UT Dallas, Richardson, TX
Cost/Stipend: Not provided
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: August 4 – 8 and August 11 – 15
Application Deadline: Not provided
Eligibility: High school students
At this camp, you’ll explore robotics from a creative angle by designing robotic kinetic sculptures. The sessions introduce you to microprocessors, sensors, and motors, showing how inputs are transformed into actions. While you can choose to make an artistic robot, you’ll also spend time working with research-grade robots in the UT Dallas Robotics Lab. Faculty lead workshops on robotics applications, blending technical training with hands-on building. By the end of the week, you’ll have a deeper understanding of both mechanical control systems and the role of creativity in robotics.
11. UT San Antonio: Aeronautics and Robotics Camp
Location: The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
Cost: Day camp: $500 ($200 with financial assistance); Overnight camp: $700 ($400 with financial assistance)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: July 10 – 14
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: 9th-12th graders
Led by UTSA’s Rocketry Club and Robotics and Automation Society, this camp guides you through two parallel projects: building a rocket and creating a robot. Each project involves teamwork, where you apply engineering concepts to design, assemble, and test your creations. At the end of the week, you’ll enter both a rocket launch competition and a robotics challenge, putting your work into action. Along the way, mentors introduce you to the principles behind aeronautics, robotics, and the engineering design process. It’s a hands-on introduction to two different but connected areas of STEM.
12. School of Robotics and STEM (DFW)
Location: North Texas/DFW Metroplex
Cost: Varies by program
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Year-round
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students of all levels
The School of Robotics and STEM offers after-school programs and summer camps where you can progress from beginner to advanced levels in robotics. Courses are organized around four themes: programming, design and fabrication, circuit design, and CAD with 3D printing. Depending on your level, you’ll move from basic coding and construction to advanced engineering concepts. Each session is designed to build critical thinking and creativity while giving you the opportunity to apply technical skills.
13. Evodyne Robotics Academy’s Advanced AI & Robotics Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: $499 – $999
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: None
Eligibility: Students aged 6-18
In this robotics program for high school students in Texas, you’ll build EvoDog, a quadruped robot powered by AI and advanced control systems. The process begins with mechanical assembly, where you’ll apply principles of motion control, kinematics, and trigonometry to program coordinated leg movements. Once the structure is complete, you’ll integrate hardware like Arduino Nano, Raspberry Pi, and cameras to bring the robot to life. Later modules focus on AI and computer vision, giving you experience with Python, ROS, and OpenCV. By the end, you’ll understand how robotics, coding, and AI interact in a complex system designed to mimic real-world animal motion.
14. UC San Diego Extended Studies: Robotics with JavaScript
Location: Virtual
Cost: Pay per course
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 3 – 9 months
Application Deadline: Enrollment opens in August
Eligibility: High school students
This online program introduces robotics through the lens of JavaScript and automation. You’ll use the language to control simulated robotic arms, program Arduino-compatible bots, and process sensor data from cameras. Courses progress from introductory to advanced levels, covering kinematics, 3D modeling, and computer vision with OpenCV-JS. Each stage gives you practice applying programming concepts like loops, functions, and arrays to robotics challenges. The flexible format means you can move at your own pace while gaining practical experience in hardware and simulation.
15. Robotics For All
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Each course is 8 weeks long
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: All students
Robotics For All is a nonprofit that provides live online classes focused on robotics and STEM topics. Over the span of eight weeks, you’ll attend sessions twice a week where instructors guide small groups through programming, CAD, and related skills. The 5:1 student-to-instructor ratio means you’ll get consistent feedback as you work on projects. While courses are designed for accessibility, they still build technical foundations that prepare you for more advanced robotics work.
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