Top 9 Summer Internships for High School Students in California

If you're a high school student in California looking to explore a potential career path, summer internships offer a valuable way to gain work experience. These programs give you the chance to work alongside professionals, develop practical skills, and learn more about various fields.

California is home to some of the country’s most competitive internship opportunities for high school students, spanning industries like healthcare, technology, research, and public service. Many programs also offer mentorship and networking opportunities, providing you with early access to professionals and environments that are often difficult to access at this stage.

To help you get started, we’ve curated the top 9 summer internships in California for high school students!

1. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)

Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Dates: June 9 – July 31

Application Deadline: February 22

Eligibility: U.S. high school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years old by the program start date

Cost/Stipend: $500+ stipend (up to $1,500+ for students from underrepresented backgrounds)

SIMR is a rigorous eight-week internship that competitively engages juniors and seniors in biomedical research. Participants work across eight specialized institutes, including stem cell biology, bioinformatics, and neurobiology. Interns spend at least 40 hours per week in faculty-led labs, attending weekly seminars, lab meetings, and networking events with graduate students and experts. You will gain practical experience in designing experiments, gathering data, and showcasing your results at the program symposium.

2. Careers in Science (CiS) Intern Program

Location: California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA

Dates: Starts in June; continues year-round through high school graduation

Application Deadline: April 1

Eligibility: Rising 10th or 11th-grade students at SFUSD with a GPA of 2.5 or higher and at least a C in math and science

Stipend: Paid

This paid, year‑round internship engages SFUSD students in active research, public outreach, and STEM education under the mentorship of Academy scientists. Starting as a rising sophomore or junior, you'll help with fieldwork, specimen preparation, museum displays, and hands-on learning projects. During the summer, interns work full-time on weekdays, supporting community science efforts and behind-the-scenes programs. Interns who stay in the program through high school can assume advanced roles and take on increased responsibilities.

3. Scripps Student Research Internship Program 

Location: La Jolla, CA

Date:  June 2 – August 8 | June 16 – August 22

Application Deadline: March 31

Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old

Stipend: Paid 

Over a ten-week summer period, high school students are paired with principal investigators to conduct biomedical research projects at the Scripps Translational Institute. You will undergo training via a boot camp, followed by a 40-hour workweek in a lab, supervised by graduate students, focusing on areas such as genomics, bioinformatics, or mHealth applications. This intensive experience aims to cultivate future leaders in the health sciences while equipping interns with hands-on laboratory techniques and analytical skills. You will also take part in a journal club, attend seminars, and improve communication skills through research presentations.

4. Ladder Internship Program

Location: Virtual

Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).

Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!

Cost: Starting at $2,490 (financial aid available)

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 range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising 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. Here is the application form. 

5. Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy

Location: City of Hope, Duarte, CA

Dates: June 2 – August 8

Application Deadline: March 16

Eligibility: High school students aged 16 or older who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents

Stipend: $4,500

The City of Hope runs a 10-week biomedical research program providing high school students with an immersive, practical introduction to academic medicine and translational research. You’ll work full-time on hypothesis-driven research in biology or chemistry, benefiting from mentorship alongside experts. The program features weekly lectures, ethics training, and lab skills development, concluding with a formal research paper and presentation. You will contribute to tangible results such as peer-reviewed publications and patents.

6. Meta Summer Academy

Location: Meta offices in California (primarily Menlo Park and nearby areas)

Dates: June 16 – July 25

Application Deadline: February 14

Eligibility: High school sophomores during the academic year who reside in East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, North Fair Oaks, or Redwood City and maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA

Cost/Stipend: Free, with a stipend amount that varies annually

Designed for sophomores from specified Bay Area districts, this Meta Summer Academy immerses students in real-world tech and professional development at Meta’s local campuses. You'll participate in workshops on coding, digital storytelling, and career readiness, led by Meta professionals, that simulate a fast-paced workplace experience. The program highlights both technical and soft skills, emphasizing networking, collaborative projects, and confidence-building in a tech setting. Interns also gain insight into roles across technology, design, policy, and more, with mentorship provided by Meta staff.

7. High School Explainers

Location: Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA

Dates: Throughout the year (after school and on weekends) and in the summer (5 days a week)

Application Deadline: Varies depending on the opportunity. You can explore the Current Openings page.

Eligibility: Students who are at least 15 years old, not more than 18 years old, and have completed their first year of high school can

Stipend: Paid

High School Explainers is a program that enables students to engage with visitors at exhibits, lead demonstrations, and oversee various museum operations. You will receive more than 60 hours of specialized training, which includes 20 hours of on-ground training before you start your work on the museum floor. Your training primarily covers science topics, exhibition support, career preparation, and youth mentorship and development. The program also includes peer mentoring, specialized workshops, and field trips to deepen scientific literacy.

8. UCSF – Summer Student Research Program

Location: Interns will be placed in local clinics and basic science labs in the San Francisco Bay Area

Dates: June 2 – August 1

Application Deadline: February 14

Eligibility: High school students in their junior or senior year, with at least one completed year in math and biology. Students must be 16 years of age or older. 

Cost/ Stipend: $3,000 for high school students

This nine-week, paid internship places juniors and seniors in biomedical research environments at UCSF labs and local institutions. Interns perform practical research under their mentor's guidance, take part in journal clubs and weekly seminars, and create a formal report or presentation. You will also develop a research proposal, plan experiments, utilize tools like R or Python for data analysis, and present your findings at a final symposium.

9. JCVI Internship Program

Location: JCVI campuses in La Jolla, CA, and Rockville, MD

Dates: 10-15 weeks, depending on placement

Application Deadline: Rolling admissions

Eligibility: U.S. high school students aged 16 or older with a GPA of 3.0+. Some internship positions may entail additional eligibility requirements

Stipend: $17.50/hour

JCVI’s summer internship places high school students in genomics and computational biology research groups, offering paid mentorship and hands-on experience with cutting-edge biotech tools. You will collaborate with scientists to conduct original research, attend journal clubs, and engage in professional development workshops. Throughout the summer, you can develop lab skills, learn to analyze biological data, and present findings to scientific peers. The program additionally offers sessions on career development and scientific ethics.

If you’re looking to build a project/research paper in the field of AI & ML, consider applying to Veritas AI! 

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 had over 1000 students learn AI & ML with us. You can apply here!

Image source - Ladder Internships