14 Business Internships for High School Students in Washington, D.C.
Discover 14 business internships for high school students in D.C. that offer hands-on experience and insight into various career paths in the business world.
Internships are one of the most effective ways for high school students to explore future careers in business while building practical skills. Washington, D.C.’s position as a hub for federal agencies, multinational corporations, and nonprofits offers students access to diverse business environments. Through these business internships for high school students, you can apply classroom concepts to projects, learn professional workplace dynamics, and gain insight into fields like finance, management, marketing, and public policy.
These experiences not only strengthen your resume but also help you determine whether a business career is the right path for you. Here’s a list of 14 business internships for high school students in Washington, D.C. that combine practical learning with professional exposure.
1. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort
Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
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. Past founders have included YCombinator alums, founders raising over 30 million dollars, or founders who previously worked at Microsoft, Google, and Facebook. 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.
2. Bank of America Student Leaders Program
Cost: Paid (8-week paid internship; all expenses for the DC summit are covered)
Location in Washington: Various partner nonprofits across Washington state
Dates: 8 weeks in the summer, including the mandatory Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. (July 21–26)
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors; must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. through September.
Through the Student Leaders Program, you’ll spend eight weeks in a paid internship with a local nonprofit, gaining experience in community development and organisational operations. You’ll also develop critical business, civic, and leadership skills while working alongside nonprofit leaders. A highlight of the program is the all-expenses-paid Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., where you’ll see how nonprofits, businesses, and government collaborate to create impact. This program is ideal if you’re passionate about business leadership in a social impact context and want to build real-world experience while expanding your professional network.
3. Young Founders Lab
Cost: Varies depending on program type
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Dates: Vary according to cohort
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. You can access the application link here!
Eligibility: All high school students can apply
The Young Founder’s Lab is a start-up boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. You will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a real-world problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X. Apart from building the start-up itself, you will also participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals and business ideation, workshops, skill-building sessions, case studies, panel discussions, and more. While this isn’t a traditional internship, it follows the same work-learn structure as the other programs on this list. You can check out the brochure for the program here.
4. NASA OSTEM High School Internship – Business Track
Cost: Paid (stipend varies based on location and session)
Location in Washington: NASA Armstrong Flight Research Centre – Pacific Northwest and other NASA facilities
Dates: Spring: January–April; Summer: June–August; Fall: September–December
Application Deadline: Spring: September 12; Summer: February 27; Fall: May 22
Eligibility: U.S. citizens aged 16+; minimum 3.0 GPA; full-time student; must be able to work the full session
In this role, you’ll join one of NASA’s internal business or program management teams, working on procurement processes, budgeting exercises, contract reviews, or organisational planning. You can expect a mix of project-based work and day-to-day operational support while shadowing seasoned program managers and analysts. Beyond technical skills, you’ll develop professional competencies like strategic thinking, data-driven decision making, and cross-departmental communication. You will also participate in professional development workshops and networking sessions with NASA staff across multiple disciplines, giving you exposure to how business and administration intersect with science and engineering.
5. NASA Pathways Internship Program – Business Track
Cost: Paid (federal pay scale; rate depends on GS level and centre)
Location in Washington: NASA Armstrong Flight Research Centre – Pacific Northwest and other NASA sites
Dates: Multi-semester; internships typically span two or more academic terms with options for year-round work
Application Deadline: Posted on USAJobs during open windows; varies by centre and term
Eligibility: U.S. citizens aged 16+; enrolled at least half-time in high school or higher; minimum cumulative GPA of 2.9
NASA’s Pathways Internship Program hires high school students for extended, paid internships designed to feed into long-term federal careers. Business-focused tracks place you in areas such as program management, budgeting, accounting, procurement, and HR while pairing you with mentors in NASA’s administrative and strategic departments. You will complete at least 480 hours of work and can continue across multiple terms while building a career development plan with agency supervisors. The program offers exposure to how one of the world’s most complex organisations manages large-scale business operations, with potential for non-competitive conversion to full-time federal roles after graduation.
6. Architect of the Capitol (AOC) – Student Internship Program
Cost: Paid (federal internship pay scale)
Location in Washington: Capitol Campus, Washington, D.C.
Dates: Year-round; determined by position
Application Deadline: Rolling; posted on USAJOBS
Eligibility: U.S. citizens; open to high school through graduate-level students (depends on vacancy posting)
This D.C.-based program places high school students in administrative, business operations, and support roles at the offices that maintain the U.S. Capitol complex. You will assist with project documentation, budgeting processes, and organisational planning under the supervision of senior staff. You’ll gain exposure to federal workplace procedures, compliance protocols, and large-scale facilities management while working at one of the most historically significant government sites in the country. You will also benefit from the opportunity to work alongside legislative branch staff and experience the daily business operations that keep Capitol Hill running.
7. High School Scholars Internship Program (HSSIP) — Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
Cost: Paid for a six-week internship
Location in Washington, D.C.: OCC Headquarters (with placements supported via the DC Department of Employment Services and Prince George’s County)
Dates: Six-week summer session
Application Deadline: June 14
Eligibility: High school juniors, seniors, or recent graduates; D.C. or Prince George’s County residents; must be nominated by a school counsellor or administrator; legal work authorization required
The OCC’s HSSIP places high school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates in small training teams, exposing them to banking industry and regulatory business operations. You will support tasks in business and operations such as bank supervision and compliance support, while developing skills in public speaking, communication, and professional collaboration. The program also includes learning modules and presentations on federal banking policy and the OCC’s mission. It offers a structured work-learning environment that’s deeply tied to business administration and public service.
8. U.S. Department of State – Pathways Internship Program (IEP & ITEP)
Cost: Paid; federal pay per General Schedule (GS) pay scale, varies by position and location
Location in Washington: Positions are available at State Department offices in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere across the U.S.
Dates: Year-round; length depends on program type (academic-year or seasonal)
Application Deadline: Rolling; positions are posted as needed on USAJobs
Eligibility: U.S. citizens; high school through graduate-level students enrolled at least half-time
The Pathways Internship Program offers high school students paid opportunities to gain federal work experience in business, administration, and program management roles. As interns, you’ll support operational tasks, assist with project documentation, and learn federal workplace processes while earning competitive hourly wages. You can apply to the Internship Experience Program (academic-year) or the Internship Temporary Program (seasonal and breaks). Positions include exposure to budgeting, HR, communications, and policy administration, with mentorship from experienced federal employees. You will also have pathways to convert into permanent federal roles within 180 days of completing the program.
9. U.S. Department of Education – Student Volunteer Trainee Program
Cost: Unpaid, volunteer role
Location in Washington, D.C.: Hosted at the Department of Education headquarters in DC.
Dates: Typically 8–10 weeks; offered during summer, fall/winter, and spring sessions. Exact dates vary per term and applicant availability.
Application Deadline: Varies by term: Summer: apply by late March (approx.); Fall: apply by July; Winter/Spring: September through November.
Specific term windows are posted on the ED website
Eligibility: Must be at least 16, enrolled at least half-time in an accredited educational institution (including high school), current student or recent graduate with confirmed future enrollment. Foreign nationals may qualify under specific statuses; approval via school and ED is required.
As a Student Volunteer Trainee at the Department of Education, you’ll support ongoing projects in policy research, communications, grants management, and administrative planning while learning how a federal agency operates. Assignments are matched to your academic interests and can include tasks like preparing briefing materials, analysing education data, or assisting with program implementation. You’ll participate in professional development activities such as resume workshops, brown-bag lunches with senior officials, and organised tours of key Washington, D.C. landmarks. You’ll gain workplace skills in analysis, project coordination, and interdepartmental communication while contributing to the Department’s mission.
10. Library of Congress High School Summer Internship (Virtual and/or Onsite)
Cost: Unpaid; students may arrange for community service credit or internship hours through their school (up to 60 hours confirmed by the Library)
Location in Washington: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (hybrid format with virtual sessions and optional weekly onsite participation)
Dates: June 23 – July 17
Application Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Current high school students aged 16+ with an interest in libraries, museums, research, writing, youth engagement, and public programming
This 4-week internship places you in the Office of the Librarian’s Informal Learning Office to serve as a teen advisory member for upcoming Library of Congress projects. You’ll help develop and create content to support family and youth engagement in a new experiential exhibition space opening at the Library. Assignments include researching and recommending collection materials, advising on teen program models, and contributing feedback on the design of new interactive learning spaces. You’ll also gain exposure to careers within the Library of Congress, practice research and presentation skills, and collaborate with peers in a hybrid virtual/onsite setting. Deliverables include advisory input on exhibitions, materials, and youth outreach programs, offering a hands-on introduction to public-facing business and cultural project development in a national institution.
11. Organisational Leadership 5-Week Virtual Summer Research Experience – Stevens School of Business
Cost: $1,500
Location in Washington: Virtual
Dates: July 7 – August 11
Application Deadline: March 1 (notifications on April 15)
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
This five-week virtual research experience focuses on core management concepts, including organisational leadership, corporate culture, ethics, social responsibility, and strategic communication. You’ll work through asynchronous weekly modules and participate in live office hours with professors and mentors to discuss research and real-world case studies. The program emphasises applied learning, allowing you to explore leadership principles while building analytical, communication, and decision-making skills essential to business careers. With its research-based format, it offers a strong foundation for future studies in business, management, or entrepreneurship.
12. Smithsonian – Office of Public Affairs Internship
Cost: Paid (stipend provided)
Location in Washington: Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (Hybrid with some in-person work)
Dates: Spring (January – April; part-time 20–30 hours/week)
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: U.S. citizens; high school students with strong communication skills; preference for those with interest in communications, PR, or business-related fields
In this part-time, paid internship, you’ll work with the Smithsonian’s central Office of Public Affairs to gain practical experience in communications, media relations, and internal business processes. Your projects may include drafting press releases, creating social media content, conducting research for outreach, and coordinating with media professionals. You’ll also learn how a major cultural institution manages its brand, messaging, and public engagement on a national scale. You will receive mentorship from communications and business operations professionals while building a portfolio of real-world work. The hybrid format combines virtual work with in-person visits to Smithsonian museums and offices in Washington, D.C..
13. Smithsonian – Office of Advancement Internship Program
Cost: Paid (stipend provided)
Location in Washington: Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (Hybrid or virtual options available)
Dates: Varies by project; offered year-round
Application Deadline: Rolling; deadlines listed per project in SOLAA
Eligibility: Open to high school graduates (up to 2 years post-graduation), undergraduates, graduate students, and career changers with less than two years of advancement experience. No citizenship requirement
This paid internship offers a professional entry point into fundraising, development strategy, and business communications at one of the largest cultural institutions in the world. You will gain experience in donor relations, campaign planning, strategic communications, and event coordination while working alongside advancement professionals. You’ll build business skills in marketing, project management, and stakeholder engagement while contributing to high-profile Smithsonian initiatives. The program emphasises diversity and mentorship, giving interns access to seasoned professionals and real-world projects that shape the Smithsonian’s funding and growth strategies.
14. U.S. Senate Page Program
Cost: Paid (annual salary basis; prorated for length of service)
Location in Washington: U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.
Dates: Varies by session (Spring, Summer, Fall)
Application Deadline: Varies by sponsoring senator; typically several months before the session starts
Eligibility: U.S. citizens; must be 16 or 17 years old; meet a 3.0 GPA minimum; must be sponsored by a U.S. Senator
The U.S. Senate Page Program places high school students at the heart of legislative operations in Washington, D.C. Pages are responsible for delivering legislative materials, preparing the Senate Chamber, assisting with roll call votes, and supporting senators and staff during debates. You’ll gain experience in communications, operations, and administration while developing critical business skills like time management, professional correspondence, and logistical planning. Pages live and work in the nation’s capital, attend early-morning classes, and network directly with top government and policy leaders. Field trips, mentoring, and exposure to the inner workings of the Senate provide unparalleled insight into leadership and organisational management at a national level.