15 Free Online Courses for Middle School Students
If you are looking for free online courses for middle school students, you now have more options than ever to explore academic subjects, coding, business, design, and artificial intelligence from home.
What do free online courses for middle schoolers involve?
These programs allow you to explore interests at your own pace without the financial barriers often associated with enrichment programs. Some courses include mentorship opportunities, peer collaboration, or interactive communities where you can connect with learners from around the world.
Why take free online courses in middle school?
Whether you are interested in computer science, entrepreneurship, engineering, or creative subjects, online courses can help you apply what you learn in school to real projects and challenges. Participating in free online courses for middle school students can also strengthen your future high school and college applications by showing initiative and intellectual curiosity.
If you want flexible ways to learn outside the classroom, these 15 free online courses for middle school students are worth exploring. For related opportunities, check out our guides on 30 business ideas for middle school students and how to start a business in middle school.
Quick Look
All 15 courses are free, ranging from self-paced platforms (Code.org, CMU CS Academy, Drawspace) to live mentorship-based programs (Junior Innovator Program, Stanford SMSSP)
6 courses focused on coding or computer science: Code.org AI for Oceans, MyCS, Kode With Klossy, CMU CS Academy, Applied Digital Skills, and Python Basics
1 program focused specifically on business or entrepreneurship: the Junior Innovator Program, a virtual incubator with one-on-one mentorship
4 self-paced courses with no live instruction at all: Drawspace, CMU CS Academy, Applied Digital Skills, and Python Basics, all available year-round with no application required
3 courses with selective admissions: Stanford SMSSP (low-income students, grades 6-7), Junior Innovator Program, and Lumiere's Junior Explorer Program
Best for building a portfolio or credential: Fundamentals of Journalism and Applied Digital Skills both offer digital credentials upon completion
15 Free Online Courses for Middle School Students
1. Scientific Enrichment Month (SEM) Program
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open registration until capacity is reached
Dates: July 1 – July 29
Application Deadline: Registration closes once the program reaches capacity
Eligibility: Middle school and undergraduate students may participate if interested
The Scientific Enrichment Month (SEM) program is a free virtual summer program offered by the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Designed primarily for high school students, the month-long program introduces you to topics in cancer research, public health, and scientific careers through interactive lectures and discussions. Sessions cover areas such as cancer prevention, health inequities, environmental health, and oncology research, alongside professional development workshops on resume writing, college applications, interviewing, and public speaking. You can also participate in public health working groups focused on issues like HPV vaccination, tobacco prevention, nutrition, and skin cancer awareness, with opportunities to earn community service hours.
2. Junior Innovator Program
Location: 100% virtual, with one-on-one mentorship and interactive events
Cost: Varies by program; need-based financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Flexible start dates; vary by cohort
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Open to middle school students
The Junior Innovator Program is a virtual entrepreneurship incubator program where you develop an actual project that solves a problem you care about. Over the course of the program, you take your idea from curiosity to creation by applying principles of entrepreneurship, pitching, and business thinking in a structured, hands-on setting. You work through one-on-one mentorship sessions that cover ideation, market thinking, and foundational business concepts, while also participating in fireside chats, remote socials, and group discussions with a global cohort of student founders. Throughout the experience, you receive mentorship from entrepreneurs and professionals with backgrounds at organizations such as Google, Microsoft, and McKinsey, helping you understand how innovation and venture-building work in practice. You refine your communication and leadership skills by presenting your project and incorporating feedback from peers and mentors.
3. Code.org Online AI Courses - AI for Oceans
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Dates: Learn any time
Application Deadline: NA
Eligibility: Varies as per the course
Code.org AI Courses for Middle School Students are free, online, and designed to help you explore artificial intelligence even if you're new to coding. Created by engineers from Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, these courses use interactive videos and hands-on activities to teach you how AI works and how it's used to solve real-world problems. You learn basic concepts like machine learning, ethical AI, and how to design a simple AI app. You also build problem-solving and coding skills while thinking creatively about how technology can improve healthcare, education, and the environment.
4. Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies | Financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies based on cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8
Lumiere’s Junior Explorers Program is a selective online research experience for middle school students, designed to build advanced academic writing and research skills. You begin by selecting a subject area, such as STEM, humanities, or social sciences, and are matched with a PhD-level mentor from a top university. Over the course of the program, you receive a structured introduction to your chosen field, then design and carry out an independent research project focused on a real-world question. To strengthen your writing and analytical abilities, you conclude the program by producing a formal research paper that presents your findings.
5. MyCS: Computer Science for Beginners
Location: Online
Cost: Free to audit; paid certificate option available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Self-paced archived course; future dates to be announced
Application Deadline: No formal application deadline listed
Eligibility: Open to learners of all ages; especially suitable for middle and high school students with basic math knowledge and no prior programming experience
MyCS: Computer Science for Beginners is an introductory online computer science course offered by edX in partnership with Harvey Mudd College. The course introduces you to foundational computer science concepts, including algorithms, computational thinking, and how computers process information. You also learn basic programming in Scratch, a beginner-friendly visual programming language for creating interactive projects and animations. Designed for students with no prior coding experience, the course combines creative problem-solving exercises with hands-on programming assignments.
6. Kode With Klossy Summer Camps
Location: Virtual globally; select in-person locations including Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago, Oakland, Washington DC, San Francisco, Seattle, London, and New York
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly specified
Dates: Multiple sessions from June 1 – August 14
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Young women and gender-expansive teens ages 13–18; no prior coding experience required
Kode With Klossy offers free two-week coding camps designed for high school students from traditionally underrepresented genders in STEM. The camps introduce you to technical subjects through hands-on projects and collaborative learning, with curriculum tracks in artificial intelligence, data science, and web development. Depending on the track, you may learn skills such as Python programming, machine learning concepts, SQL, data visualization, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and responsive web design. Camps are available virtually for students around the world, with some in-person opportunities in select cities.
7. Drawspace Drawing Courses
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Dates: Courses are self-paced and available year-round
Application Deadline: No application is required; just sign up.
Eligibility: All ages
Drawspace offers free and paid online courses for those keen to start learning to draw, as well as those with advanced-level skills. On enrollment, you will have unlimited access to the courses and can learn at your own pace. Children ages 11 - 13 can enroll for free in the Getting Started with Drawing course, which includes modules that will teach you to select the right graphite pencils and drawing supplies, how to make a storage portfolio, etc. The Introduction to Traditional Drawing is a 5-week drawing course that covers the basics of outlining and shading, with components including experimenting with pencil points and shading with tapering lines.
8. Stanford Middle School Scholars Program (SMSSP)
Location: Online
Cost: Tuition-free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly specified
Dates: Summer course: July 6 – 24 | Fall meetings: August 26 – December 9
Application Deadline: March 25
Eligibility: Low-income students in grades 6–7 who live and attend school in the United States
The Stanford Middle School Scholars Program (SMSSP) is an academic enrichment program offered by Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies at Stanford University. The program is designed to help middle school students prepare for rigorous high school coursework through a combination of a three-week online summer course and weekly online meetings during the fall semester. Students participate in non-credit academic enrichment activities that emphasize intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and study skills. The fully online format allows students from across the United States to participate without relocation or travel costs. SMSSP is specifically intended for academically motivated, low-income students who want additional academic support and enrichment before high school.
9. Lead4Change Leadership Program
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open access; used by over 28,000 educators
Dates: Flexible year-round program options
Application Deadline: No formal application deadline listed
Eligibility: Middle and high school students through participating in classrooms, clubs, or school programs
Lead4Change is a free leadership and social-emotional learning program designed for middle and high school students. The program provides flexible resources that can be used for a single class session, a week-long unit, or a semester-long curriculum focused on leadership development and community impact. Students explore topics such as teamwork, empathy, communication, emotional intelligence, and goal-setting through structured activities and service-learning projects. The semester-long curriculum also includes opportunities for students to design and implement community service initiatives, with some schools eligible to apply for small grant funding.
10. CMU CS Academy: Exploring Programming with Python
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open access; used by over 6,000 teachers and 605,000 students globally
Dates: Self-paced and flexible year-round access
Application Deadline: No formal application deadline listed
Eligibility: Middle and high school students; also suitable for camps and out-of-school programs
CMU CS Academy, developed by Carnegie Mellon University, offers a free introductory computer science curriculum focused on Python programming. The “Exploring Programming with Python” course is a lightweight introduction to coding that includes around 40 hours of instruction and interactive, graphics-based projects. Students learn foundational programming concepts while building visual and creative applications using Python. The curriculum is designed to support beginners and is commonly used in middle school classrooms, camps, and enrichment programs.
11. Causes of Climate Change
Location: Online
Cost: Free online course with free digital upgrade and certificate eligibility
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; over 26,000 learners enrolled
Dates: Self-paced with rolling enrollment
Application Deadline: No formal application deadline listed
Eligibility: Open to all learners
The Causes of Climate Change course is a three-week online program offered through FutureLearn by the University of Bergen and the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research. The course introduces students to the scientific processes underlying climate variability and change, including greenhouse gases, volcanic activity, solar radiation, and ocean heat transport. Students explore how climate systems respond to natural and human-driven factors while learning about feedback mechanisms and regional climate patterns. The program also examines historical climate changes to help learners better understand current environmental challenges.
12. Applied Digital Skills – Back to School Learning Paths
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Self-paced and available year-round
Application Deadline: No formal application deadline listed
Eligibility: Middle and high school students, educators, and beginner learners interested in digital and technology skills
Google for Education offers Applied Digital Skills, a free collection of short online learning activities focused on digital literacy, productivity, and introductory technology concepts. The “Back to School” learning paths include beginner-friendly projects such as creating presentations, organizing schedules, designing digital posters, using Google Sheets, and exploring introductory concepts in artificial intelligence. Most activities take around 45 minutes to complete and are designed to help students build practical technology and communication skills through hands-on projects. Students can also earn digital credentials for completing individual modules.
13. Fundamentals of Journalism Course
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; over 3,000 learners enrolled
Dates: Self-paced and available year-round
Application Deadline: No formal application deadline listed
Eligibility: Open to anyone interested in journalism, including high school students and aspiring journalists
The Fundamentals of Journalism Course is a free online program offered by NBCU Academy that introduces students to the core principles of journalism and media storytelling. Through more than three hours of video lessons, readings, quizzes, and interactive scenarios, students learn about news reporting, journalism ethics, interviewing techniques, pitching stories, and newsroom practices. The course features instruction from journalists and anchors from the NBC News newsroom, giving students insight into professional reporting and storytelling processes. You can complete the eight modules in any order and earn a digital credential after finishing the course.
14. Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking
Location: Online
Cost: Free to audit; $209 for verified certificate
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: On-demand and self-paced
Application Deadline: No formal application deadline listed
Eligibility: Open to all learners
Harvard University offers Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking through the edX online learning platform. This eight-week course introduces students to persuasive communication by analyzing speeches and writings from influential public figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan. You learn how rhetorical techniques are used in writing and speech, while also practicing persuasive essays, opinion editorials, and short speeches. The course explores communication in politics, media, and social platforms, including discussions on generative AI and persuasion.
15. Python Basics
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: Free access available; paid certificate option through Coursera
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Self-paced and available year-round
Application Deadline: No formal application deadline listed
Eligibility: Open to beginners with no prior Python experience required; suitable for high school students interested in coding and computer science
The University of Michigan offers Python Basics as part of its Python 3 Programming Specialization on Coursera. This beginner-friendly online course introduces students to core Python programming concepts, including loops, conditional statements, strings, lists, and debugging techniques. You practice coding through hands-on exercises, including programming a digital Turtle to create visual drawings and animations. The course also teaches problem-solving and debugging strategies using reference diagrams and practical coding activities. Designed for learners new to programming, the four-module course requires approximately 28 hours to complete and can be taken entirely online at your own pace.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which free online courses are best for middle schoolers interested in business or entrepreneurship? The Junior Innovator Program is the most direct option, pairing you with one-on-one mentorship from professionals at companies like Google, Microsoft, and McKinsey as you build a real project from idea to pitch. It's a more structured, application-based alternative to the self-paced courses on this list, designed specifically for students who want to develop an actual venture rather than complete a fixed curriculum.
2. Which courses on this list require no application or signup process? Several courses are fully open access with no admissions process. Code.org's AI for Oceans, Drawspace, CMU CS Academy, the Causes of Climate Change course, Applied Digital Skills, the Fundamentals of Journalism Course, and Python Basics can all be started immediately by creating a free account. This makes them good starting points if you want to explore a subject before committing to a more selective, mentorship-based program like the Junior Innovator Program or Lumiere's Junior Explorer Program.
3. Are any of these free courses selective or competitive to get into? Yes, 3 programs on this list have selective admissions. The Stanford Middle School Scholars Program is restricted to low-income students in grades 6-7 who live and attend school in the US. The Junior Innovator Program and Lumiere's Junior Explorer Program are both mentorship-based and require an application, though financial aid is available for both. Most other courses on this list, including the coding and academic subject courses, have open enrollment with no competitive selection process.