15 Best Writing Programs for High School Students

Key Takeaways

• These 15 programs cover a wide range of writing genres and formats, from journalism at the NYT Summer Academy and Princeton’s Summer Journalism Program to speculative fiction at Alpha and screenwriting at LMU.
• Program length varies considerably, from short one-week intensives like the Georgetown Creative Writing Academy to longer multi-week programs like the CSSSA Writing Program and Carnegie Mellon’s Writing and Culture Program.
• Costs range widely: Princeton’s Summer Journalism Program is completely free, while others, like the NYT Summer Academy and Carnegie Mellon’s program, run into the thousands, though most offer need-based financial aid.
• Many of these programs are workshop-based, giving you regular peer critique and one-on-one faculty feedback rather than a traditional lecture format, and several culminate in a public reading or literary publication.
• If you want a longer, mentored research experience that results in an independent paper rather than a creative writing workshop, Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs offer a mentored path toward a formal academic paper across 600+ specializations.

15 Best Writing Programs for High School Students

A program is a structured, time-bound experience that combines formal instruction, mentorship, and project-based learning. Unlike internships, which focus on contributing to an organization or workplace, programs are designed to help you develop subject-specific skills through workshops, assignments, and faculty guidance.

Writing is a discipline built on revision, critique, and repeated practice. Whether you are interested in fiction, poetry, journalism, screenwriting, or creative nonfiction, structured learning environments can help you understand how writing works at a technical level. The best writing programs for high school students provide opportunities to study narrative structure, editing methods, genre conventions, and the mechanics of publishing while working alongside peers and instructors. Depending on the program, you may produce a portfolio, receive a certificate of completion, or participate in public readings and publications.

What do the best writing programs for high school students include?

The best writing programs for high school students are typically workshop-based and focus on the entire writing lifecycle from idea generation to publication. You may spend time studying narrative architecture, point of view, scene construction, line editing, and revision strategies while analyzing published texts across multiple genres. Many programs incorporate peer critique sessions, manuscript workshops, and editorial conferences where you receive detailed feedback on drafts. You may also learn screenplay formatting, reporting techniques, literary analysis, interviewing methods, or digital storytelling practices. Some programs introduce students to publishing workflows, including literary magazines, submission guidelines, and editorial review processes. These experiences provide a practical understanding of how writers develop, revise, and share their work within academic and professional settings.

Below is a list of the 15 best writing programs for high school students based on curriculum depth, mentorship opportunities, and subject-specific training in writing and publishing. If you are specifically interested in journalism, you can also check out our guide to summer journalism programs for high school students here.

1. The New York Times Summer Academy

The NYC Summer Academy at The School of The New York Times is a pre-college summer program offering courses in journalism, creative writing, business, politics, technology, fashion, sports, science, and the arts. Each course combines classroom instruction with writing assignments, discussions, reporting exercises, and visits to organizations, cultural institutions, or newsrooms relevant to the subject. You can investigate contemporary issues, analyze primary sources, conduct interviews, and produce original work tailored to your chosen field of study. Faculty members, including journalists and industry professionals, provide feedback on your projects.

2. Princeton Summer Journalism Program

The Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP) is a yearlong college-preparation and journalism program for high school juniors interested in reporting, writing, and current affairs. The program begins with a multi-week hybrid summer intensive featuring workshops, lectures, reporting assignments, and discussions led by Princeton faculty, professional journalists, and program alumni. You can learn about current events, conduct interviews, report on local and national issues, produce digital content, and write original news and feature stories. You will also collaborate with others to report, edit, design, and publish the annual Princeton Summer Journal, gaining experience with the editorial process from story development to publication. Throughout the program, you will work one-on-one with a college adviser who provides guidance on college applications, essays, and admissions planning during senior year.

3. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP)

Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students in subjects such as data science, machine learning, political theory, and more! Horizon is one of the few research programs for high school students that offers you the choice to engage in either quantitative or qualitative research. Once you select a particular subject track, Horizon pairs you with a professor/PhD scholar who acts as a mentor throughout your research journey. As a participant, you will be expected to develop a 20-page research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student. The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student and detailed project feedback you can use to improve future projects. Apply here!

4. California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) Writing Program

The California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) Writing Program is a pre-professional creative writing program for high school students exploring fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and dramatic writing. You will begin with workshops in each genre before selecting a Focus Class to study one form of writing in greater depth. Published authors, editors, and literary agents lead guest workshops and conversations on revision, publishing, and the creative process, while weekly office hours provide opportunities for individual feedback from faculty. Saturday Colloquium sessions bring the entire writing cohort together to share new work, respond to writing prompts, and discuss literature and writing as a community. You can also submit your work to the CSSSA Literary Anthology, an annual publication featuring writing produced during the program.

5. Yale Young Writers’ Workshop

The Yale Young Writers’ Workshop is an intensive creative writing program for high school students that offers small, genre-based workshops in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Before the program begins, you are required to read a contemporary novel alongside a selection of poems and essays that become the focus of class discussions throughout the week. Workshops revolve around close reading, discussions of craft, and detailed critiques of student writing, with time set aside for revision and independent writing. The schedule also includes author readings, craft talks, and writing exercises inspired by Yale’s museums. Evenings are reserved for readings, open mics, and other community events that bring participants together outside the classroom.

6. Camp Cronkite

Camp Cronkite covers reporting, news writing, interviewing, and storytelling across print and digital media. You will learn how to identify compelling stories, interview sources, verify information, and write news and feature articles using journalistic standards of accuracy and fairness. As a participant, you will receive editorial feedback from faculty, media professionals, and current journalism students. Elective workshops offer opportunities to explore feature writing, podcast scripting, social media storytelling, and other forms of digital communication.

7. Sarah Lawrence Writer’s Week

The Sarah Lawrence Writers Week is a week-long creative writing program for high school students that combines writing workshops with theatre-based storytelling. You will get to experiment across genres, including poetry, memoir, speculative fiction, romance, flash fiction, and novel writing, while responding to generative prompts and discussing contemporary and classic literature in small workshops led by MFA Writing students. The Writer’s Theatre gives you the opportunity to explore improvisation, screenwriting, playwriting, comedy sketch writing, musical songwriting, and other performance-based approaches to storytelling. You will also get to attend mini-workshops, guest author talks, faculty readings, and one-on-one interactions with workshop leaders.

8. LMU Beginning Screenwriting Program

The Beginning Screenwriting program at Loyola Marymount University is a two-week summer course that introduces high school students to the fundamentals of writing for film and television. Professional screenwriters and LMU faculty will guide discussions on story structure, character development, dialogue, descriptive action, screenplay formatting, and genre. Analytical screenings of classic and contemporary films allow you to examine how screenplays translate to the screen and spark conversations about storytelling and the film industry. You will visit a local film or television studio to learn more about the production process. Throughout the program, you will write and revise an original screenplay, applying the techniques explored in class to produce a completed short script.

9. 92Y Unterberg Poetry Center Young Writers Workshop

The 92NY Young Writers Workshop is a creative writing program where you spend time writing fiction, poetry, memoir, and personal essays. You can read work by other writers, try different writing exercises, and discuss your own pieces with a small group of fellow students. Faculty members lead workshops on craft and revision, while individual conferences give you time to discuss your writing and receive feedback. The program also includes readings by contemporary authors and conversations about writing and publishing.

10. Kenyon Review: Young Writers Residential Workshop

The Kenyon Review Young Writers Summer Residential Workshops are two-week creative writing programs for high school students centered on fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Small-group workshops are the heart of the program, where you can share your writing, discuss published work, and revise pieces with guidance from experienced instructors. The schedule also includes craft talks, readings by visiting authors, and conversations about the writing process. During individual conferences, you will discuss works in progress with faculty members and receive feedback on specific aspects of your writing. The program concludes with a public reading where you will share selected pieces with the workshop community.

11. Reynolds Young Writers Workshop

The Reynolds Young Writers Workshop at Denison University is an eight-day residential creative writing program for high school students interested in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Morning workshops bring together a small group of writers to read one another’s work, exchange critiques, and discuss techniques that apply across genres. Afternoon craft classes explore topics ranging from point of view and narrative structure to imagery and voice, with writing exercises, assigned readings, and discussions led by Denison faculty and visiting authors. Individual conferences will give you dedicated time to discuss works in progress and receive personalized feedback on your writing, while evening author readings and a museum excursion extend conversations beyond the classroom.

12. Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies’ Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, and Poetry

The Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, and Poetry course in the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes is an online summer course that examines three major forms of creative writing within a single curriculum. Fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction will be studied side by side, allowing you to compare how each genre approaches voice, character, imagery, structure, and narrative. Published works will serve as the basis for literary analysis before those techniques are applied to your own writing in class discussions and creative exercises. You will work on short writing assignments, discussions, and other activities.

13. Alpha – The Young Writers Workshop

The Alpha Young Writers Workshop is a residential creative writing program in speculative fiction, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, and other imaginative genres. You will study elements of speculative storytelling such as worldbuilding, character, plot, and point of view while reading and discussing works by established authors in the genre. Writing workshops focus on original stories, peer feedback, and conversations about craft with instructors who are experienced speculative fiction writers. Guest authors, editors, and publishing professionals also discuss their careers, the publishing process, and the changing landscape of speculative fiction.

14. Georgetown University Creative Writing Academy

The Creative Writing Academy at Georgetown University is a one-week summer program for high school students to study poetry, fiction, and personal prose while examining the techniques that shape effective storytelling. Discussions on literary form, character, dialogue, theme, and description are paired with writing exercises where you will experiment with different genres and styles. Published authors lead readings and interactive conversations, while graduate student instructors guide workshop sessions and provide feedback on works in progress. Off-campus excursions include a responsive writing activity at the National Gallery of Art and writing prompts at locations across Washington, D.C. The program also examines publishing opportunities, careers in creative writing, and undergraduate study in the field.

15. Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Writing and Culture Program

The Writing & Culture program at Carnegie Mellon University covers storytelling across creative writing, film, and visual media. The curriculum follows the evolution of an idea as it moves between poetry, short fiction, visual storytelling, screenwriting, and film production, allowing you to consider how different forms shape the same narrative. Class sessions include readings, film discussions, writing assignments, museum visits, and visits to Pittsburgh cultural institutions. You will work with Carnegie Mellon faculty on writing projects and discussions related to culture, communication, and the humanities. The program also includes sessions on college application essays, résumé writing, and careers in writing, film, and digital humanities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of writing programs are available to high school students?
You’ll find a mix of genres and formats, including journalism-focused programs like Princeton’s Summer Journalism Program and Camp Cronkite, fiction and poetry workshops like the Yale Young Writers’ Workshop and the Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop, and specialized tracks like LMU’s Beginning Screenwriting Program and Alpha’s speculative fiction workshop. Programs like the NYT Summer Academy and Georgetown’s Creative Writing Academy let you explore multiple genres within a single curriculum rather than committing to just one form.

Do you need prior writing experience to apply?
Most of these programs don’t require prior formal writing experience, since they’re designed to teach craft and technique from workshop-style instruction. That said, some, like the Yale Young Writers’ Workshop, require you to complete reading assignments before the program starts, and competitive programs generally look for demonstrated interest and strong academic writing samples in the application itself.

Are there free or low-cost options available?
Yes, Princeton’s Summer Journalism Program is completely free and specifically designed for students with financial need, using income-based eligibility criteria. Most other programs on this list charge tuition ranging from around $900 to over $9,000, though many, including Yale’s Young Writers’ Workshop, the Ross Mathematics-adjacent CSSSA Writing Program, and Carnegie Mellon’s Writing and Culture Program, offer need-based financial aid.

Which programs focus specifically on journalism rather than creative writing?

If journalism is your main interest, the NYT Summer Academy, Princeton’s Summer Journalism Program, and Camp Cronkite are the most directly relevant options, covering reporting, interviewing, and news writing rather than fiction or poetry. Princeton’s program stands out further by including a year-long college advising component alongside its journalism curriculum.

Which programs let you explore speculative fiction, screenwriting, or other specialized genres?
If you’re looking for something beyond traditional fiction, poetry, or journalism, Alpha’s Young Writers Workshop focuses specifically on speculative fiction genres like fantasy, science fiction, and horror, and LMU’s Beginning Screenwriting Program introduces you to writing for film and television. Sarah Lawrence’s Writer’s Week also incorporates theatre-based storytelling, including playwriting and musical songwriting, if you want to combine writing with performance.

Is there a way to pursue independent research beyond a creative writing program?
Yes. If you’re looking for a competitive, mentored research program beyond a creative writing workshop, Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs lets you engage in advanced research and develop a 20-page research paper on a subject of your choosing, with guidance from a professor or PhD scholar. The program also provides a letter of recommendation and detailed feedback, and covers over 600 research specializations. You can find the application here.

When should you apply?
Deadlines for these programs are spread throughout the year, so it helps to plan ahead. Georgetown’s Creative Writing Academy has an early bird deadline of January 31, followed by Princeton’s Summer Journalism Program (January 26) and Carnegie Mellon’s Writing and Culture Program (February 1 early, March 1 final). Several others cluster in March, including the Kenyon Review Workshop and Alpha (both March 1), and CSSSA’s Writing Program (February 28). Horizon, by contrast, has multiple deadlines throughout the year across its Spring, Summer, and Fall cohorts, giving you more flexibility if you miss an earlier cutoff.

Image source: Yale University