If you are curious about the role that data plays when companies, governments, or researchers make decisions, enrolling in a data science program for high school students can be a great way to explore your interests early. In them, you will gain a basic understanding of coding, statistics, and data analysis, and also discover how they are used to solve real problems. In addition to learning theoretical aspects, you also complete projects where you use actual datasets to identify patterns and trends. This practical approach gives you an insight into what having a career in data science actually looks like before you even graduate high school.
Many of these programs offer components such as mentorship, team projects, and opportunities to present your work. You might collaborate with fellow participants to solve a social issue using data or work under the guidance of a professional who reviews your code and gives you feedback. While some programs are beginner-friendly and require zero coding knowledge, there are others that dive deeper into topics like machine learning, data visualization, or research.
Why should you choose a program in Washington?
Applying for a program in Washington can be especially beneficial as the state prides itself on having some of the biggest names in technology and research. Cities like Seattle and Redmond are home to companies like Microsoft and universities like the University of Washington and Seattle University that offer outreach programs for high schoolers like you. Attending a program in one such location ensures that you are in an environment where you are surrounded by professionals with a strong focus on tech and data science. This can even give you early exposure to industry practices, networking opportunities, and mentors who are already working in the field.
Besides, Washington offers various opportunities, including university-led programs, corporate internships, research opportunities, and fully virtual options, ensuring that every student can find something that suits their interests, budget, and schedule. The state gives importance to STEM education, and this emphasis has resulted in high school students having access to numerous learning opportunities. Given that there are many high-quality choices available, we have picked 15 data science programs for high school students in Washington so that you can take your next step towards a career in data science.
15 Data Science Programs for High School Students in Washington
1. SPARK Summer Mentorship Program
Location: Virtual or in-person opportunities in Greater Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: Free with stipends provided
Dates: 6 – 10 weeks between June and August
Application Deadline: Mentorship projects are announced in March; Applications for these projects are accepted in April
Eligibility: 9th to 12th graders who are US citizens or permanent residents
Students selected for the SPARK Summer Mentorship Program after a rigorous selection process will be paired with an industry professional in the field of their interest to complete a mentored project. Over the years, the program has offered projects across fields such as data science, biology, engineering, healthcare, chemistry, and many more. By involving you in a project, SPARK aims to enhance your personal and professional growth. In addition to a hands-on understanding of your desired field, the program offers other components such as industry insights, career exploration, skills development, and more.
2. Changemakers in Computing
Location: University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: Free with stipends provided
Dates: July 6 – 30
Application Deadline: March 4 – April 1
Eligibility: 10th and 11th-graders who reside in Washington State and are enrolled in high school there
Organized by the University of Washington’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering (the Allen School), this summer program is catered to students with an interest in computer science, society, and justice. If selected for the program, you, along with other high school participants, will be paired with a UW undergrad who will teach you coding through projects. You will also explore the different aspects of computing and the effect that technology can have on society. Given that this is a beginner-level program that requires no coding skills, it can be a good starting point for those interested in pursuing a career in computing or data science.
3. Young Data Scientists Quest
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: Self-Paced / Anytime
Application Deadline: Open all year round
Eligibility: 6th to 12th graders
Participating in the Young Data Scientists Quest can be one way to enhance your understanding of data science and gain the experience of being a data scientist. You will join the quest as part of a team that has to have 15 to 30 students and a minimum of one teacher. The team’s goal would be to come up with a solution for a real-world problem with the help of data science. You don’t necessarily need to have prerequisite knowledge of data science to participate. You will receive the required training through a five-week bootcamp that teaches everything from collecting to modeling the data.
4. Microsoft Discovery Program
Location: Opportunities available at Microsoft offices in Redmond, WA, and Atlanta, GA
Stipend: Stipends provided
Dates: July 13 – August 7 at the Redmond office
Application Deadline: Opens in early February and is reviewed on a rolling basis
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors who live and attend high school within 50 miles of Redmond, Washington; you should have completed a pre-calculus or equivalent course before the internship
In this four-week internship program, you will be working on a project as part of a team while you explore how technology companies make decisions regarding software, design, and product. You will have the opportunity to work alongside software engineers, product managers, and user experience designers from Microsoft, who will give you a better insight into working in technology companies. The Microsoft Discovery Program is a viable option if you are particularly considering a career in technology or data science.
5. AI for Equity
Location: Seattle University, Seattle, WA
Stipend: $1,500 (scholarships available)
Dates: July 12 – 17
Application Deadline: April 25
Eligibility: 9th to 12th graders from anywhere in the world
As a participant in the AI for Equity program, you will discover the different ways artificial intelligence is being used in criminal justice and how the two fields can be interlinked to one another. For this purpose, you will learn some of the important concepts in machine learning and how to use AI ethically. You will gain practice using AI to solve social problems and also test out the applications of different ML techniques on common datasets. The program will also host guest seminars by industry experts from the Seattle area.
6. AI4ALL at UW
Location: Remote or Paul G. Allen School, Seattle, Washington (varies each year)
Stipend: Free
Dates: September 8 – January 26
Application Deadline: July 31
Eligibility: Rising 11th graders, current 12th graders, and college freshmen from anywhere in the world
This is a 20-week workshop that introduces you to the field of data science. Over the course of your participation, you will be learning to analyze and interpret data. You will also take part in discussions where you discover how data science and machine learning are being used in the world. Through these discussions, you will become familiar with making technology-related decisions while keeping their impact in mind. You will be placed in small groups to encourage everyone’s participation in the discussions.
7. High School Intern Program at PNNL
Location: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA
Stipend: Varies by the internship
Dates: August – May for academic-year internships and June – August for summer internships
Application Deadline: Early February – June for academic-year internships and early February – March for summer internships. (You have to go to PNNL’s career page and search “High School” to find job openings suitable for you.)
Eligibility: High school students; certain roles are limited to those who are at least 18
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory opens its doors for high school students to join its teams and gain work experience across STEM and business fields. As someone interested in data science, you will also find internship opportunities in this particular discipline within PNNL. In addition to the work component, the program also hosts various workshops focusing on leadership, communication, and career growth. Students are also required to attend work-based learning programs in their school, for which they will gain elective credits.
8. The Coding School National High School Research Program: Data Science Track
Location: Virtual with live instructions
Cost/Stipend: $3,995 (limited need-based scholarships available)
Dates: June 29 – July 24
Application Deadline: The priority deadline is February 1, and the 2nd priority deadline is March 15
Eligibility: Rising 9th through 12th graders and rising college freshmen
If selected for The Coding School’s National High School Research Program, you will be working on your independent research project using real datasets and technical applications under the guidance of a mentor. The mentorship aspect ensures that you gain a couple of technical skills by the end of the program. In addition to adding your project to your portfolio for college applications, you will also have the opportunity to present it at the TCS National Research Symposium. The program also explores how data science plays a crucial role in other industries, such as medicine, finance, defense, media, and more.
9. AI: Building Brains with Deep Learning
Location: University of Washington Continuum College, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: $2,195 (limited financial aid available)
Dates: July 13 – 24
Application Deadline: The deadline is not publicly available, but UW recommends you register early, as there are limited spots
Eligibility: Students from ages 13 to 18
Part of the University of Washington Continuum College’s summer camps, this beginner-friendly program introduces you to deep learning and neural networks, making it suitable for students thinking of pursuing a career in data science. The program will teach you the process of using PyTorch to build and train models to complete different tasks. Some examples include sorting images, generating text, and so on. In the process of doing them, you will also develop a better understanding of how deep learning and neural networks are built and trained.
10. Girls Who Code: Pathways
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: June 29 – August 14
Application Deadline: February 27 (early); April 10 (general)
Eligibility: Girls and non-binary rising 9th-12th graders and graduating 12th graders (ages 14-18)
The Girls Who Code Pathways program is aimed at high school students with an interest in computer science, giving them the opportunity to explore disciplines such as data science, game design, AI, cybersecurity, and web development. Depending on the track you choose, you will spend six to seven weeks completing a project in your chosen subject area. Additionally, you will be invited to participate in corporate partnership and career discussion events, plus advisor-led workshops and other enrichment activities. The program ensures that you develop both computer and problem-solving skills through your participation.
11. University of Washington Summer Sessions
Location: University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: Varies by course and credits
Dates: June 22 – August 21 for a full term; June 22 – July 22 for only A term; and July 23 – August 21 for only B term
Application Deadline: February 2 – June 21 for the full term and the A Term; and February 2 – July 23 for the B Term
Eligibility: 9th to 12th graders from the US; Students under the age of 18 need to submit an Under 18 Notice and Acknowledgment with their and their parents’ or guardians’ signatures
The University of Washington lets high school students attend college-level classes as part of its summer sessions. It lets you see what college and the curriculum are like and what to expect when you enroll full-time, especially at UW. With the university offering more than a thousand courses across various disciplines, you will find that the computer science and engineering department offers Computer Science and Engineering Data Science (CSE D), which would be the best option for you with your interest in data science. More importantly, you earn transferable college credit upon successful completion of a course.
12. CSEdWeek
Location: Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: December 8 – 14
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Activities catered to high school students, but middle schoolers can also join the program
This is an annual week-long program typically conducted in December to encourage more students to pursue a career in computer science and related fields. The program introduces you to fundamental concepts in the subject and celebrates some of the contributions made to the field. Each year, the program focuses on a specific theme, and the most recent one was artificial intelligence. The cohort focused on the role that computer science plays in AI, while equipping the participants with the computational thinking and problem-solving skills required to develop AI tools.
13. UW Youth & Teen Programs: Introduction to Data Visualization
Location: Online via Zoom
Cost/Stipend: A non-refundable registration fee of $50 and a course fee of $895 (limited financial aid available)
Dates: June 29 – July 10
Application Deadline: Two weeks before the start of the course
Eligibility: Rising 9th through 12th graders with knowledge of Microsoft Excel
This introductory course on data visualization will teach you how to use the well-known data visualization tool, Tableau, to generate charts, graphs, maps, and other visual elements. In the process, you will gain practice in taking large datasets and turning them into visuals that are easy to understand. The syllabus will cover elements such as identifying the right design patterns, analyzing visualized data, integrating AI in Tableau, and many more. You will also be exposed to the different careers you can choose if you become skilled in data visualization.
14. UW Youth & Teen Programs: Introduction to Data Analysis
Location: Online via Zoom
Cost/Stipend: A non-refundable registration fee of $50 and a course fee of $995 (limited financial aid available)
Dates: August 10 – 21
Application Deadline: Two weeks before the start of the course
Eligibility: Rising 9th through 12th graders with familiarity with spreadsheets
The Introduction to Data Analytics course will provide you with training in collecting, cleaning, and analyzing data. As a result, you will also become familiar with identifying patterns and insights within the datasets. Following this, you will also learn to present the information in written, verbal, and visual formats that are both captivating and easy to understand. Additionally, the course will dive into topics such as descriptive statistics, using Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel for analysis, and more.
15. Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate
Location: Online via Coursera
Cost/Stipend: Free to audit
Dates: 6 months at 10 hours a week
Application Deadline: Open all year round
Eligibility: Open to high school students
If you would like to pursue a career in data analytics, then you should consider taking this data analytics course offered by Google. The program will teach you the process of clearing and organizing data so that it can be analyzed. You will then learn how to analyze the data with the help of spreadsheets, SQL, and Python. The ultimate goal of the program is to ensure that by the end of it, you have an in-depth understanding of what data analysts do in their jobs daily and the tools plus techniques they use.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
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