Top AI & STEM Summer Camps in the Bay Area - 2027 Picks

This guide covers the Bay Area's best AI camps, LEGO robotics camps, and hands-on science programs for elementary through high school kids. Details reflect the 2026 season, so check each camp for current dates and prices. Whether you're looking for a serious competition track or a first taste of engineering, there's something here for every age and budget.

How to choose the right Bay Area STEM camp

Not sure how much screen time a camp involves? It varies more than you'd think — a robotics camp built around LEGO Spike or Arduino is mostly hands-on building, while a game design or Scratch camp is almost entirely screen-based. If that distinction matters to your family, our guide on choosing coding and robotics programs with the least screen time breaks it down in detail — and most of what applies to year-round programs applies to camps too.

1. Start with what your child already likes. Use the finder table below to match an interest, such as AI and coding, lab science or LEGO engineering, to a starting camp in your region.
2. Match the depth to your child's age. Younger kids do well with play-based options like STEMful (ages 3–10) or Play-Well TEKnologies (K–5). High schoolers can look at pre-college programs, some of which, like UC Berkeley ATDP, require transcripts and teacher recommendations.
3. Ask what your child will finish by the end of the week. A finished project, working robot or deployable program is the clearest quality signal at any price.
4. Book lottery and popular camps early. Tinkering School fills via lottery, and prices and dates change each season, so confirm them directly with each camp.

Quick STEM camp finder by interest — Bay Area 2026

🏆 = independently verified top-rated based on Bay Area Parent poll, Birdeye, and AIFunLab parent interviews. Prices are weekly estimates from the 2026 season — verify directly with each program. Looking for year-round options? See our coding and robotics programs directory.

Prefer year-round over summer only? Browse our coding and robotics classes or find summer camp financial aid.

Camps marked 🏆 are independently verified as top-rated based on Bay Area Parent poll results, Yelp, and AIFunLab parent interviews across forums and review platforms.

Not what you are looking for? Top Summer camps → By city, age, and interest · Overnight → Best Overnight Camps · Family camps → Sleepaway near Yosemite · Financial aid → Bay Area Summer Camp Financial Aid · See top-reviewed after-school, coding & robotics, math classes & camps

San Francisco STEM camps

Want a year-round SF coding program? See our coding and robotics classes.

Celsius and Beyond

• Ages: 7–14
• Location: Presidio · Richmond · Mission
• Cost: $650–$825/week
• Parents describe this as the "antithesis of a daycare camp." Real microscopes and chemicals, not toys. Highly praised for treating kids like actual scientists.

Tinkering School

• Ages: 7–17
• Location: The Presidio
• Cost: $850–$950/week
• Real drills and saws. Parents highlight emotional growth alongside technical confidence. Fills via lottery — register early.

STEMful

• Ages: 3–10
• Location: Bernal Heights · Mission
• Cost: $400–$700/week
• Gentle introduction to STEM. Sensory play meets foundational concepts like gravity and magnetism. Neighborhood favorite for young kids.

Camp Tech Revolution

• Ages: 7–14
• Location: SFSU campus
• Cost: $750–$1,050/week
• AI, Roblox, and coding tracks. Better as a tech sampler than a deep-dive program.

Looking for camps near you? Use the menu on the right to jump to your region — San Francisco, South Bay, Peninsula, East Bay, or Tri-Valley.

Parent tip

If summer feels too far away, many of the same organizations run after-school programs and weekend STEM events throughout the school year — a great way to test your child's interest before committing to a full camp week.

On mobile? Scroll down to find dedicated sections for each area, plus a special list of overnight STEM camps for high school students. Don't overlook the community side either — Bay Area families have access to things most parents never stumble across, like free Stanford engineering workshops and museum STEM days that quietly fill up every season.

South Bay STEM camps

FutureBytes also runs year-round classes — see coding and robotics programs. Looking for overnight options? See best overnight summer camps Bay Area.

Club SciKidz Silicon Valley

• Ages: 4–15
• Location: San Jose · Santa Clara · Mountain View
• Cost: $550–$700/week
• Best for niche science themes — veterinary science, space, chemistry — beyond generic coding.

Tech Interactive

• Ages: 4–15
• Location: San Jose
• Cost: $700–$800/week
• 1:5 staff-to-camper ratio. Includes IMAX Dome Theater. One of the most popular South Bay options.

FutureBytes

• Ages: 7–14
• Location: Santa Clara · Los Altos
• Cost: $650+/week · $110+/day
• 5-star rated, 156+ reviews. Buy-by-the-day with auto refunds. ActivityHero Best Business Award 6 years running. Tiered approach keeps kids challenged.
• Also operates in SF and Peninsula — check futurebytes.tech for current schedule.

Camp Captivate

• Ages: 6–12
• Location: Santa Clara · Cupertino
• Cost: $500–$800/week
• Creative STEAM themes. Better suited for variety and fun than deep technical rigor.

SHC Summer Institute

• Ages: 8–14
• Location: Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, San Francisco
• Cost: $525/week
• One-week enrichment courses and sports academies run by private school staff. Balances fun with structure.

Also in South Bay: Applied Computing Foundation · TechKnowHow · CodeWizardsHQ

Not what you are looking for?

Top Summer camps → By city, age, and interest · Overnight → Best Overnight Camps · Family camps → Sleepaway near Yosemite · Financial aid → Bay Area Summer Camp Financial Aid · See top-reviewed after-school, coding & robotics, math classes & camps

Peninsula STEM camps

Planning a longer break? See top family sleepaway camps near Yosemite or find summer camp financial aid.

Hiller Aviation Museum

• Ages: 5–13
• Location: San Carlos
• Cost: $550–$725/week
• Drone and flight sim tracks highly praised. Starlab (younger kids) can feel repetitive after year two — best as a one-off specialized experience.

Destination Science

• Ages: 6–14
• Location: Burlingame · Palo Alto
• Cost: ~$600/week
• Kids bring home hands-on projects. Recent feedback notes high student-to-teacher ratios and reliance on teen helpers.

Play-Well TEKnologies

• Ages: K–5
• Location: Peninsula · South Bay · East Bay community sites
• Cost: $250–$500/week
• Focus on physics and engineering without being academic. Most affordable multi-region option.

Also in Peninsula: Camp Galileo · iD Tech · FutureBytes

East Bay STEM camps

Looking for overnight camps near the East Bay? See best overnight summer camps Bay Area.

Lawrence Hall of Science

• Ages: 4–14
• Location: UC Berkeley
• Cost: $625–$950/week
• Best for hard science — lab-based, planetarium access, research-style activities. If your child wants recess and games, this is not the camp. Limited parking at drop-off.

UC Berkeley ATDP

• Ages: K–High school
• Location: Point Richmond (K–6) · UC Berkeley main campus (grades 7–11)
• Cost: $750–$1,320
• Requires transcripts and teacher recommendations. Significantly more affordable than private pre-college programs. Students return year after year.

Tinker Coop

• Ages: 8–14
• Location: Berkeley · Oakland
• Cost: $600–$850/week
• East Bay's answer to Tinkering School. High instructor-to-child ratio. Parents love the organized chaos that leads to wooden and electronic inventions.

Chabot Space & Science Center

• Ages: 6–14
• Location: Oakland
• Cost: $500–$700/week
• Astronomy and physics focus. Telescope observation and immersive programs. Fun-first — not academically rigorous.

Firecracker Math

• Ages: 6–16
• Location: Oakland · Berkeley · Lafayette
• Cost: $500–$650/week
• Parents of kids who love puzzles say it is magic. Parents of kids who struggle with math say it feels too much like extra school.

Mad Science

• Ages: 5–12
• Location: Fremont
• Cost: $400–$600/week
• Best for early elementary. Focused on engagement rather than depth.

Tri-Valley STEM camps

Also serving Tri-Valley: Engineering For Kids, Camp Galileo, TechKnowHow — see South Bay section above. For family overnight options see top family sleepaway camps near Yosemite or find summer camp financial aid.

Quest Science Center

• Ages: High school (9th–12th grade)
• Location: Las Positas College, Livermore
• Cost: ~$800/week
• Inquiry-based; "failing and iterating" focus. Best local Tri-Valley option for families avoiding the commute to South Bay or Berkeley.

Also serving Tri-Valley: Engineering For Kids · Camp Galileo · TechKnowHow — Camp Galileo is a popular choice here.

Camp Galileo

• The Vibe: A massive favorite in the region for high-energy camp spirit and open-ended maker projects.
• The catch: It can easily feel like a creative crafting camp rather than hard science, especially for younger kids. Because it is heavily staffed by enthusiastic college students, it lacks deep technical instruction for advanced STEM students looking for a challenge.

TechKnowHow

• The Vibe: The premier local alternative for pure mechanical engineering and structural design.
• The catch: The curriculum is entirely LEGO-based. While fantastic for spatial design and spatial engineering, a child who isn't a dedicated LEGO builder will likely hit a ceiling or lose interest quickly.

Engineering For Kids

• The Vibe: A great broad-spectrum option covering everything from aerospace to chemical engineering.
• The catch: As a national corporate franchise, the pacing can feel rigid and classroom-like, relying on step-by-step worksheets. It lacks the dynamic, free-play "camp magic" and high-energy social atmosphere found at Galileo.

High school and pre-college STEM programs

High school = grades 9–12. Prices below are per program unless noted. For residential overnight options see best overnight summer camps Bay Area.

For year-round high school coding classes see coding and robotics programs. Prices are from the 2026 season, the most recent each camp has published, and we last checked them in October 2026. Camps have raised their rates every year we have tracked them, so budget for 2027 being higher. We update this guide as 2027 rates appear.

Veritas AI

• Ages: High school
• Location: Online / Palo Alto
• Cost: $2,290–$7,900
• PhD mentors from Stanford and MIT. Parents of students with zero prior experience report strong portfolio outcomes. Most personalized high school AI option in the Bay Area.

Stanford AI4All

• Ages: Rising 10th grade
• Location: Stanford University
• Cost: $4,120 (online) – $9,800 (residential, some financial aid available)
• Best for research exposure over coding skills. Parents view it as a prestige program.

UC Berkeley ATDP

• Ages: Grades 7–11
• Location: UC Berkeley main campus
• Cost: $750–$1,320
• Equivalent rigor to private pre-college programs at a fraction of the cost. Requires teacher recommendations and transcripts.

Berkeley Coding Academy

• Ages: High school
• Location: UC Berkeley
• Cost: $1,500–$3,200
• College-level Python and data science intensity. Best for academically confident students.

Inspirit AI

• Ages: High school
• Location: Stanford / SF / Online
• Cost: $1,200–$3,800
• Strong Ivy League branding. Some parents prefer Veritas AI for more personalized research depth.

Stanford Pre-Collegiate

• Ages: High school
• Location: Stanford University
• Cost: $3,000–$8,000+
• Closest format to a real university course. Highly rigorous and selective.

Digital Media Academy

• Ages: 12–18
• Location: Stanford University
• Cost: $1,800+/week
• Good for exploring multiple tech tracks. Lacks the mentorship depth of Veritas AI or the research prestige of Stanford AI4All.

FAQ

Which Bay Area AI and coding camps are best for high school students?

• Veritas AI — PhD mentors from Stanford and MIT, real portfolio output; parents of complete beginners report solid results
• Stanford AI4All — research exposure over coding skills; financial aid available for the residential track
• UC Berkeley ATDP — matches private pre-college rigor at a fraction of the cost; requires teacher recommendations and transcripts

Browse all high school options on our Bay Area programs page.

How are expensive STEM coding and robotics camps different from lower-cost options?

Price does not reliably predict quality:

• Applied Computing Foundation ($300–$500/week) outperforms many pricier camps for technical kids and feeds directly into FIRST LEGO League competition
• TechKnowHow wins Bay Area Parent poll awards year after year at mid-range pricing
• The clearest quality signal at any price point: does the camp produce a finished project, working robot, or deployable program by end of week?

What coding camp is fun for children and builds logical thinking?

• Tinkering School (SF Presidio) — real drills and saws, full-scale projects, genuine problem-solving confidence; fills via lottery so register early
• Applied Computing Foundation — channels competitive energy into robotics builds that qualify for FIRST LEGO League
• Play-Well TEKnologies — large-scale LEGO engineering for younger kids, no academic pressure

All three build logical thinking through making, not screens. For year-round options that keep the momentum going, see our after-school and weekend STEM programs.

How much screen time do these kinds of summer camps involve?

Hardware-focused camps built around LEGO Spike, VEX IQ, Arduino, or Raspberry Pi are mostly physical building and sensor work — kids are on their feet, not at a desk. Game design and Scratch-based coding camps sit at the other end of the spectrum. Want a free test run before booking a week? Try a short ScratchJr basketball game at home.

If screen time matters to you — and it should — our guide on choosing coding and robotics programs with the least screen time gives you a practical framework for evaluating any program, camp or otherwise.

Are there free or low-cost STEM camps in the Bay Area?

Yes, a few. Play-Well TEKnologies runs $250–$500 a week, Applied Computing Foundation $300–$500, and Code Ninjas $300–$600 (2026 prices). For free options, watch for Stanford engineering workshops and museum STEM days during the school year; they fill up every season. Between those, our no-prep STEM activities use paper, cardboard and kitchen items you already have.

How much do Bay Area STEM summer camps cost?

Most elementary and middle school STEM day camps cost $400–$950 a week (2026 prices). Budget picks start at $250 a week (Play-Well), while iD Tech runs $1,199–$1,500. High school pre-college programs range from $750 (UC Berkeley ATDP) to $9,800 (Stanford AI4All residential).

What age can kids start a STEM camp in the Bay Area?

As young as 3. STEMful in SF takes ages 3–10, and Lawrence Hall of Science, Club SciKidz and the Tech Interactive start at 4. Play-Well TEKnologies serves K–5, most AI and coding camps such as FutureBytes start around 7, and pre-college programs like Stanford AI4All are for high schoolers.