10 Summer Language Programs for Middle School Students
Summer is a great time to try a new extracurricular program as a middle schooler, so why not consider learning a new language? A summer language program can be intensive, teaching you to speak, read, and write in a new language and understand cultural contexts through hands-on activities, local interactions, and real-world practice.
Whether you’re interested in Spanish, Mandarin, French, or any other language, we’ve compiled a list of 10 summer language programs specifically tailored for middle school students:
Location: Centers in Maryland and Iowa
Cost: $399 onwards
Application Deadline: Differs based on location and center
Dates/Duration: Differs based on location and center; find more information here
Eligibility: Current middle school students
The Language Project offers immersive Spanish programs for middle school students, taught entirely in Spanish. Here, you will learn to speak, read, and write in Spanish through projects, conversational activities, and a curriculum that explores Spanish-speaking cultures. The Langauge Project offers three levels based on your proficiency, which will develop and deepen your vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.
Location: Virtual or Bemidji, MN
Cost: $375 onwards
Application Deadline: Differs based on course and duration
Dates/Duration: Differs based on course and duration; find more information here
Eligibility: Current middle school students
Concordia Language Villages offers an immersive and engaging Virtual Village program designed specifically for middle school students. Over 6 weeks in the fall or spring, you will have real-time classes twice a week (over Zoom), and will get the opportunity to dive deep into a language of your choice, supported by asynchronous activities that extend learning beyond the virtual classroom.
Additionally, the one-week Virtual Village summer sessions provide intensive language and cultural immersion, perfect for students ages 8-18. Each session includes at least two and a half hours of interactive, immersive learning daily, ensuring that participants not only learn a new language but also experience the culture associated with it.
Location: Iceland or Italy and Greece
Cost: $8,290 + airfare
Application Deadline: Not specified
Dates/Duration:
Iceland: June 29 – July 10, 2024
Italy & Greece: July 6-22, 2024 (2025 dates TBD)
Eligibility: Current 7th and 8th grade students
The National Geographic Student Travel Program for middle school students allows you to visit Iceland, Italy, and Greece. You will participate in hands-on activities like photography and cooking classes, go hiking, and visit farms, factories, museums, and other archeological sites.
The program in each country will be led by a local: in Italy and Greece, Chiara Goia, a photographer, guides students. In Iceland, Erika Larsen, an Icelandic photographer, will guide students. Through these trips, you will cover not only study the language of the region, but the local culture, climate and anthropology!
Location: Shanghai, China
Cost: $2,800 onwards
Application Deadline: Differs based on course and duration
Dates/Duration: Differs based on course and duration; find more information at the bottom of this page
Eligibility: Current middle school students
RISH Chinese Learning Center in Shanghai, China, invites young learners to visit China to develop and improve their Mandarin language skills, including speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The program, designed by professors at the Beijing Language and Culture University, adapts to the student's proficiency level, with options available for novices and more experienced students. Classes are small and are led by teachers with Master’s degrees in teaching Chinese as a foreign language.
An added bonus is the cultural immersion activities, with hikes to the Great Wall, museum visits, and other outings planned!
Location: Different locations throughout the United States
Cost: Variable based on the type of program selected
Application Deadline: Variable based on the type of program selected
Dates/Duration: Programs run throughout the summer for two months or less. Varies depending on the type of program selected.
Eligibility: Open to K-12 students based in the U.S.
The NSA's STARTALK Language Program offers language programs for K-12 in Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese), Hindi, Korean, Persian (Dari/Farsi/Tajik), Russian, Turkish, and Urdu; these programs are administered by select U.S. colleges, universities, and non-profit organizations.
The camps focus on “critical need” languages aimed at improving cultural understanding in regions where the U.S. has strategic interests. Language camps typically run for up to two months during the summer and are categorized by level: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
Location: Megève, France
Cost: Variable based on the type of program selected
Application Deadline: Variable based on the type of program selected
Dates/Duration: Programs range from one week to three weeks, find more details here
Eligibility: Current middle school students
The International French Summer Camp in Megève is an exciting opportunity for middle school students to immerse themselves in a global community while honing their French language skills. The camp combines morning language classes with a wide range of thrilling afternoon activities. You will not only learn from native speakers in fun and engaging workshops but also get to apply their language skills in real-life settings, interacting with peers from around the world.
Each day starts with three focused language workshops, where students build confidence in speaking and understanding through interactive lessons, drama workshops, and communication exercises.
Location: Different locations throughout the U.S.
Cost:
Full Year (24 lessons): $2,760
Semester (12 lessons): $1,510
Application Deadline: Varies based on the type of program selected
Dates/Duration: Programs run throughout the summer or the entire school year
Eligibility: Current middle school students
LanguageBird, accredited by WASC and Cognia, offers flexible online language courses for middle school students to earn school credit while enhancing language proficiency. These courses cover French, German, Italian, and Spanish, providing one-on-one instruction with native-speaking teachers.
For middle schoolers, your course will be preparatory courses that will build your foundation for pursuing this language in high school!
Location: The Spence School, Manhattan, New York
Cost: $1,500
Application Deadline: June 1, 2024
Dates/Duration: June 20-21 and June 24-28 (7 total days)
Eligibility: Rising grades 5 – 8
The Language Immersion Program at Spence School offers courses in French, Spanish, and Mandarin. All instruction is conducted in the selected language; teachers employ techniques such as visual cues, repetition, and acting to help you understand the material better. The program structure mimics the natural process of first-language acquisition, where vocabulary and grammar are introduced organically as needed.
A key feature of the program is letting you explore various New York City neighborhoods and interact with native speakers. You will participate in cultural activities like cooking, dancing, singing, creating art, and playing sports in your chosen language.
Location: Costa Rica
Cost: $730
Application Deadline: Not specified
Dates/Duration:
Session I: June 17 – 21, 2024
Session II: August 12 – 16, 2024
Eligibility: Current middle school students
The Kids Summer Spanish Camp is an immersive and dynamic experience designed to boost language skills while offering a variety of engaging activities in Costa Rica. Middle school campers will attend 16 hours of structured Spanish classes held over five days each week and even participate in diverse activities such as surf lessons, adventure tours, and cultural exchanges.
They will spend three days in intensive, four-hour daily sessions, and the remaining two days will feature a mix of two hours of Spanish class and participation in exciting tours and cultural activities alongside other campers.
Location: Canada, France, Spain, Mexico, Germany, Austria, and Italy
Cost: Varies by country and duration, such as:
Spanish in Barcelona, Spain – $1,503 for one week
French in Montreal, Canada – $932 for one week (2022 rate)
Italian in Salerno, Italy – $2,151 for two weeks
Application Deadline: Varies by country and duration
Dates/Duration: Four weeks in the summer
Eligibility: Elementary, middle, and high school students, depending on the camp offered
The Summer Language Programs offered by Lingua Service Worldwide have a unique combination of academic rigor and exciting camp activities in Spanish, French, German, and Italian. With a minimum of 15 hours of language training each week, students will enhance their language skills while enjoying a well-rounded, supervised activity schedule designed to make the most of their summer.
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, 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
One more option - The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program allows middle school students to work one-on-one with a mentor to explore their academic interests and build a project they are passionate about. Our mentors are scholars from top research universities such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Duke, and LSE.
The program was founded by a Harvard & Oxford PhD who met as undergraduates at Harvard. The program is rigorous and fully virtual. We offer need-based financial aid for students who qualify. You can find the application in the brochure!
To learn more, you can contact our Head of Partnerships, Maya, at maya.novak-herzog@lumiere.education or go to our website.
Multiple rolling deadlines for JEP cohorts across the year, you can apply using this application link! If you'd like to take a look at the cohorts + deadlines for 2024, you can refer to this page!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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