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The leading immersive summer program for middle schoolers

 

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For 50 years, EXPLO has been creating immersive learning experiences where you can try more, be more, and find your spark.

Our two-week residential or day pre high school summer programs are for ages 12–14 (rising grades 7-9).

Join us on Wellesley College’s campus—just outside Boston. Have an unforgettable summer where you can be all you.

Details Apply

Life at Wellesley College

Right outside of Boston, Wellesley College is where EXPLO magic happens. This location gives kids a vision of what they can achieve, while maintaining a safe, well-supervised environment designed exclusively for middle schoolers.

  • 500-acre campus with studios, fields, and a lakeside backdrop
  • Day or residential options with full menus of evening + weekend activities
  • Easy access to Greater Boston museums, harbor, sports, and attractions
  • Designed specifically for middle schoolers
Swings
Wellesley College
Life at Wellesley

Three programs that spark

Design your program

Design your program

Choose from 50+ options—Engineering, Architecture, Forensics, Cooking, and more. See all you can be.

Hands-on every day

Hands-on every day

Try labs and collaborations with real-world professionals. When you do more, you learn more.

Try more be more

Try more, be more

Gain the freedom to explore. Make new friends from around the world. Get excited by discovery—and build confidence before high school.

Explore EXPLO 360°
Meet real vets

Meet real vets

Go behind the scenes at clinics and wildlife centers. See how teams care for animals, ask questions, and learn how curiosity becomes a career.

Animal care in action

Animal care in action

Practice hands-on skills—vital signs, bandaging, basic triage, and lab techniques—using models and simulations designed for middle schoolers. When you do more, you learn more.

Discover your path

Discover your path

Explore the many roles in veterinary medicine and animal science—small animal, wildlife, research, and beyond. Build confidence as you find what fits.

Explore Vet Science
Try real rotations

Try real rotations

Sample different areas of healthcare through demos and simulations—emergency response, diagnostics, and patient intake—guided by medical professionals.

Collab on cases

Collab on cases

Work with your group to solve patient issues. Practice observation, decision-making, and communication—the skills that help care teams thrive.

See yourself in healthcare

See yourself in healthcare

Meet people in a range of roles and learn how they got there. Build habits and confidence that make high school (and your next steps) feel exciting and possible.

Explore Medical Rotations

An age that matters

We built this summer program for middle schoolers specifically for ages 12-14. We get that you're figuring out who you want to be—and the more you experiment, the more you'll know. Discover the world of people, places, ideas, and you.

Days built by you

Join a glow stick party. See a Red Sox game. Experience whale watching. Play soccer (football) with friends from around the country—and world. Have a museum day. And so much more in EXPLO summer programs for middle schoolers.

EXPLO Workshop electives

Workshops + Electives

Get more choices. Pick from options across arts, STEM, design, cooking, and leadership.

EXPLO Community events

Community + Events

Afternoon activities, evening events and showcases.

EXPLO Taking charge

Taking Charge

You pick everything. From academic enrichment to daily choices on how to connect, unwind, and manage your time.

EXPLO Weekend adventures

Weekend Adventures

Boston Excursions and big group trips.

People who connect

Connor Dumont

Connor Dumont

Award-winning math teacher + EXPLO Instructor

Kalpana Acharya

Kalpana Acharya, PhD

Neuroscience and Biology researcher + EXPLO instructor

Caitlin Fuller

Caitlin Fuller

Head of Program

Faculty + Staff
Katie Stack Morgan

Katie Stack Morgan, PhD

Research Scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, Mars 2020 Rover Mission | Forbes 30 Under 30

Salvador Gomez

Salvador Gomez

Climate Resilience and Youth Empowerment Activist Founder, Light and Hope for Puerto Rico

Celia Rose Gooding

Celia Rose Gooding

Actor + Singer | Grammy Award Winner, Tony Award Nominee

See Alumni
50 Years of Spark

Years of Spark

EXPLO is turning 50! Get to know some of our alumni, staff, and the generations of people who get to live bigger, fuller, more curious lives, thanks in part to the sparks EXPLO helped light.

Rover Katie

From Spark to Fire

A planetary geologist traces how curiosity, unexpected detours, and early exploration led to a rover mission on Mars.

Read More
Singal Family

Generations of Spark

How EXPLO began as a family idea, grew from a home office, and became a 50-year legacy of learning for its own sake.

Read More
Outside Explo Sign

50 Summers of Curiosity

From fostering curiosity to building immersive experiences prioritizing joy, EXPLO has spent 50 years redefining what school can be—and inspiring the educators building what comes next.

Read More

Celebrate EXPLO's 50th Anniversary

Join Event
50th-anniversary

From MIT startup to discovery powerhouse

There’s a reason our alumni go on to found startups like Instagram and nonprofits for climate resilience, win Grammy and Tony awards, become NASA scientists, and more.

The next 50 years: Curriculum development & training

explo-training
explo-elevate

EXPLO Elevate brings our immersive world-building curriculum and teacher training into your school—along with a range of other strategic services to help students, parents, and schools thrive.

Attract and retain top talent, to balance strong and competing viewpoints from parents and the public, support increasing needs in student mental health and well-being, and provide more options and innovative programs. All of this can be done sustainably with the right framework.

Frequently asked questions

EXPLO summer programs for middle schoolers are for ages 12–14 (rising grades 7–9).

Wellesley College, just outside Boston, MA (day and residential).

EXPLO residential and day summer programs for middle schoolers are the same; residential adds dorm life, evenings, and weekend adventures.

The application opens on October 15. Apply Now.

EXPLO is a blend of both. You’ll engage in hands-on learning, explore new subjects, and participate in fun social activities and weekend trips.

Use the summer to try new things, meet new people, and build skills that school doesn’t always cover. It’s the perfect time to explore what really excites you—and build confidence for high school.

That depends on what you’re looking for—but programs with a long history, real-world experiences, and standout alumni are definitely worth your time.

Absolutely. They show colleges that you’re curious, motivated, and not afraid to go after new experiences outside the classroom. And summer programs for middle schoolers set you up for a more confident, engaged high school experience.