15 Free Online Math Programs for High School Students
High school is a critical point in your education, where finding good learning opportunities can affect your academic path and future chances. As a high school student with an interest in mathematics, free online math programs allow you to explore advanced concepts, build problem-solving skills, and get a taste of university-level teaching. These programs also offer mentorship from top teachers, opportunities to connect with peers who share your interests, and skills that help you apply what you learn.
Why choose a free online math program?
Many prestigious institutions, such as MIT, Harvard, Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon, offer free online math programs for high school students, giving you the chance to access educational experiences that would otherwise remain inaccessible. Industry exposure through these programs will help you better understand career paths in math. You’ll get the opportunity to build solid experience that can strengthen your college applications. In this blog, we have carefully curated a comprehensive list of 15 of the top free online math programs for high school students.
15 Free Online Math Programs for High School Students
1. MIT PRIMES-USA
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: Year-round program consisting of four distinct phases
Application Deadline: December 1
Eligibility: U.S. high school juniors and sophomores (including home-schooled students) outside the Greater Boston area
PRIMES-USA offers a year-long research program focused on mathematics that enables you to conduct original mathematical research under the mentorship of graduate students and faculty from MIT and other prestigious universities. Your research journey unfolds across four distinct phases. Phase I involves advanced readings in your area of mathematical interest with mentor guidance, where you’ll develop deep familiarity with existing literature and foundational concepts. Phase II, beginning after early March, transitions you into active research where you’ll work closely with your mentor on original mathematical problems, potentially discovering novel solutions to unsolved problems or exploring new applications of existing mathematics. Phase III provides a flexible independent study period during the summer months, allowing you to maintain research momentum while balancing other summer commitments. The program culminates in Phase IV, where you’ll finalize your research, write a comprehensive final paper with mentor support, and present your findings at the Fall-Term PRIMES conference.
2. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; Financial aid available
Acceptance Rate: Moderately selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts, including spring, summer, fall, and winter sessions
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines that vary by cohort
Eligibility: High school students
Ladder Internships connects you with high-growth startups in industries like artificial intelligence, health technology, marketing, consulting, and more, where you’ll work directly on real-world projects over an eight-to-twelve week period. Rather than traditional classroom learning, you will gain practical experience by collaborating with company managers and teams, applying mathematical and analytical skills to solve actual business problems. You will also receive guidance from a dedicated Ladder Coach who will provide mentorship and professional feedback throughout your tenure. Beyond project work, you will participate in professional development sessions that equip you with essential workplace skills, including communication, organization, time management, and technical competencies that prepare you for future careers in mathematics-related fields. Your experience culminates in a presentation of your completed work to the company. Apply now!
3. CrowdMath (Collaborative Online Math Research)
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Year-long collaborative project
Application Deadline: Not applicable
Eligibility: High school students
CrowdMath, a joint initiative between MIT PRIMES and Art of Problem Solving, operates as a collaborative online research project where you’ll contribute to solving open mathematical problems alongside students globally. You’ll work on mathematical problems contributed by research mathematicians, making incremental progress through your own explorations and learning from discoveries made by thousands of other student collaborators worldwide. The collaborative structure allows you to see how other mathematicians approach problems, learning diverse problem-solving strategies and mathematical perspectives.
4. Lumiere Foundation
Location: Virtual
Cost: Fully funded
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: Multiple 12-week cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students able to demonstrate a high level of academic achievement
The Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation specifically addresses barriers to mathematical research education by providing world-class mentorship from PhD researchers at top universities around the world to talented low-income high school students who demonstrate exceptional ability. As a participant, you will work one-on-one with mentors from institutions including Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and other prestigious universities to develop an independent 12-week research project. Your research experience includes nine structured mentoring sessions where you will refine your research question, analyze mathematical problems, interpret results, and communicate your discoveries through academic writing and presentation. The program culminates with a polished research paper that meets academic publication standards. You can apply here!
5. MIT OpenCourseWare: Introduction to Statistical Physics
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: Not applicable
Eligibility: High school students
This free MIT OpenCourseWare course introduces you to the foundations of statistical physics, covering systems with many degrees of freedom. You will explore entropy definitions, the laws of thermodynamics, and the Boltzmann distribution through topics including calculus and probability, free energy and phase transitions, ideal gases, and simulation methods. The course requires proficiency in algebra, trigonometry, basic calculus, and familiarity with Newton's laws and conservation of energy. You will work through problem sets that emphasize both mathematical derivations and written explanations of your reasoning, while also learning to write short programs to simulate random events.
6. PROMYS Pathways Math Circle
Location: Virtual (in-person options available)
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Not specified
Application Deadline: No application required
Eligibility: High school students (ages 14-18) who have completed at least 9th grade
The PROMYS Pathways Math Circles provides Massachusetts high school students with free year-round mathematical enrichment opportunities, particularly for those from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM. You will participate in weekly exploration-based math circles during the academic year, working on challenging problems under the guidance of mentors, including teachers, PROMYS for Teachers alumni, and graduate students in mathematics. The program offers both in-person math circles at schools across Massachusetts and a virtual math circle on Discord, creating a supportive mathematical community for collaborative problem-solving. You’ll engage with specially designed problem sets that emphasize mathematical exploration, discovery, and reasoning rather than traditional classroom instruction.
7. CYMATH
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not applicable
Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: No application required
Eligibility: High school students
In the digital age, CyMath offers a flexible online learning experience that caters to math enthusiasts’ diverse interests. Through a series of live online sessions, you will engage with challenging math topics led by experienced instructors. The program’s format allows you to delve into advanced concepts, ask questions in real-time, and collaborate with peers from different locations. The interactive nature of CyMath Camp provides you with opportunities to learn from each other’s insights, encouraging a sense of community and shared intellectual growth.
8. MITES Semester
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
Dates: June – December
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: U.S. high school juniors
MITES Semester is a free, six-month online program that combines rigorous STEM coursework with comprehensive college preparation. During the STEM Immersion Phase, you will take two synchronous courses: one intensive project-based course in areas like Machine Learning, Astrophysics, or Robotics, and one core course in Calculus, Physics, Computer Science, or Science Writing. In the College and Career Prep Phase from August through December, you will participate in weekly webinars, mock interviews, essay reviews, and workshops while receiving personalized college application guidance during your senior fall. You will engage with MIT faculty, researchers, and professionals, attend an in-person conference at MIT, and receive written evaluations from instructors that many students submit with college applications.
9. MathQuantum High School Fellowship
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: July 25 – August 6 (based on previous years)
Application Deadline: February 14 (based on previous years)
Eligibility: High school students interested in mathematics, computer science, physics, or quantum science
MathQuantum is a two-week online summer program that's designed for high school students who get excited about pure mathematics. This NSF-funded program will take you deep into foundational topics like linear algebra, quantum mechanics, and cryptography. You'll explore coding labs where you'll implement what you're learning, participate in guided discussions with mentors, and work on a small project. The curriculum doesn't just stop at the technical side either; you'll also engage in conversations about the ethical implications of QIS. The program may offer optional participation in the Qubit by Qubit summer camp and includes sessions focused on academic and career planning.
10. Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC) Online
Location: Virtual
Cost: $3,750; Up to 100% financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Highly selective; Online sessions admit 64 students
Dates: Session 1: Online June 15 – July 3; Session 2: Online July 6 – 24
Application Deadline: February 2
Eligibility: 10th-11th graders
SUMaC introduces you to advanced mathematical topics, including number theory, combinatorics, and algebraic geometry. You’ll also explore modern mathematical research areas through lectures, guided research projects, and collaborative group problem-solving with mathematically talented peers from around the world. You’ll also get to engage directly with Stanford faculty and graduate students. The program emphasizes the exploration of current mathematical research lines alongside the historical development of important mathematical areas, demonstrating how modern mathematics builds upon centuries of mathematical discovery and innovation.
11. Math Planet
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not applicable
Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: Not applicable
Eligibility: High school students
Mathplanet is a free online platform offering high school mathematics courses in Pre-algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry, along with SAT and ACT practice tests. The educational material focuses on US high school math and is accessible to anyone worldwide seeking to strengthen their mathematical skills. The courses use text-based lessons and video instruction to explain mathematical concepts, though the site itself does not include interactive practice problems.
12. Harvard University Mathematics Courses (edX Partnership)
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students
Harvard University offers a selection of free, self-paced online mathematics courses designed to make university-level mathematical instruction accessible to high school students. The courses include "Calculus Applied!", which will teach you to apply single-variable calculus tools to create and analyze mathematical models used in social, life, and physical sciences, moving beyond abstract theory to practical applications. Additional offerings include "Data Science: Inference and Modeling," which will introduce you to statistical inference and modeling techniques fundamental to data analysis and professional data science work, and "Data Science Probability," which will cover probability theory with case studies examining real-world events like the 2007-2008 financial crisis.
13. Khan Academy Mathematics Courses
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students
Khan Academy provides free, comprehensive mathematics education covering algebra, geometry, trigonometry, precalculus, and calculus through video lessons, interactive practice problems, and progress tracking. You’ll get to watch video lessons explaining mathematical concepts step-by-step, work through practice problems with immediate feedback, and review concepts as needed without time pressure or rigid curriculum sequence. The platform adapts to your learning pace and identifies areas needing additional review, personalizing your mathematics learning experience based on your performance and needs.
14. Math Divulged
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Varies by track
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students
Math Divulged is a completely free online series of mathematics classes taught by competitive math veterans, including MathCounts National Champions, International Math Olympiad medalists, and USA Mathematical Olympiad Program participants. You can choose from four series tailored to different skill levels and interests, with complete control over which classes you attend. Topics explored include college-level subjects like Linear and Abstract Algebra, sciences such as Astronomy and Computational Biology, and real-world applications including Cryptography and Disease Modeling, with no prerequisites required. The program places an emphasis on proof-based thinking, historical context, and understanding the "why" behind mathematical concepts.
15. Calculus: Single Variable Part 1 – Functions
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None (paid certificate)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 1 week; Self-paced
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students
This course provides an introduction to single-variable calculus with an emphasis on conceptual understanding over computation, taught by Professor Robert Ghrist from the University of Pennsylvania. You will explore functions, Taylor series, limits, and orders of growth through video lectures and assignments that emphasize both core and challenge problems. The course takes a distinctive approach by introducing Taylor series from the beginning, synthesizing discrete and continuous forms of calculus, and using approximation methods throughout. This is Part 1 of a four-part series that includes Differentiation, Integration, and Applications.
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