15 Best Extracurricular Activities for High School Students
Engaging in extracurricular activities over the summer is a great way for high school students to build practical skills, gain industry exposure, and make valuable connections. Many top colleges and organizations offer a variety of summer programs, courses, and internships that provide meaningful experiences in fields ranging from science and technology to the arts and social sciences. These opportunities allow you to explore your interests while also strengthening your resume and college applications. If you have a specific field in mind, participating in these activities can give you a clearer sense of what a future career in that area might look like.
With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to decide which ones are the most worthwhile. To make this easier, we’ve narrowed down our list to highlight the 15 best extracurricular activities for high school students that offer learning and growth!
Location: Washington, D.C.
Cohort size: 30
Cost: Free, stipend is paid on an annual salary basis of $37,238
Program dates: Summer Session I: June 8 – 27 | Summer Session II: July 8 – August 1
Application deadline: February 15
Eligibility: Rising juniors and rising seniors who will be 16 or 17 years old on or before the date of appointment; A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0/B; Senate Pages must be sponsored by a Senator
As a high school student interested in government and public service, you should consider the U.S. Senate Page Program in Washington, D.C. This program requires you to assist senators by delivering documents, setting up the Senate Chamber, and working on the floor during debates and votes. You’ll begin each day with academic classes and then transition to full-time work determined by the Senate’s schedule. Living in the Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence, you'll share space with other students from across the country. The program emphasizes discipline, maturity, and nonpartisan professionalism while giving you exposure to how national policy is shaped.
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Acceptance rate: 10%
Cost: Starting at $2,490 (financial aid available)
Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars. In the program, interns work closely with their managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company.
The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
3. Sadie Nash Leadership Project Summer Institute
Location: Various locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Newark
Acceptance rate: Highly selective, small cohort size
Cost: Free, stipend provided
Program dates: 6 weeks in the summer
Application deadline: April 14
Eligibility: Young women and gender-expansive youth who are enrolled in high school and live in New York City or Newark are eligible.
The Sadie Nash Leadership Project’s Summer Institute is a 6-week experience for those interested in social justice, leadership, and community engagement. You’ll take part in workshops that explore identity, power, and activism while developing leadership skills through discussions and projects with peers. The program brings in women and gender-expansive leaders–from elected officials to artists–to share their experiences and insights. Weekly field trips are integrated to complement the curriculum and deepen your understanding of social issues. Sessions are held across the New York City and northern New Jersey area.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Acceptance rate: Selective
Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer (June - August), Fall (September - December), Winter (December - February), and Spring (March - June).
Application deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Eligibility: currently enrolled in high school; high level of academic achievement (Note: accepted students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4)
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program for high school students. The program offers 1-on-1 research opportunities with Ph.D. mentors across a broad range of subject areas such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more.. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can find more details about the application here.
5. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Summer High School Intern Program
Location: IST laboratory at Gaithersburg, MD, or Boulder, CO
Acceptance rate: Selective
Cost: Free
Program dates: June 23 – August 8
Application deadline: November 1 – February 6
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.0; U.S. citizens
The NIST Summer High School Intern Program places students in a full-time, 8-week research experience within one of six specialized science and engineering laboratories. Depending on your academic background and interests, such as physics, chemistry, computer science, or engineering, you'll be matched with a lab like the Physical Measurement Laboratory or the Material Measurement Laboratory. You might assist with projects involving quantum electronics, nanomaterials, polymers, or radiation detection. Your daily work could include data analysis, programming, lab experiments, or helping refine measurement standards that serve national industries.
6. New York City Office of the Mayor Internship
Location: City Hall, New York City
Acceptance rate: Highly selective
Stipend: $16.50 per hour
Program dates: July 7–August 29
Application deadline: February 21–March 30
Eligibility: High school students 16 years of age or older who possess working papers/employment certification at the time of application are eligible
The New York City Office of the Mayor Internship gives students the opportunity to engage with the local government by working within a city department aligned with their interests, such as sustainability, education, public safety, or communications. During the internship, you’ll work with staff on projects that include research, data analysis, event support, community outreach, and policy briefings. In addition, you'll attend a speaker series at City Hall where senior officials like Deputy Mayors and Commissioners share insights into city governance. You will also get to participate in a service project to benefit local communities—past efforts have included restoring parks, planting trees, or organizing clean-up events.
7. Air Force Research Laboratory Scholars (AFRL) Program
Location: Various locations across the U.S.
Acceptance rate: Selective
Cost: Free, stipend $615.60 – $861.60/week (based on education level and credits earned)
Program dates: Fall: late August/early September–mid-December | Spring:(mid-January–early May | Summer: late May/early June–August
Application deadline: October 10–January 10 (summer cohort)
Eligibility: U.S. citizens over 16 years of age with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0
The AFRL Scholars Program is a competitive program that allows you to work alongside professional scientists and engineers on projects in national defense and aerospace technology. As a scholar, you may engage in tasks like analyzing satellite fault detection, programming spacecraft control systems using reinforcement learning, or exploring space situational awareness and orbital dynamics in cislunar environments. The program emphasizes technical skill development through mentorship and gives you a chance to contribute to current research efforts with potential national security applications. You’ll gain exposure to topics such as AI in space systems, cold atom experimentation, and autonomous spacecraft operations.
8. U.S. Forest Service: Youth Conservation Corps
Location: Varies, opportunities near you can be found here.
Cohort size: Approximately 40
Stipend: Interns are paid the Federal minimum wage or state minimum wage
Program dates: 1-3 months in the summer
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students 15 through 18 years of age, who are permanent residents of the United States, are eligible
Through the U.S. Forest Service’s Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), you can spend part of your summer contributing to conservation efforts on public lands while gaining exposure to careers in environmental and natural resource management. You’ll work on a small team to complete projects such as trail construction, invasive species removal, and the preservation of historic structures. Your daily work may also involve assisting with wildlife monitoring or helping lead educational activities related to environmental stewardship. Most YCC positions are based in national forests, parks, or other public lands across the country.
9. Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute R2L NextGen Program
Location: Washington, D.C.
Cohort size: Approximately 80
Cost: Free; travel, lodging, and meals are covered
Program dates: June 8 – 14 | June 22 – 28
Application deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Current 10th and 11th graders residing in one of the 50 states, Puerto Rico, or Washington, D.C.
For high school sophomores and juniors interested in government, leadership, or advocacy, the CHCI R2L NextGen Program provides a week-long, fully funded experience in Washington, D.C. You’ll join a national cohort of Latino students to explore civic engagement through workshops, policy discussions, and leadership training. During the program, you’ll visit Capitol Hill, engage with Members of Congress and CHCI alumni, and gain insight into the legislative process and the issues impacting Latino communities. Activities also include museum visits, networking events, and sessions on how to create positive change in your own community.
10. CU Boulder Business Leadership Program
Location: University of Colorado Boulder
Cohort size: Approximately 50
Stipend: winning team receives a $1,000 scholarship to Leeds
Program dates: June 22–28
Application deadline: March 30
Eligibility: Open to current high school juniors and incoming Leeds School of Business first-year students (starting the Fall semester)
At the CU Boulder Business Leadership Program, you’ll work in teams to solve business problems through a case study challenge. Over the course of the program, your group will design and pitch a marketing campaign for one of the university’s corporate partners, gaining insight into how businesses approach strategy, branding, and customer engagement. You’ll meet faculty from the Leeds School of Business and hear from professionals across major industries. Along the way, you'll sharpen your communication, leadership, and collaboration skills.
11. Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Internships
Location: Virtual
Cohort size: 100+
Cost: Free
Program dates: Internships are offered year-round, six weeks to one year, full- or part-time.
Application deadline: March 1 (for summer internships)
Eligibility: Open to all high school students (both U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens).
If the cultural arts interest you, the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Internships are a great way to explore those interests through exposure in areas like ethnomusicology, cultural anthropology, folklore, and museum studies. Interns assist with projects tied to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, contribute to the production of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, or help organize archival materials in the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives. Depending on your role, you could conduct research, support educational outreach, develop content for web and social media, or help document cultural traditions. You’ll be paired with professional staff who provide mentorship on projects. This extracurricular activity for high school students may also qualify for academic credit if your school supports internship coursework.
12. Bank of America Student Leaders Program
Location: Nationwide (the Leadership Summit is held in Washington, D.C.)
Cohort size: 300
Stipend: Provided; all expenses towards the trip to Washington, D.C. are covered
Program dates: 8 weeks in the summer
Application deadline: January 15
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who have authorization to work in the United States, live in an eligible area, and have not participated in the program before.
The Bank of America Student Leaders Program gives you the chance to spend your summer working with a nonprofit organization in your community while developing leadership skills. Student Leaders complete an eight-week paid internship with a nonprofit such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America or Habitat for Humanity, where they contribute to community projects and initiatives. The program also includes a week-long national summit in Washington, D.C., where you'll connect with peers from across the country and explore how public policy, advocacy, and corporate responsibility influence community change. During the summit, you'll attend leadership workshops, participate in policy discussions, and hear from leaders in government and the nonprofit world.
13. The Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging’s Summer Research Internship
Location: Remote
Acceptance rate: Highly selective; around 25 students/year
Cost: $840 + $40 application fee
Program dates: June 16 – 27
Application deadline: December 9 – February 28
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Highly selective; around 25 students/year
Eligibility: High school students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and are 14 years or older by the start of the program
The Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI) is a two-week internship designed to introduce students to the intersection of AI and healthcare. In this virtual program, you can expect to attend technical lectures covering the fundamentals of AI applications in medicine, engage in group projects, and receive mentorship from Stanford researchers and student leaders. The internship also includes career-focused talks with professionals from academia, industry, and government, giving you insight into diverse career paths in AI and health technology. Completing the program earns you a Certificate of Completion and may open doors to extended research opportunities.
14. Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program
Location: Available across all 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands. Participants are assigned a location that is within a 45-minute commute of their home.
Acceptance rate: Highly selective; 30–35 students accepted each year
Stipend: $3,000
Program dates: June – August (flexible)
Application deadline: January 19
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors and rising college freshmen who are at least 16 years old by the internship start date
If you’re interested in fisheries and aquatic science, the Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program provides an eight-week paid internship that introduces you to research and fieldwork alongside fisheries professionals. You’ll engage in projects focused on habitat restoration, conservation, and aquatic ecosystem management, gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges involved in maintaining healthy water systems. The program pairs you with a mentor near your home, allowing you to work within your community while developing skills in scientific research and teamwork. This internship exposes you to career paths in the field.
15. American Psychological Association (APA) – Remote Internship Program
Location: Virtual
Acceptance rate: Unspecified
Cost: Free
Program dates: Internships are offered all year round
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Open to all high school students eligible to work in the U.S. (as verified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s eVerify service) and residing in one of the states where APA is already registered as an employer.
For students inclined towards psychology, APA’s Remote Internship Program is a chance to gain experience working within a large professional organization dedicated to advancing psychological science and education. Interns are expected to participate in tasks related to policy, research, communications, publishing, and education, depending on their interests and the department they join. You’ll work closely with a supervisor who guides your daily responsibilities and supports your professional development. Additionally, the internship may include workshops, group projects, and discussions that deepen your understanding of the field and enhance your skills. This remote experience helps build a professional network and provides insight into how psychology is applied beyond clinical settings.