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Help Your Middle Schooler Find Their Spark at EXPLO
At EXPLO, your child will pick from 50+ classes, discover new interests, and make friends from around the world. It's a two-week summer program for ages 12–14 (rising grades 7–9) on the Wellesley College campus, just outside Boston, with overnight and day options.
EXPLO at a Glance
- Ages 12-14 (rising grades 7-9)
- Two-week overnight or day sessions
- Wellesley College campus, just outside Boston
- Resident Advisors and a health center available 24/7
- Nonprofit, founded in 1977
Summer 2027 Sessions
at Wellesley College
Two-week sessions for overnight or day students.
Session 1Overnight: June 27-July 10 |
Session 2Overnight: July 11-24 |
Help Your Middle Schooler Find Their Spark at EXPLO
At EXPLO, your child will pick from 50+ classes, discover new interests, and make friends from around the world. It's a two-week summer program for ages 12–14 (rising grades 7–9) on the Wellesley College campus, just outside Boston, with overnight and day options.
New to EXPLO? Start Here.
EXPLO is a nonprofit summer program made just for middle schoolers. We know kids this age are figuring out who they want to be, and we give them room to try without the pressure of grades or tests. Since 1976, more than 90,000 students and educators from 101 countries have spent their summers with us.
EXPLO at a Glance
- Ages 12-14 (rising grades 7-9)
- Two-week overnight or day sessions
- Wellesley College campus, just outside Boston
- Resident Advisors and a health center available 24/7
- Nonprofit, founded in 1977
Summer 2027 Sessions
at Wellesley College
Two-week sessions for overnight or day students.
Session 1Overnight: June 27-July 10 |
Session 2Overnight: July 11-24 |
Upcoming Information Sessions
Meet the EXPLO team, ask anything, and get a sneak peek at summer 2027.
Be First in Line for Summer 2027
Tell us a little about your student, and we'll help you plan Summer 2027.
Programs That Spark.
Find your spark
Explore our programs
Middle school can feel overwhelming. But with the right guardrails + opportunities designed by experts on supporting this age, it's an exhilarating journey of discovery. Students at EXPLO get the attention they deserve with a general staff to student ratio of 1:7.
EXPLO 360°
For rising grades 7-9
A custom summer for curious kids.
See how far their curiosity can go.
Students will design their own schedule. They'll pick any two workshops and any two electives from 50+ options, from Forensic Science to World Cooking. They can mix it up or go all in on one subject.
When young people find their spark, big things happen
We create transformational learning environments of intellectual inquiry and spirited adventure to help young people find their spark. We are a vibrant community of more than 20 Rhodes and Fulbright scholars, 70+ named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list, Pulitzer Prize winners, 2 Inventors of the Year, over 1,000 successful entrepreneurs, award-winning filmmakers, countless members of Peace Corps and Teach for America, stars of the arts, and leaders in industry.
Passionate + creative faculty help you blaze your trail.
Here are just a few of the faculty that grace our summers. Learn from engineers, inventors, entrepreneurs, and artists who push boundaries and maintain curiosity in their work—with a general staff to student ratio of 1:5.
First-Timers Can Rest Easy
Overnight students live on campus with roommates, a living group, and Resident Advisors who are there around the clock. A 24/7 health center is on campus, and Student Life staff check in with every student. EXPLO is also proudly unplugged: phones are stored during the session, so students stay present, with scheduled calls home.
Day students join the same workshops, electives, clubs, and activities as overnight students, with the option to stay for dinner and evening events.
Curious Kids Welcome Here
At EXPLO, curiosity is cool. Your child will spend two weeks with kids who get just as excited about ideas as they do, plus staff who can't wait to help them dig in.
Where could their curiosity take them? EXPLO alumni include a NASA scientist who helped put a rover on Mars, a Grammy winner, and a founder of Instagram.
My daughter learned how to suture, practiced laparoscopy at a simulation lab, and much more. She was able to experience what being a doctor would really be. It was very exciting for her and further ignited her passion for medicine. The program takes the middle schoolers seriously and gives them opportunities that because of their age usually would not be possible."
- Aspasia M., EXPLO parent
Two Weeks That Spark Their Confidence
Maybe they'll find a subject they want to study for years. Maybe they'll love a class they almost didn't pick. Either way, they'll come home more confident than when they left.
Ready to plan summer 2027? Request info to learn more about sessions, tuition, and financial aid.