More than 80% of parents consider learning computer science to be at least as or more important than learning math and English. So today we've pulled together a handy learning pathway for students of every grade level with some of our favorite computer programing classes for youth.

You'll find beginner coding classes organized by interests, as well as classes for teens organized by interest. These pathways get progressively more challenging as children progress, and these classes use real-world applications, to best prepare youth for successful futures!

Discover computer programming classes for youth

In general, STEM stats show that STEM jobs are expected to grow 10.5% between 2020 and 2030 compared to 7.5% growth for non-STEM jobs. This equates to 1 million more job openings over 10 years! Today is the perfect day to begin learning computer science skills.

Up first we'll share some beginner coding classes, before moving onto computer science courses for teens. For each course you'll find an overview, the type of course, the number of course sessions, and how many students could be in the class so you can best assess the level of personalized attention your student will receive.

Beginner coding classes for youth

For students in Grades K-1 with no more than 10 previous hours of coding experience, here are a few fun courses to begin learning computer science. All of these classes are wonderful for students interested in coding, game creation, smart devices, and even art. It's best to start with Scratch Junior, then move to Scratch Junior Club, followed by Scratch Ninja Unit 1 for your child's learning pathway.

1. Scratch Junior

This series of fun live online ScratchJr lessons uses the Scratch Junior platform, developed by MIT to make beginner coding accessible for young children. While building interactive stories and games, your child will be introduced to the basics of coding concepts, solve problems, and most importantly, they will create and apply their imaginations!

  • 6 45-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group

2. Scratch Junior Club

Put the Scratch Junior skills you've already learned towards creating new weekly projects for six weeks, including original challenges and fascinating projects. Join along in our live video club series as an expert guides students through a different project from start to finish in a 45-minute session each time.

  • 6 45-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group

3. Scratch Ninja Unit 1

This live online class led by an expert instructor uses Scratch, a platform developed by MIT, to teach fundamental coding concepts. Students will learn core coding concepts such as sequence, loop, and conditional. We will also use a wide range of Scratch specific capabilities including motion, sensing, control, and more. Your child will have a lot of fun as we build a new project in every session ranging from animation, games, to storytelling.

  • 4 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group

For students in Grades 2-5 with any level of previous coding experience, here is the recommended learning pathway to advance your computer science skills.

1. Scratch Ninja Units 1 & 2

Code games and animations using beginner-friendly Scratch. In this live online class designed by experts from Google and Stanford, important computer programming concepts such as variables, messaging, and events will be covered. A new project is created in every session. We will build fun games and stories. Students can choose their own themes based on their interests, while learning new coding and scratch capabilities. They are challenged to be creative and solve tough problems while learning the deeper computer science concepts.

  • 8 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 5 students)

2. Scratch Coding Club

Put the Scratch skills you've already learned to use by creating something new and great each week including original challenges and fascinating projects. Join along in our live video club series as an expert guides students through a different project from start to finish. Review and master key concepts such as lists, variables, messages, and cloning. Some examples of weekly projects include making a soccer game, creating a virtual pet, and bringing a dress up game to life - don't miss the action!

  • 4 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 5 students)

3. Junior Robotics

If your child is mostly interested in mastering coding or robotics, Junior Robotics is the next best course to take. This small group live online class is designed with students in mind by Apple and Stanford experts. This Vex robotics virtual world class teaches students how coding is used in robotics through fun, hands-on projects. Students will learn how to navigate robots through in a virtual environment and gain a deeper understanding of how robots can be used to solve problems through many  real-world examples.

  • 8 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 5 students)

For students in Grades 4+, Robot Adventures is the best class to take with similar content but more challenging for an older audience.

4. Junior Hackers

If your child is most interested in being a game creator and game design, after Scratch Coding Club, it's best to take Junior Hackers. In this live online class students learn all about computer security and how to use the internet safely. This will be the most exciting cybersecurity class for kids with real-world applications, delivered through a combination of project and inquiry-based learning. They'll enjoy fun videos, games, and security tools, as well as build projects of their own.

  • 8 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 5 students)

5. Microbit

Once your child has completed Junior Robotics, Microbit is the course to take. Micro:Bit coding is the perfect fit if your child is interest in electronics. Or if they may want to build robots or rockets one day. This little device packs very powerful capabilities: LED lights, speakers, a temperature sensor, a microphone, and even an accelerometer. Coding is done in a simulator that works just like the physical Micro:Bit. You don’t need the physical device to take the class. But if you do decide to purchase one, all of your class code will work perfectly on the device without any changes.

  • 8 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 5 students)

For students in Grades 4+, Smart Devices is the best class to take with similar content but more challenging for an older audience.

6. Minecraft Modding Quest

If your child is most interested in being a game creator and game design, after Junior Hackers it's best to take Minecraft Modding Quest. In this live online course students solve puzzles, build, and create games with fun coding in Minecraft. Kids will control agents to solve puzzles while interacting with different in-game characters. We will then move on to learn core coding concepts such as loop, operations, conditional, events, function, variables, and more. As students get more comfortable with these coding skills, they will also start building more complex structures as well as mini-games through coding.

  • 12 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 5 students)

For students in Grades 4+, Minecraft Code to Mod is the best class to take with similar content but more challenging for an older audience.

7. Mobile Apps

Students in Grades 4+ can then proceed to the Mobile Apps computer science course for youth. In this live online class, students create powerful mobile apps and games using intuitive block coding. Throughout this course, students will learn event driven programming and how to create fun mobile apps from scratch. Students will also practice their computational thinking skills and do a deeper dive into Computer Science concepts such as loops, events, conditional logic, and much more.

  • 12 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 5 students)

8. Design with Canva

For students in Grades 4+ with an interest in coding and art will enjoy designing with Canva next. This class will walk through the basics of the free digital design tool Canva. Your child will learn about how to upload or search pictures and elements in Canva, and explore a wide range of fonts, sizes, and effects, before learning how to drag and drop design elements and animate them. Then we will discuss what makes a great story by showcasing various types of graphic design and videos. Your child will use these intuitive design features in Canva to create their own flyers, cards, posters, and videos of the topics they are passionate about. By the end of the class, your child will have their own design portfolio in Canva that can be easily uploaded to social media or shared with friends!

  • 4 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 5 students)

Online coding classes for teens

Here are a few possible pathways for students in Grades 5+ based on their interests, whether they're most fascinated by coding, gaming, or art. Explore these online coding classes for teens learning pathways.

9. Accelerated Scratch

For teens that are new to coding, Accelerated Scratch is the best computer science course to begin with. During this class your teen will learn the most advanced coding concepts in Scratch, such as functions and lists, while exploring all the cool features Scratch has to offer such as cloning. Students will work on new relatively complex projects in each session including animations, games, and storytelling. As with all of our classes, there is lots of focus placed on creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, and fun!

  • 12 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 5 students)

10. Robot Adventures

In this live online class, which is the next best step after advanced Scratch for teens interesting in coding and robotics, students learn how to design, build, and code robots. Teens will explore the design and creation process, as well as coding and learning how to move the robots, use sensors, control robot arms, and control robots to complete various challenges that simulate real world robotics competitions. All the activities will be in the robot virtual world using software, so you don't need to purchase physical robots, but they are just as powerful and fun.

  • 12 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 5 students)

11. Smart Devices

In this live online class, which is the next best step after advanced Scratch for teens interesting in game design and creation, students learn how to create with circuits and Arduino - the foundation of smart devices. While lots of students have learned to code, few have had the opportunity to build a physical system, which opens up a brand new world. In this class, we introduce students step by step to circuit and Arduino, one of the most popular single-board devices. This class uses an Arduino simulator and does not require a physical device. However, if you prefer, an Arduino starter kits can be purchased online. The same code your student creates in class will work on the device without any changes.

  • 12 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 5 students)

12. Minecraft Code to Mod

In this live online class, which is the next best step after advanced Scratch for teens interesting in game design and creation, students learn how to program games, stories, buildings, and anything else they want to make happen, and see it come alive in the Minecraft game. Their code will spawn their favorite creatures, build cool structures, and create games to challenge others. Students will master important programming concepts like function, loop, variable, just to name a few, taking a big step forward toward developing computer science skills.

  • 12 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 5 students)

13. Python for AI

The best way to round out your teen's computer science education is to then proceed to Python. Python is a high-level coding language used by companies such as Netflix and Google, and it is also used for web development, game development, building apps, machine learning, and so much more. Studies have shown programming with Python to be one of the simplest and most popular coding languages when learning to code.

  • 16 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 5 students)

14. Build Your Web

In this class, great for teens most interested in the coding track, students build their first web pages, and learn how the Internet, browsers, and web work. Students learn the core building blocks of web pages, including HTML and CSS, and build their very first fan website featuring some of their favorite things. Before moving on to learn Javascript and build websites with dynamic content and that can respond to interactions from viewers.

  • 12 55-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Semi-private group (max 3 students)

15. Android Programming

Following Build Your Web, teens most interested in the coding pathway, should take Android to learn the basics of Java syntax and beyond. The first half of the course explores and expands on important programming concepts such as ArrayLists and Object-Oriented Programming. In the second half of the course, students will learn to design Android front-ends for their objects and programs. Kids will see first hand what it means to develop modular, portable objects, and what software reusability looks like in real life.

  • 8 70-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Semi-private group (max 3 students)

16. Roblox Coding

For teens most interested in game creation and development, after Python, they should proceed to Coding with Roblox Studio. In this computer science course, teens learn how to create their own Roblox games and world using Roblox Studio with coding. Students even learn how to build multiplayer games so they can invite their friends to play their games together which is fun and motivating! Plus find out how to create a little economy in your game by collecting goodies off a conveyor belt, earning coins, and exchanging for droppers and treasures.

  • 12 70-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 5 students)

17. Unity Game Development

After Roblox, teens interested in game developement will most enjoy Unity classes. Unity is the most popular game engine in the world. Unity is behind many of the most popular games such as Crossy Road, Among Us, Angry Birds, and a lot more. Moreover, it not only is well-suited for both 2D and 3D games, but also has become a powerful tool for VR and AR development. This series of Unity classes teach students the core techniques of developing both 2D and 3D games in Unity. It covers a wide range of topics from character control, coding (in C#), to asset management.

  • 8 70-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Semi-private group (max 3 students)

18. Computer Science Principles

For students that want to keep developing their computer science knowledge and/or are interested in coding, our APCSP class is the next best to take, after Python or Build Your Web. In this live online class students learn all sorts of core computer architecture topics: binary, networking, security, algorithm, and more. This class is a great step to take for learning more about system and architectural aspects of computers. Developed by expert AP computer science educators, the class also meets the requirements for the APCSP exam as defined by the College Board.

  • 12 70-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Small group (max 6 students)

19. Cloud Computing

The next class teen students will be ready to enjoy is Cloud Computing. In this live online class, they can learn how to build advanced scalable web apps using cloud computing. Cloud computing is used to power nearly every website on the Internet, as well as most mobile applications. Youth learn how to create interactive web applications using Google Cloud Platform and Firebase. These are the same tools used by professional software engineers! By the end of class, students will be able to host their own websites and web apps that will empower people across the world to interact in real-time.

  • 12 70-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Semi-private group (max 3 students)

20. AI Creators

Teen students interested in AI and data science will also enjoy AI Creators, during which they'll start mastering machine learning and create AI apps with Python! By the end of class, students will achieve a firm foundation in key technical concepts used in coding AI, and creating models representative of a variety of data, including medical imaging datasets (pneumonia, Covid-19, and the like), and so much more. Students will also receive an excellent overview of the frontier of AI technologies and develop strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

  • 12 70-minute sessions
  • Live online
  • Semi-private group (max 3 students)

Free coding classes

Free coding classes for kids are a great way to introduce computer programming to students, without being costly. Explore a few of our favorite free coding classes for your child from Grades 2+ to enjoy!

  • Free Scratch Intro (Grades 2-5): If you’re interested in starting to learn how to code, there’s no better language than Scratch. Scratch coding is a free visual programming language that’s easy for beginners to pick up because it introduces all the logic of coding, without the fuss of written syntax. Designed by MIT, Scratch, provides the tools for students of all ages to conquer fundamental coding concepts. Kids can quickly harness Scratch to create their own imaginative stories, games, and animations in this fun free class.
  • Free Advanced Scratch Intro (Grades 5-9) In this free Scratch coding class, your child will learn how to use Scratch, practice core coding concepts, and build an impressive project in just under an hour. It's great for both middle schoolers and high schoolers. You'll see their confidence and interest in coding soar!
  • Free Python Intro Class (Grades 5-9) In this free Python coding class, students will take their first dive into coding with Python. Students will learn how to animate and draw with Python, and will build their own story project to create a cool animation. Like all of our small group classes, this online Python for kids class is led by an experienced teacher.

Enjoy computer programming classes for youth

Sign up for computer programming classes for youth! With live online classes, students of all ages can enjoy the best programming instruction, and develop their confidence and creativity - all from home.

To get started on your coding adventure, you're invited to join our free beginner-friendly Scratch coding class: