Students at a Steel City Codes summer camp writing Python at their computers while a mentor teaches.

{ Free CS education since 2018 }

Every kid deserves a shot at computer science.

We're a nonprofit clearing the barriers between a kid and a STEM education — cost, distance, and a school that doesn't offer it. Every chapter, camp, and hackathon we run is free, and taught by high-school mentors.

Don't see your city? Start a chapter — students and schools both can, and we'll help you launch it.

High schooler? Mentor at a chapter Educator? Bring a chapter to your school Sponsor a region

Chapters

80+ weekly after-school chapters

Summer camps

60+ free one-week camp sessions

Hackathons

10+ themed coding competitions

Students

20,000+ students taught since 2018

Students collaborating at a Steel City Codes hackathon.

A high-school mentor helping a younger student.

What we do

We're tackling the CS gap at its roots.

Steel City Codes promotes inclusivity in STEM by teaching young students computer science — everything we offer is completely cost-free, so any student can take part.

Peer mentorship that sticksWe pair younger students with high-school volunteers they can learn from and look up to.

Always free, by designFunded entirely by sponsors and community donations, so cost is never a barrier for a student.

Coast to coastChapters in cities across the country, from Pittsburgh to the Bay Area.

Three ways to learn

A pathway that grows with a student — from a first weekly session to a national competition.

During the school year

Chapters

Weekly one-hour sessions for elementary and middle schoolers. High-school mentors teach in Java or Python.

Explore chapters

Over the summer

Summer camps

Free one-week camps for grades 4–8, 9AM–3PM. No experience needed — Python, Java, or web development.

Explore camps

Put it to the test

Hackathons

Themed competitions for grades 6–12 in teams of up to four, with workshops and mentors on standby.

Explore hackathons

Why it matters

Computing is where the jobs are going — but access to it is uneven, and the gap starts young.

2 / 3

of projected new STEM jobs are in computing

1 in 2

schools teach CS, though 9 in 10 parents want it

22%

of AP Computer Science students are women

13%

are Black/African American or Hispanic/Latino

Get involved

Steel City Codes runs on high-school students and community support. Here's where you fit in.

2–4 hours / week

Start a chapter

Bring Steel City Codes to a school near you. We provide the curriculum, templates, and step-by-step support.

Learn how

1–2 hours / week

Volunteer

High schoolers with some coding background can mentor at a chapter, camp, or hackathon. No teaching experience required.

Volunteer

Commitments vary

Partner with us

Sponsors keep every program free. Support the next generation of coders as a corporate or community partner.

Partner

Ready to start coding?

Find a Steel City Codes chapter or summer camp in your region — sign-up takes a couple of minutes, and it's always free.

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