Topics We Cover:
- Why Do Internships in High School?
- How to Find Computer Science Internships for High School Students in San Francisco
- 10 Computer Science Internships for High School Students in San Francisco
- Cold Outreach Strategy for High School Computer Science Internships
- Email Template for Finding a High School Internship
Why Do Internships in High School?
A computer science internship for high school students in San Francisco can pave the way to professional success by opening doors along the way. For example, completing an internship in high school can increase your chances of gaining admission to a top college. Roughly three in four students at U.S. News Top 50 universities served as interns during high school, according to the consultancy PRISM.
Engaging in a high school internship demonstrates to colleges that you’ve pursued your interests outside of a classroom setting, explored potential career paths, and gained real-world experience—helping you stand out from crowded fields of applicants.
Fulfilling a high school internship also increases your chances of landing an internship in college. It also makes it easier to gain admission to preprofessional societies and organizations, like programming groups and game development groups, as well as participate in activities like hackathons.
How to Find Computer Science Internships for High School Students in San Francisco
The best place to find computer science internships for high schoolers is online, using search tools and lists, like StandOutSearch—the largest free online database of internships for high school students. StandOutSearch is easily searched using a variety of filters, including location, format (in-person, virtual, and hybrid), and compensation (paid or unpaid).
Another helpful resource is a list of official summer programs and internships collected by MIT Admissions. The drawback to official programs is that they’re generally very competitive, which makes forming a cold outreach plan an essential step for most students to secure a high school internship.
Cold outreach involves reaching out to potential internship providers to introduce yourself and spark interest in hosting you as an intern. Many high schoolers find cold outreach intimidating; however, the guide and email templates provided below should make the process less daunting.
10 Computer Science Internships for High School Students in San Francisco
The computer science internships for high school students listed below generally have acceptance rates below 20%. We recommend applying to at least five internships. If an internship below catches your eye, mark its deadline on your calendar so you don’t miss out on a highly sought-after opportunity.
1. StandOut Connect
Ages: 15-19
Location: Virtual
Timeline: Summer, Spring, Fall, or Winter
Deadline: November 23, 2026 (Winter cohort)
StandOut Connect is a program that helps match gifted high school students with online internships in their industry of interest. Students match with companies across 25 interest areas such as finance, STEM, medicine, law, arts, and more. StandOut Connect is funded by StandOutSearch, the largest free database for high school internships. The program has been featured in Forbes and was created with the help of investment from The University of Chicago's Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
2. Meta Summer Academy
Ages: Sophomores
Location: Menlo Park, California
Timeline: June-July
Deadline: February 14, 2027
Meta Summer Academy (formerly known as Facebook Summer Academy) offers students the chance to gain firsthand experience with the day-to-day operations of the world’s leading technology companies. Participants explore career paths, learn to code, and build soft skills, including leadership, teamwork, and communication, that transcend the tech field.
Check out our guide to the Meta internship to learn more about this superb opportunity for Bay Area high schoolers.
3. Berkeley Lab Director’s Apprenticeship Program
Ages: Sophomores and Juniors
Location: Berkeley, California
Timeline: June-July
Deadline: Not yet announced (March 23 in 2026)
This paid apprenticeship program introduces students to STEM—building hard and soft skills, exploring career paths, and gaining hands-on research experience. Students will also receive college and career guidance and build a network of STEM-focused individuals—from professionals to peers.
Students who complete the program are eligible to participate in a traditional lab internship the following year.
4. Berkeley Lab Experiences in Research (EinR)
Ages: Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors
Location: Hybrid or virtual (Berkeley Lab, CA)
Timeline: June-July
Deadline: Not yet announced (March 23 in 2026)
Through the Experiences in Research (EinR) program, high school students gain hands-on experience on projects with Berkeley Lab—one of the world’s leading scientific research institutions. Participants work alongside STEM professionals in fields including:
- Administration
- Science communication
- Data science
- Experimental research
This is a paid opportunity and interns should anticipate working between 30 and 35 hours a week over the duration of the six-week program.
5. AIMI Summer Health AI Bootcamp
Ages: 14-18
Location: Remote
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 1, 2027
The AIMI Summer Health AI Bootcamp, run by Stanford's Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging, introduces high school students to artificial intelligence in health and medicine. Participants learn core machine learning ideas through structured lessons and collaborative work with other students, and see how those ideas apply to real healthcare problems. The bootcamp is open to students of all technical backgrounds, and AIMI also runs a separate summer research internship for students who want hands-on, mentored research.
6. California Academy of Sciences Careers in Science (CiS)
Ages: Freshmen and Sophomores (SFUSD)
Location: San Francisco, California
Timeline: Year-round
Deadline: Not yet announced (April 1 in 2026)
Careers in Science (CiS) is a paid, year-round, multi-year program exploring science and building leadership. Interns join the program as rising sophomores or juniors, and as they progress through the program, they can level up to positions that demand more leadership and responsibility.
Participants will engage in hands-on projects focused on science research or environmental action, conduct fieldwork, serve on a leadership council, and are eligible for individual mentorship. They’re also able to attend STEM conferences and attend college tours.
7. SeA Bilingual STEM Camp
Ages: Freshmen-Seniors
Location: Berkeley, California
Timeline: April
Deadline: Not yet announced (January 26 in 2026)
This free bilingual STEM camp offers activities at both UC Berkeley and the Berkeley Lab. Participants engage in a variety of activities, including:
- Touring Berkeley Lab facilities
- Seeing science in action through physics demonstrations
- Exploring career paths with scientists and engineers
- Solving an engineering challenge
- Constructing and testing a Rube Goldberg machine
Participation in SeA is often a first step to landing a summer internship at Berkeley Lab.
8. Sandia National Laboratories Student Intern Program
Ages: 16-19
Location: Livermore, California
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Not yet announced
Sandia National Laboratories, a national security research lab, hires high school students for technical and business internships. Interns help researchers on real-world projects tied to Sandia’s mission, and recent postings include high school technical intern positions. The paid roles are at Sandia's Livermore, California site and in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Summer internships usually last 10 to 12 weeks, from May to late August, at up to 40 hours a week, and nearby students can also work part-time during the school year. Applicants must be at least 16, enrolled full-time, and have at least a 3.0 GPA for technical roles; some positions require U.S. citizenship.
9. SFUSD Summer Internship
Ages: 14-18
Location: San Francisco, California
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Not yet announced
San Francisco’s own public school district, SFUSD, provides paid internships to its high school students—giving them a chance to expand their learning beyond the classroom and explore careers in a hands-on environment. Information technology has been among the past sectors, along with office management, transportation, and event planning. Industry internships last six weeks, with at least 20 hours of work a week plus a weekly seminar with an SFUSD supervisor. Only current SFUSD high school students can apply. Internships are aimed at sophomores and juniors, with priority for rising seniors who have not interned with SFUSD before, and students apply through an interest form. SFUSD says the interest form for summer 2027 will be posted in early 2027.
10. Project Pull Internship
Ages: Sophomores-Seniors
Location: San Francisco, California
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Not yet announced (February 13 in 2026)
Project Pull, which the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission runs, puts high schoolers in paid summer jobs across City departments to try out STEAM and public service career paths. Interns commit to 20 hours a week for eight weeks, with weekly enrichment that builds leadership and teamwork. The City's internship options span the Public Utilities Commission, Public Works, the Airport, the Department of Elections, the General Services Administration, the City Attorney, the District Attorney, the Office of Economic Workforce Development, the Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families, and Opportunities for All, which is limited to San Francisco students. Current sophomores, juniors and seniors qualify if they live or study in San Francisco and earned a GPA of 2.75 or higher in their most recent completed semester.
For more options beyond San Francisco, see our list of coding internships for high school students.
Cold Outreach Strategy for High School Internships
If none of the computer science internships for high school students above are a good fit for you, your next step is to develop a cold outreach strategy. Cold outreach can feel daunting, but the guide below simplifies the process and removes some of the stress.
How to Find Companies to Reach Out to for a High School Internship
LinkedIn is an excellent tool for finding potential internship hosts. Look for companies where you can assist with tasks like writing simple scripts, updating website content, or running basic data analysis. Target small companies, which are often short-staffed, and more willing to take on a high school intern.
When connecting with professionals, look for shared interests to bond over, like having attended the same high school, being members of the same church or nonprofit, or being passionate about the same sports team. When reaching out to professionals you don’t know, it’s always safest to schedule virtual interviews or meetings.
How to Find Professors to Reach Out to for a High School Research Position
Online university staff directories are a good place to look for research opportunities with professors. Remote positions for high school students are uncommon, since most lab work requires in-person tasks like washing equipment or running experiments. Fortunately for students with an interest in computer science, the exception is computational research.
Coding languages like Python or R are commonly used to analyze data. If you already have foundational knowledge of these languages, you’re in luck! If not, these languages can be learned independently in a few months for free using courses like Python for Everybody or R Programming on Coursera.
How to Structure and Send Outreach Emails
The more internship inquiries you make, the better your odds are of landing a position. Aim to send at least 50 emails to bolster your odds of securing a computer science internship. When reaching out, include your resume. Send your resume as a Google Drive link—rather than a Doc or PDF, which can negatively impact deliverability—and make sure the link’s settings allow anyone with it to view its contents.
If you have any relevant work samples, include those as well. A small program, simple game, or basic automation you’ve coded; a website you’ve designed; or basic data analysis using Python or R could be just the thing to grab the attention of a potential internship provider.
Our resume template and tips are a valuable resource, whether you need to craft your first resume or want to brush up on best practices before sending an existing one. The University of Chicago also provides a useful resume guide.
Email Template for Finding a High School Internship
If you are unsure how to structure your outreach emails to potential internship providers, here are some basic templates you can customize to your needs.
Template for Finding an Internship
Subject: Student Reaching Out
Dear Mr./Ms.____,
I hope you are having a great day! My name is [your name], and I am a rising [grade] at [your school]. I read about your company on LinkedIn and found the concept quite interesting. For context, [briefly state how the company relates to your interests or experience].
I was wondering if you might be looking for interns. I know I would have a great deal to learn from working with you, and I would love to contribute in any way I can. I have included my resume here. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Template for Finding a Research Position
Subject: Student Reaching Out
Dear Professor/Dr. ____,
I hope you are having a great day! My name is [your name], and I am a rising [grade] at [your school]. I recently read your paper on [restate the abstract] in [name of publication] and was quite intrigued by [part you found interesting]. I was wondering if I might be able to intern for you over this summer. [Elaborate on your relevant skills and experience and why you are passionate about the field].
I have included my resume here. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Conclusion
Landing a computer science internship for high school students in San Francisco—whether through established programs or by reaching out directly—takes persistence. These opportunities can be competitive, but the experience is invaluable for getting an early start on your career. Found this useful? Bookmark it or share it with a friend.
Wishing you the best on your internship journey!
