For Middle School Students
Timeline and Course Schedule
This information is for STEM Academy Ignite (grades 6-8).
Visit the high school program page for grades 9-12.
Ignite courses are offered on a quarterly basis, with two six-week sessions in the fall and two in the spring. Ignite is not currently offered during the summer.
All Ignite courses are conducted in person. Courses take place in APL’s STEM Center learning laboratories located at:
*Note: APL is not accessible by public transit and is located in Laurel, Maryland. For additional information, including directions, please visit APL’s Locations and Directions page.
Important Reminders
- Review the course timeline.
- There will be no classes during the week of Thanksgiving break or spring break.
- STEM Academy will have classes on all other scheduled days, including scheduled school holidays.
The timeline below is for the 2025–2026 calendar year. Next year’s timeline will be posted by July 2026. Dates are subject to change.
Two courses are offered at a time during the fall: session A and session B. Courses are offered one day per week from 5 to 6:30 p.m. ET for each six-week session.
Fall 2025
| Date | |
|---|---|
| August 7, 2025 | STEM Academy Open House at APL |
| August 13–16, 2025 | Returning Student Registration Period |
| August 15–25, 2025 | New Student Application Period |
| September 10, 2025 | Student/Parent Fall Semester Virtual Orientation |
| September 15 to October 20, 2025 | Fall Session A |
| October 27 to December 8, 2025 | Fall Session B |
| November 24–27, 2025 | Thanksgiving Break (No Classes) |
Two courses are offered at a time during the spring: session A and session B. Courses are offered one day per week from 5 to 6:30 p.m. ET for each six-week session.
Because we may experience inclement weather during the spring session, a class may be canceled without being rescheduled. If a class is canceled, we will attempt to reschedule it or offer it online.
Spring 2026
| Date | |
|---|---|
| January 7–10, 2026 | Returning Student Registration Period |
| January 9–20, 2026 | New Student Application Period |
| February 4, 2026 | Student/Parent Spring Semester Virtual Orientation |
| February 9 to March 16, 2026 | Spring Session A (Inclement Weather Makeup: March 23, 2026) |
| March 30 to April 2, 2026 | Spring Break (No Classes) |
| April 6 to May 11, 2026 | Spring Session B |
Courses listed below are tentative for the fall 2025 session only, and are subject to volunteer instructor availability. The finalized course schedule will be updated in August for fall courses and in January for spring courses.
For more information about courses, including descriptions and prerequisites, please view the course catalog.
Reminder: All Ignite courses are conducted in person.
Fall 2025 Courses
| Session | Day | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Session A: September 15 to October 20, 2025 | Monday | Code Quest: Scratch Adventures |
| Session A: September 15 to October 20, 2025 | Monday | Junior Detectives: The Science of Solving Crimes |
| Session B: October 27 to December 8, 2025 | Monday | Code Quest: Make It Move with micro:bit! |
| Session B: October 27 to December 8, 2025 | Monday | Artificial Intelligence (AI) & You: Learning to Think Critically |