If you’re a high school student interested in coding, apps, or how technology powers the world around you, you may already be experimenting with programming or building small projects. But beyond school assignments and online tutorials, you might still wonder what working in software development actually looks like. One of the best ways to explore this is through a summer job in San Francisco.

Imagine spending your summer in the Bay Area, working with startups, tech organizations, or training programs focused on software development. Picture contributing to real projects, learning industry tools, and understanding how developers work in teams to build and improve products. Software development summer jobs in San Francisco for high school students offer hands-on exposure to one of the world’s most advanced tech ecosystems.

How do you choose the right software development summer jobs in San Francisco for high school students?

With limited opportunities available, it’s important to focus on roles that provide real skill development rather than just observation. Some programs emphasize training and mentorship, while others place you directly into project-based environments. 

Software development summer jobs may involve coding, debugging, testing applications, or assisting with product development. You might work with languages like Python or JavaScript, collaborate with teams, and present your work, mirroring real workflows in the tech industry.

You’ll learn from experienced developers, collaborate with peers, and build essential skills such as problem-solving, communication, and adaptability. Along the way, you’ll create projects for your portfolio, expand your network, and gain a clearer understanding of what a future in software development could look like.

To help you get started, we’ve curated a list of 15 Software Development Summer Jobs in San Francisco for High School Students. They’ve been selected for their hands-on learning opportunities, strong mentorship, and ability to provide meaningful early exposure to the tech industry.

For adjacent opportunities, check out AI internships in California. For more options, consider online computer science programs.

15 Software Development Summer Jobs in San Francisco for High School Students

1. Meta Summer Academy

Location: Meta headquarters, Menlo Park (San Francisco Bay Area), CA
Stipend: Paid + breakfast, lunch, and transportation to central pickup sites covered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: February 14th
Dates: June 15th – July 24th
Eligibility: High school sophomores who live in East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City and have a minimum GPA of 2.0

The Meta Summer Academy (MSA) is a six-week, paid internship for high school students in the Bay Area. During the program, you will spend around 30 hours each week engaging in a mix of technical and professional skill development, including coding, basic financial concepts, and creative work in areas like art and media.

You will take part in guided projects and group-based tasks that reflect how teams collaborate in a workplace setting. The program also includes regular sessions with guest speakers, along with opportunities to interact with employees from different parts of the company. The experience can help you understand a range of technical and non-technical roles.

Why it stands out: It combines structured skill-building with direct exposure to how a large technology company operates on a day-to-day basis.

2. Immerse’s Software Development & AI Summer School in San Francisco

Location: UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
Cost: Varies; summer school scholarship available through our bursary programme
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; small cohorts of around 7 participants per class
Application deadline: Rolling admissions
Dates: Two weeks during the summer
Eligibility: Domestic and international high school students, ages 15-18

Immerse Education’s Career Insights Program lets high school students explore careers in major global industry hubs. The Software Development Summer track is designed to give you direct exposure to real-world software development workflows and professional environments in regions like San Francisco. You will engage in project-based learning with established companies, attend interactive workshops, and visit offices, factories, and headquarters.

The program also includes weekly 1:1 career coaching sessions and personalized feedback on your resume and overall profile. You will present your findings to industry experts at the end of the program. You can find more details about the application here.

Why it stands out: It offers direct industry exposure, opportunities to build a professional network, explore San Francisco, and a certificate you can include in your college applications and work profile.

3. Project Pull Internships

Location: City and County of San Francisco departments, San Francisco, CA
Stipend: $23/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: February 16th
Dates: June 8th – July 31st
Eligibility: Students entering junior or senior year, or students who are college-bound freshmen, who are San Francisco residents or SFUSD students with a minimum 2.75 GPA

Project Pull connects students with work opportunities within city departments, including tech and IT-related roles, through the Public Utilities Commission. During the program, you will work within the assigned site for 20 hours/week for eight weeks under mentors who will guide you through projects connected to areas such as IT, communications, and business operations.

The experience can introduce you to workplace expectations and careers in tech. The program also offers weekly sessions to help you develop professional skills and learn about careers in the public sector.

Why it stands out: It offers direct experience working within public sector systems, where projects are often tied to real operational needs rather than simulations, giving you a clearer understanding of how technology supports large-scale civic infrastructure.

4. SFUSD’s Summer Internships : Information Technology Pathway

Location: Different sites in the San Francisco Bay Area
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: TBA
Dates: Six-week summer internships; specific start and end dates vary
Eligibility: SFUSD high school sophomores and juniors; preference given to rising seniors

The San Francisco Unified School District offers Summer Internships to provide high school students with paid, hands-on experiences across various sectors, including computer science and software development. During the program, you will spend six weeks engaging in placement-specific tasks and gaining exposure to tech, machine learning, or general software-related roles.

You will work with industry mentors and take part in activities designed to build both technical and professional skills. The structure emphasizes practical experience, along with opportunities to connect with professionals and other students. The program also includes a weekly work-based learning seminar led by an SFUSD supervisor or mentor.

Why it stands out: It combines structured support from educators with real workplace exposure, making it easier to connect what you learn in school to how it is applied in professional environments.

5. Stanford’s Science, Humanities, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (SHTEM) Summer Internship

Location: Stanford University, Stanford (San Francisco Bay Area), CA
Cost/Stipend: $95 non-refundable application fee; no stipend, but financial assistance may be available if required.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Application deadline: February 1st
Dates: June 22nd – August 14th
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are at least 14 years old, as well as full-time community college students within their first three years, between the ages of 17 and 21; applicants must be U.S. citizens/permanent residents.

Stanford’s SHTEM Summer Internship offers high school juniors, seniors, and early community college students an eight-week on-campus research experience that blends science, humanities, technology, engineering, and math. During the program, you will be placed in small groups of 2–5 and matched with interdisciplinary projects based on your interests.

You will work closely with mentors from Stanford’s Compression Forum, including faculty, staff, and students. You will also take part in regular meetings, research assignments, and collaborative discussions, typically committing 20 to 3 hours per week. The experience provides insight into how different disciplines, including tech, connect to each other within research settings.

Why it stands out: It introduces you to interdisciplinary research early on, helping you understand how technical skills like programming are applied alongside other fields in solving complex problems.

6. California Academy of Sciences Careers in Science (CiS) Intern Program

Location: California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA
Stipend: Paid (above minimum wage)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: TBA in February
Dates: Starts in June for rising sophomores and juniors, and continues through high school graduation
Eligibility: High school freshmen and sophomores enrolled full-time in an SFUSD school with a minimum GPA of 2.5 and a C grade or higher in science and math; applicants must be able to obtain a valid U.S. work permit.

The CiS Intern Program is a paid, multi-year opportunity for high school students in San Francisco. Run by the California Academy of Sciences, the program takes place year-round, with sessions after school and on weekends during the academic year, and weekdays during the summer. You will typically begin as a rising sophomore or junior and continue through high school graduation.

As an intern, you will take part in activities such as engaging with museum visitors, assisting with fieldwork, and contributing to science research or environmental projects. The program also includes bi-monthly training sessions focused on science communication, STEM career exploration, financial literacy, and college preparation.

Why it stands out: It provides sustained, long-term exposure to STEM work, allowing you to build skills and experience gradually rather than through a short-term program.

7. Enterprise for Youth’s Paid Summer Internships

Location: Partner organizations in San Francisco, CA
Stipend: $20/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: April 15th
Dates: June 8th – July 31st
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders from an SFUSD school, and/or San Francisco residents; preference is given to applicants who attended Enterprise for Youth’s Job Readiness Training

Enterprise for Youth runs an eight-week internship program where you work in one or more sectors, such as professional services, small business, tech, healthcare, nonprofit, climate, culinary, retail, and legal or financial services, gaining real-world experience. At your assigned site, you will attend professional development workshops to build workplace skills, understand job contexts, and connect with a peer community.

You will work on assigned internship tasks while connecting with an internship supervisor and Enterprise staff. The program is designed to offer summer work experience while helping you develop foundational soft skills and workplace skills.

Why it stands out: It combines structured job placements with career readiness training, offering you both hands-on work experience and exposure to different career paths before college.

8. SF YouthWorks Summer Internship

Location: Multiple San Francisco public department offices
Stipend: $19.18/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly available
Application deadline: April 10th
Dates: June –  August
Eligibility: Rising 11th to 12th graders who are enrolled in schools based in San Francisco

This paid summer internship program lets San Francisco high school students work directly with the city government. As an intern, you will join departments such as the Public Utilities Commission, Public Library, SF International Airport, or one of more than 30 other agencies. You can indicate your preference for tech-focused opportunities. At the assigned department, you will contribute to real-world projects that strengthen communication, organization, and teamwork skills.

SF YouthWorks also runs sessions where you will receive mentorship, career guidance, and support for college planning. You will additionally attend workshops, meet with supervisors, and gain exposure to how public service careers operate.

Why it stands out: It connects you to community-based work environments within city government, providing structured mentorship and practical experience in public-sector roles.Source: Stanford University

9. Stanford AIMI Summer Research Internship

Location: Virtual (Hosted by Stanford University)
Cost: $2,400 + $45 application fee; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~50 students/session
Application deadline: February 20th
Dates: Session A: June 15th – June 26th | Session B: July 6-17
Eligibility: High school students, ages 14 and older, who are U.S. citizens; preference is given to students with strong math/computer programming skills and/or prior experience working on healthcare projects.

The Stanford AIMI Summer Research Internship is a selective, two-week virtual program where you will explore the role of artificial intelligence in medicine and healthcare. The program connects you with Stanford faculty and AI research engineers to explore real-world applications of AI in diagnostics, medical imaging, and disease prediction. 

You will analyze medical datasets, train machine learning models for image recognition, and learn how AI is used in radiology and clinical decision-making. Through coding exercises, research discussions, and project work, you will apply AI techniques to healthcare-focused problems while also considering ethical challenges in the field.

Why it stands out: It gives you early exposure to how machine learning is applied in real clinical contexts, helping you understand both the technical workflow and the responsibility involved in healthcare-related AI systems.

10. SLAC Summer Internship Program

Location: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park (San Francisco Bay Area), CA (40 minutes from San Francisco)
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly available
Application deadline: Varies based on department needs
Dates: Vary by position; typically, up to 12 weeks between May and September
Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates, and graduate students, ages 18 and up, who are authorized to work in the U.S.

The SLAC Summer Internship Program offers hands-on research experience at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, a facility operated by Stanford University. During the internship, you will work on projects assigned by different departments, ranging from introductory tasks to more advanced research, depending on your background and placement.

Project areas can include computer science, data science, mechanical engineering, physics, and biotechnology. In addition to internship tasks, you may also volunteer through initiatives such as the SLAC Regional High School Science Bowl and SAGE Camp (Science Accelerating Girls’ Engagement). 

Why it stands out: It exposes you to a large-scale national laboratory environment, where you can see how computing and scientific research are applied in real experimental and engineering contexts.

11. Experiences in Research (EinR)  @ Berkeley Lab

Location: Hybrid or virtual, with required in-person events at Berkeley Lab, Berkeley (San Francisco Bay Area), CA
Stipend: $500/week
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly available
Application deadline: March 22nd
Dates: June 15th – July 24th
Eligibility: Students, ages 16 and up, in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade enrolled in a public high school in Northern California, preferably within Alameda, Contra Costa, or San Francisco counties; a minimum GPA of 3.0 and prior experience in independent STEM work is recommended.

EinR is a competitive, paid six-week internship for Northern California high school students who want to gain real-world experience in STEM and STEM-adjacent fields, making it a strong option among software development summer jobs in San Francisco for high school students. You will be matched to projects based on your skills and interests, with opportunities ranging from experimental research and data science to coding, science communication, and administration.

You will work closely with Berkeley Lab professionals while attending workshops, networking events, and professional development sessions. While projects may be hybrid or virtual, you will attend an orientation and final presentations in person. You will dedicate 30–35 hours per week to the project work and collaborate in small teams under the guidance of project mentors.

Why it stands out: It gives you exposure to research-driven environments at a national laboratory, helping you understand how STEM skills are applied in structured, real-world scientific and technical projects.

​​12. KP Launch Internship

Location: Kaiser Permanente facilities across Northern California, including in San Francisco, CA
Stipend: $24/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies by year; ~300 students in the past cohort
Application deadline: January 9th
Dates: June 15th – July 31st
Eligibility: High school students and college students who are 16 to 19 years old and residents of Northern California Kaiser Permanente service areas

The KP LAUNCH program offers students paid seven-week internships within non-clinical departments, including tech-focused units. You will be matched with a department that is aligned with your interests and will get to engage in projects that contribute to Kaiser Permanente’s operations. Opportunities are available in various areas, including roles in IT, which let you work with tools like AI/ML and collaborate with business and technology stakeholders to create health technologies.

The program also runs weekly professional development workshops, mentorship from professionals, and networking opportunities. This experience can help you learn about workplace expectations and explore tech roles in healthcare.

Why it stands out: It lets you explore tech roles in healthcare through real workplace experience within a leading healthcare organization.

13. Berkeley Lab Director’s Apprenticeship Program: Interdisciplinary Pathways to Machine Learning and Data Science (BLDAP: IPMLDS)

Location: Hybrid or virtual, with required in-person events at Berkeley Lab, Berkeley (San Francisco Bay Area), CA
Stipend: $500/week
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly available
Application deadline: March 22nd
Dates: June 15th –  July 24th
Eligibility: Public school students, ages 16 and up, currently in 10th or 11th grade, residing in Alameda, San Francisco, or Contra Costa counties; students from low-income households or first-generation college-bound backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

BLDAP: IPMLDS is a paid six-week summer STEM program hosted by Berkeley Lab, designed to introduce high school students to data science, biosciences, and machine learning through hands-on projects and mentorship. You will attend daily in-person sessions where you learn Python programming, conduct lab experiments, engage in career talks with STEM professionals, and collaborate on short research projects.

The program emphasizes skill-building in communication, collaboration, and scientific inquiry, culminating in a final presentation. You can continue to engage with Berkeley Lab by participating in special events, short courses, and internship opportunities during the academic year. The program covers the cost of all learning materials and offers weekly stipends to support participation.

Why it stands out: It gives you hands-on exposure to research and applied data science, helping you connect programming and scientific methods to real laboratory-based problem solving.

14. Kode With Klossy Summer Camps

Location: Various sites, including San Francisco, CA + virtual options
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Application deadline: March 30th
Dates: Multiple two-week camps in June – August (tentatively)
Eligibility: Women and gender expansive teens, ages 13-18; international students can apply.

Kode With Klossy runs free coding camps focused on topics like web development or AI. While not a typical summer job, the camp offers hands-on exposure to software development and connects you to mentors and professionals in the field, like a traditional internship, and at no cost.

You will join tracks like data science, web development, or artificial intelligence and machine learning to learn how to work with tools like SQL and Python, use languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, or study algorithms and natural language processing. Beyond track-specific learning, each camp includes a speaker series featuring women working in tech, giving you insights into what careers in the field look like. 

Why it stands out: It gives you a structured introduction to collaborative coding, helping you build both technical skills and experience working in team-based development settings.

15. JCYC Opportunities For All (OFA)

Location: Various organizations across San Francisco, CA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: April 10th
Dates: Summer internships; dates vary by opportunity
Eligibility: Students, ages 13-24, who live and attend school in San Francisco 

Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC) connects high school students, youth, and young adults to local San Francisco organizations through the OFA program. You will join an organization and spend the summer engaging in tasks, workshops, job readiness training, and networking.

You can indicate your preference for a software development role. The program connects you with resources, support, and local employers. OFA partners with organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs, the YMCA, and the Community Youth Center, which offer internships to students each summer.

Why it stands out: It connects you to local organizations at no cost, offering internships and professional development resources along with the opportunity to explore tech roles in your community.

Beyond the Internship: Finding Your Place in Tech

Software development summer jobs in San Francisco for high school students offer more than early experience, giving you direct exposure to coding, teamwork, product building, and workplace problem-solving.

From tech roles in city departments to research placements at Stanford and Berkeley Lab, these opportunities show how software skills are used across startups, public services, and healthcare.

That kind of experience can help you build stronger projects, understand different tech pathways, and make more confident decisions about what you want to study next.

Still figuring out where coding could take you? Explore our Career Exploration blogs for real career paths, useful skills, and clearer next steps across tech and beyond.