Best Coding Classes for Kids in Chicago

Starting courses

Where a Chicago child usually begins

These are first suggestions by age. A free trial lesson tells us where your child really fits.

Ages 6 to 8

Coding for Kids

Colourful blocks that make characters move and talk, with a teacher asking what each block will do.

See the syllabus

Ages 8 to 11

Scratch Coding for Kids

Complete Scratch games with scores, timers and levels, built and debugged by the child.

See the syllabus

Ages 10 to 13

Python and AI for Kids

Real typed Python, lists and counting, leading to small data projects such as the L stop list.

See the syllabus

Ages 8 to 12

Minecraft Coding for Kids

Coding inside Minecraft for children who learn best through a game they already love.

See the syllabus

Browse the course atlas for more than one hundred options and use the coding roadmap to check prerequisites.

The four we are known for

Coding, Python and AI for children

These run underneath everything above. Every one is live and online, placed by ability rather than by age, and the first class is free.

Vibe codingAges 8 to 12

Vibe Coding for Kids

Scratch games and small apps, with AI as a helper the child learns to question.

See the syllabus

Python and AIAges 9 to 12

Python and AI for Kids

First typed code: games, turtle art and small programs that make decisions.

See the syllabus

Coding for kidsAges 6 to 12

Coding for Kids

Blocks first, then games and apps, at the pace of the child.

See the syllabus

AI literacyAges 8 to 14

AI Literacy for Kids (Ages 8 to 14)

How AI works, where it goes wrong, and how to use it safely.

See the syllabus

A test for any class

Five things to ask before you sign up

Whether it is a park program, a camp or us, these questions sort a strong coding class from a weak one quickly.

Our five-question test for a child’s coding class
Question	What you want to hear
Does a teacher look at my child’s actual code?	Yes, during the class, and the child explains it back
How do you decide the level?	From a real first task, not from age or grade alone
What will my child have made after a month?	A specific project you can see working
How many children per teacher, and at what level?	A clear number, with children grouped by stage
What comes next?	A follow-on course that builds on the same skills

We use the same test on ourselves. Our batches are fifteen to twenty children at one level, or one child with one teacher; every project is the child’s own; and each course leads to a next one, so a seven-year-old in Scratch has a route to Python by middle school. Cost belongs at the end of the list, once you know what you are paying for.

For the youngest

Six- and seven-year-olds need short tasks, lots of talking and a teacher who is patient with mouse skills. Typing comes later.

For the middle years

Children of eight to eleven can hold a multi-week Scratch project in their heads and start to plan before they build.

For older kids

From about eleven, typed Python opens up data projects like the one below, and game projects in Python or Roblox.

Signature project

Which L line stops at the most stations?

The City of Chicago Data Portal publishes the CTA’s list of L stops, with a true or false column for each line. We downloaded it on 18 October 2026 and grouped it, the way a ten- or eleven-year-old does in class.

Stations per L line (our group-by on the CTA List of L Stops, downloaded 18 October 2026; a station counts if any of its stops serves the line)
Line	Stations
Red	33
Blue	33
Green	31
Brown	27
Purple	26
Pink	22
Orange	16
Yellow	3

Stops or stations?

The file has 302 rows, but a row is a stop, often one platform direction. Grouping by the map_id column gives 144 stations. Children who count rows instead get Red and Blue at 66 each, double the real figure.

IDs or names?

There are only 108 different station names, because names repeat on different lines. Grouping by name merges stations that are miles apart, so the ID is the safer key.

Why the totals disagree

Add up the line column and you get 191, not 144. That is because 22 stations serve two or more lines; Clark/Lake serves six. A station can belong to more than one group.

In Python the core is a dictionary of sets: for each stop, add its map_id to the set for every line flagged true, then print the size of each set. A younger child can do the same with a printed list and colored pencils, ticking each station once per line. Either way, the child ends with a ranking and a sentence that explains why the numbers do not add up.

Whose numbers these are

The counts above are ours, from one download of a dataset the Chicago Transit Authority supplies to the portal. They are a teaching result, not an official station count. The city publishes its data as is, and asks that derived work include this note: “This site provides applications using data that has been modified for use from its original source, www.cityofchicago.org, the official website of the City of Chicago. The City of Chicago makes no claims as to the content, accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of any of the data provided at this site.”

Chicago in numbers

What the city says about itself

From the City of Chicago’s Facts and Statistics page and data portal, read on 18 October 2026. Each one is a ready-made counting question for a child.

Official Chicago figures, with the source the city names
Figure	What it counts	Source named by the city
50 wards	City Council wards	City of Chicago, Facts and Statistics
77 community areas	Official community areas	City of Chicago, Facts and Statistics
600 parks	Parks in the city	Park District
500 playgrounds	Playgrounds	Park District
29 beaches	Beaches along the lake	Park District
26 miles of open lakefront	Lakefront length	Park District
303 miles of bike lanes	Bike lanes	DPD
82 library location records	Rows in the Libraries - Locations dataset (our count)	City of Chicago Data Portal

These are the city’s round figures, quoted as published, so they are a good contrast with the exact counts in the L project. A sharp child will ask how 600 parks and 77 community areas could be grouped together, which is the same group-by question in a new setting, and a natural second project once the data is found.

Illinois schools

Computer science in Illinois high schools

One published figure, and a note on what we could not read.

Code.org’s 2025 data reports that 418 of 721 Illinois high schools, or 58.0%, offered computer science in 2023 to 2024, with the State Education Agency as the source (Code.org (2025). 2025 State of AI + CS Education). We tried to read the Illinois State Board of Education’s own pages on 18 October 2026 to summarize the state’s rules, but its site did not load for us that day, so we print no state rule here rather than repeat one second hand. For other states’ requirements, see our North Carolina example and the United States hub.

What 58.0% means

Roughly four in ten Illinois high schools did not list a computer science course in that year. A child who starts young does not depend on which campus they end up at.

In elementary school

Many children meet coding first through short units or clubs. Our classes give them a steady weekly habit on top.

Later on

High schoolers can move on to AP Computer Science Principles or A with us, alongside or instead of a school course.

Class times

Chicago is the name of its own time zone

In the IANA time zone database, Central Time is stored as America/Chicago, so every Central city borrows Chicago’s name.

Times to suit you

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays.

Our teachers in India

India time is 10 hours 30 minutes ahead of Chicago in summer and 11 hours 30 minutes ahead in winter, because India never changes its clocks.

Switch dates

Chicago goes back to standard time on November 1, 2026 and returns to daylight time on March 14, 2027. Class times are confirmed in Central Time.

For curious kids

Ask an older child to find America/Chicago in a Python time zone list and count how many other US states share it. Discovering that a zone name is a key in a database, not just a place, is a small but real programming idea.

Learning ladder

From first blocks to Python projects

A common route for Chicago kids; the free lesson sets where yours starts.

Ages 6 to 8

Blocks

Sequences and events through animated stories.

Coding for Kids AI Literacy for Kids (Ages 8 to 14)

Ages 8 to 10

Scratch

Full games with variables, scores and levels.

Scratch Coding for Kids Minecraft Coding for Kids

Ages 10 to 12

Python

Typed code, lists and dictionaries, data counting like the L project.

Python and AI for Kids Problem Solving and Computational Thinking for Kids

Ages 12 to 14

Bigger builds

Longer games and first web pages, ready for middle school electives.

Game Development for Kids Roblox Game Coding for Kids

Kids and AI

If AI can answer questions, why should a Chicago kid learn to count in code?

Because the L project has a trap that a quick answer falls into.

Ask a chatbot how many stations the Red Line has and you may get a number with no way to check it. A child who grouped the CTA file knows the answer depends on whether you count stops or stations, and by ID or by name. That child can judge any answer, including one from AI.

Coding shows children that a machine follows instructions to the letter, which makes them careful about what they ask and what they accept. It is the foundation for using AI well when they are older and the tools allow it.

We keep young children on code and data first, and introduce AI tools only within each provider’s own age limits. The longer argument is in is coding still worth learning in 2026.

Delivery

From Rogers Park to Hyde Park, one live class

Chicago winters make an evening trip across the city hard work. An online class needs only a warm room and a computer.

No travel in January

A child joins from home, so snow, traffic and the L schedule never cancel a lesson.

Fits the school year

Teachers plan around US grades and the school calendar; homework and school projects remain the child’s own.

Try it free

One full lesson with a teacher and a real task, then a suggested course and time. No card needed.

Level-matched groups

Batches of fifteen to twenty children at one stage, from Chicago and other US cities.

Private lessons

One teacher for one child, for shy beginners or children who want to move fast.

Central Time always

Weekdays or weekends, chosen by you, confirmed in Central Time.

Online only

Modern Age Coders has no Chicago location and claims none. Classes are taught live online from India and need a laptop or desktop with sound; a tablet can work for the youngest.

Fees

Fees for Chicago families

Three prices, nothing else.

First classUSD 0

A full trial lesson at no cost, with a course and level suggested afterwards.

Group tuitionUSD 100

A monthly fee for a batch of fifteen to twenty children at the same level.

Private tuitionUSD 150

A monthly fee for private lessons, one child and one teacher.

Chicago families pay in US dollars, at the rate used across the country. You are billed only after the trial lesson, once course and time are agreed; the pricing page sets out what happens on holidays and missed days.

Request placement Check availability

Reviews

What families have written about us

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews. These are real reviews, reproduced as written.

★★★★★

"The one step solution for my son. Modern Age Coders make learning coding so simple that kids love it. The teachers explain complex concepts clearly with practical exercises and interactive content."

Ria Mukherjee

Parent

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders has been a game-changer for me. I struggled to grasp IT concepts and coding before joining, but their classes transformed everything. I can now confidently write complex programs with ease."

Samriddha Mondal

Student

★★★★★

"One of the most wonderful education centres out there. Education is not limited to school syllabus but focuses on skill development."

Vansh Agarwal

Student

★★★★★

"My child Dhairya is really enjoying the Modern Age Coders classes. This is his first online class and he eagerly looks forward to it. I can already see his improvement, and the teachers are very cooperative."

Sonam Oswal

Parent of Dhairya

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders have wonderful teachers who teach in a clear, easy and practical way. The teacher boosts students' confidence and inspires them to learn without hesitation."

Sonu Goyal

Parent

★★★★★

"I highly recommend this computer coding class! The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about coding."

Ritu Kedia

Parent

Free placement class

Book a free trial lesson

Tell us your child’s age and interests: a first block story for a six-year-old, a Scratch game for a nine-year-old, or the L stop project for an eleven-year-old.

FAQ

Chicago parents’ questions

Plain answers to what we are asked most.

How young can my Chicago child start?

Age 6. Young children use blocks and talk through each step; typed Python usually starts around 10 or 11.

What should I look for in a kids coding class?

A teacher who reads your child's code, a starting point chosen after a genuine first task, a project your child finishes, a clear group size, and a next course to move on to.

What is the CTA L project?

Children download the List of L Stops from the City of Chicago Data Portal and group it by line, learning why 302 stop rows become 144 stations and why the line totals add up to more than that.

Are the station counts official?

No. They are our own counts from a download on 18 October 2026. The city provides its data as is and makes no claims about its completeness.

Do Illinois high schools offer computer science?

Code.org reports 418 of 721 Illinois high schools offering it in 2023 to 2024. We could not read the state board's site on 18 October 2026, so we do not summarize the state rules.

How many children are in a group?

Fifteen to twenty at the same level. If you prefer, your child can have a private teacher instead.

When are Chicago classes held?

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays. Times are set in Central Time.

Does daylight saving move the class?

No, the Chicago time stays the same. The changes on November 1, 2026 and March 14, 2027 shift India time, and we handle that on our side.

Is there a Chicago classroom?

No. We teach live online from India only, so your child learns from home.

How do I find the prices?

They are in the fees block on this page: a trial lesson at no charge, and two monthly choices, group or private. Payment begins after the trial.

More to explore

Where a Chicago child usually begins

Coding for Kids

Scratch Coding for Kids

Python and AI for Kids

Minecraft Coding for Kids

Coding, Python and AI for children

Vibe Coding for Kids

Python and AI for Kids

Coding for Kids

AI Literacy for Kids (Ages 8 to 14)

Five things to ask before you sign up

For the youngest

For the middle years

For older kids

Which L line stops at the most stations?

Stops or stations?

IDs or names?

Why the totals disagree

Whose numbers these are

What the city says about itself

Computer science in Illinois high schools

What 58.0% means

In elementary school

Later on

Chicago is the name of its own time zone

Times to suit you

Our teachers in India

Switch dates

From first blocks to Python projects

Blocks

Scratch

Python

Bigger builds

If AI can answer questions, why should a Chicago kid learn to count in code?

From Rogers Park to Hyde Park, one live class

No travel in January

Fits the school year

Try it free

Level-matched groups

Private lessons

Central Time always

Fees for Chicago families

What families have written about us

Book a free trial lesson

Chicago parents’ questions

How young can my Chicago child start?

What should I look for in a kids coding class?

What is the CTA L project?

Are the station counts official?

Do Illinois high schools offer computer science?

How many children are in a group?

When are Chicago classes held?

Does daylight saving move the class?

Is there a Chicago classroom?

How do I find the prices?

Further reading for Chicago parents

Keep exploring Modern Age Coders

Related courses and guides

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Free resources

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