theCoderSchool: Find Top Courses & Training Locations

Program offerings at theCoderSchool include summer and holiday camps, traditional after-school classes, and the school's signature 2:1 and private coaching. Students work through the school's Code Tree curriculum, building foundational skills and branching out into progressively more complex programming languages.

theCoderSchool was founded in Silicon Valley in 2014. It is a coding school that teaches kids coding year-round, both in-person and virtually. Its core approach to teaching coding is through immersion and mentoring. One thing that makes theCoderSchool unique is its “super small class sizes.” Students are paired with a Code Coach and another student to offer highly-personalized 1:2 training.

theCoderSchool was founded by best friends Hansel and Wayne. Hansel worked in the tech industry and ran a School of Rock franchise before founding theCoderSchool in 2014. He was inspired by his attempts to teach his son how to code. He brought on his best friend Wayne as Chief of Operations and Head of Curriculum. They are proud that theCoderSchool is self-funded and they plan to grow the school through organic expansion by recruiting franchise owners. Wayne and Hansel are also the co-authors of two coding books for kids that have been praised for their “quirky and humorous illustration style”: Coding with Scratch and Code Your Own Website. They also have a YouTube channel that includes videos about coding for kids.

School Locations

theCoderSchool has over 55 locations across the United States, including Montclair, NJ, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Berkeley, and La Jolla, California. Many of these schools are franchises as this is how Hansel & Wayne have decided to expand the company.

Subjects Taught at theCoderSchool

theCoderSchool uses a custom curriculum overseen by co-owner Wayne. At the heart of this curriculum is what they call “theCoderTree.” Through an illustration of a tree, they envision the roots, trunk, and branches of coding knowledge. As Hansel & Wayne describe their flexible teaching program: “Every coder tree grows at its own speed with its own shape—but all trees follow nature’s rules. Larger branches need stronger trunks, and stronger trunks need deeper roots!” Students at theCoderSchool will begin by developing roots to the trunk of programming and branches of more advanced technical skills.

Beginning coders start by planting deep roots in the Roots Stage by learning coding concepts such as logical thinking, problem-solving, functions, sequential coding, variables, basic math concepts, loop logic, cartesian coordinates, and basic game logic. theCoderSchool’s curriculum introduces kids to programming languages through Snap! from UC Berkeley and Scratch from MIT, the world’s most widely-used coding community and teaching tool for kids.

Students, like trees, grow at different speeds. Once a student’s Coder Coach feels that their roots have grown, students move on to more advanced web development coding in the Trunk Stage. In this stage, students begin applying the coding concepts from the Roots to particular programming languages, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python.

Advanced students are in the Branches Stage of theCoderTree in which they learn advanced programming languages like C++, Java, Swift, and C#. In the Branches Stage, students will also learn about Data and Networking, Artificial Intelligence, and gaming engines.

If you’d like to learn about web development in your area, Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool lists live online web design classes for high school students.

Age Requirements

theCoderSchool’s customizable coaching curriculum makes it appropriate for students as young as seven to begin learning to code.

What Classes Are Available?

The majority of students at theCoderSchool participate in super-small hands-on training with another student and a Coder Coach. These programs are typically offered after school. However, theCoderSchool also offers interactive STEM learning camps at its various locations. (Please note that camp and course offerings may vary from franchise to franchise. Be sure to check the course and camp schedules listed on your local theCoderSchool website.)

theCoderSchool’s most popular camp is Game Development. This camp is intended for beginners or intermediate coders ages 7-9. This camp reinforces the core concepts like variables, loops, and logic taught in theCoderTree’s Roots Stage. Over the week, coders will build a functioning game from scratch along with hands-on assistance from their Coder Coach.

Kids ages 10+ can sign up for theCoderSchool’s Python Startup Camp to learn the hottest programming language in the world. This camp takes advantage of Python’s easy-to-read syntax to give campers an introduction to fundamental programming language concepts and coding with PyGame. At the end of the week, campers will understand Python syntax (loops, variables, structure) and the Python coding platform Trinket. While some experience is preferred, none is required.

If you’re interested in web development, theCoderSchool offers a WebRox Camp in which campers build websites and see them published online by the end of the week. This camp focuses on “The Big Three” web development languages: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Campers will learn how the internet works, internet safety fundamentals, and cybersecurity concepts.

Campers can also enroll in Rise of Machines Camp, which introduces artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. Campers will practice coding in Python and Scratch, general code debugging, problem-solving, and algorithm design. Some coding experience is recommended but not required before enrolling.

Kids aged 9+ with no previous experience coding can enroll in Minecraft Camp which teaches coding in a fun and accessible way through the video game Minecraft. While the camp will include some playing Minecraft, it will mostly focus on problem-solving skills and getting creative. Students will learn programming languages like Microsoft MakeCode, Python, and JavaScript.

Class Formats

theCoderSchool offers several learning options: kids can enroll in coding camps, online coding classes, after-school classes at 55+ locations, and private coding tutoring with a Code Coach.

theCoderSchool is also launching an eLeague for kids ages 9-11. theCoderSchool eLeague promotes competition and teamwork and requires no experience in gaming or coding. Each week, coders will face off against coders from another theCoderSchool location. theCoderSchool eLeague will have a regular season, playoffs, and a championship.

Please note that in-person course topics may vary from franchise to franchise. Be sure to check the course offerings for theCoderSchool closest to you.

Admissions Process

There is currently no admissions process for theCoderSchool. Students may sign up online for any age or experience-appropriate offering.

Pricing & Payment Options

theCoderSchool doesn’t list any pricing information for its classes, since they vary from location to location. The best way to get more information about pricing is by contacting your local branch of theCoderSchool.

Benefits of Attending theCoderSchool

theCoderSchool offers super-small class sizes with 2:1 mentoring with Coder Coaches. Kids will get highly-personalized instruction and hands-on feedback.
Since each location is a franchise, each location has local owners. This might lead to some differences in price and offerings.
Talented students can transition into Coder Coaches as they develop skills.

What Do Students & Parents Say?

theCoderSchool has excellent online reviews with a total of 4.5 stars on Yelp. Co-owner Wayne responds personally to many of their reviews. Employees of the company have rated it a great place to work on Glassdoor. One happy parent writes, “My son would spend every hour at theCoderSchool if he could.”

Parents, in particular, praise theCoderSchool’s custom, 2:1 coaching approach: “I love the Coder School! My son's coach is wonderful, and his teaching style works even for my ADHD son. He has learned so much in a short amount of time. He's been saying for years that he wants to be a programmer, but this is the first time that he's taken learning coding seriously. We've tried learning with books and online courses, but he didn't stick with any of it for more than a few hours. I also love the progress reports; they keep the parents in the loop.”

This praise extends beyond beginner coaching: “My 14-year-old son has been going to the Coder School for half of his life now: he has had weekly coaching sessions with Teacher John, who has been awesome and incredibly patient in teaching him all sorts of computer coding and languages from Python to Java to C++, and nowadays they talk about AI and construct projects for him to do that feed his intellectual curiosity.”

Many parents find that their children developed interest and skills beyond coding thanks to theCoderTree: “It's opened my son's eyes and brain to so many possibilities—thank you to you for opening this school!”

While parents report being very satisfied with Coder Coaching, some have complained that theCoderSchool’s Summer Camps are “camps for beginners” and “not a great fit for non-beginners.” Another parent took issue with the amount of gaming allowed at theCoderSchool camps: “Campers were allowed too much video-game playing time: the kids actually PLAYED a lot of video games. This was what REALLY bugged me. They play video games before class, during breaks, during lunch, and after class.”

Key Takeaways

Kids as young as seven can start learning how to code at theCoderSchool.
theCoderSchool offers a flexible mix of online classes, after-school classes, 2:1 coder coaching, and summer camps.
All students learn via theCoderTree, which emphasizes creating conceptual roots before learning programming languages.

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theCoderSchool

School Locations

Subjects Taught at theCoderSchool

Age Requirements

What Classes Are Available?

Class Formats

Admissions Process

Pricing & Payment Options

Benefits of Attending theCoderSchool

What Do Students & Parents Say?

Key Takeaways

Top Courses at theCoderSchool

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Subjects Taught at theCoderSchool

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Map of theCoderSchool Locations