Beaverton and Hillsboro Kids Programs: Camps, Classes, and
Beaverton & Hillsboro parents: 233 Portland-area camps tracked, prices from $85-$800/week. Real names, real streets, no Highway 26 required.
Beaverton has 100,000 people. Hillsboro has 115,000. Together, they are home to Nike, Intel, and a density of working parents who need summer care sorted before March. Our database tracks 233 Portland-area camps with prices ranging from $85 to $800 per week, and the options closest to the tech corridor are genuinely strong. The problem has never been the supply. It's been the scattered registration calendars and the roundups that treat the westside as an afterthought.
Highway 26 eastbound at 4:30 PM is a 45-to-65-minute conversation depending on the day. A camp that looks fine on a map in February becomes a daily logistics crisis in July. The programs below are either on the westside or worth the specific trip.
Key Takeaways
- Portland-area camp prices span $85/week (Mt. Hood Aquatics swim lessons) to $800/week (PlayTo Labs STEM). Most solid full-day options land between $225 and $425/week.
- YMCA Trail Blazers Basketball Camp at 9685 SW Harvest Court runs $290-$410/week for ages 5-12 with extended care, making it one of the most practical westside options.
- Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum STEM camps run $349-$399/week for ages 5-14 and are worth the drive to McMinnville for any kid who showed up interested in space, flight, or engineering.
- Private specialty camps (coding, robotics, theater) fill by April. City recreation catalogs open in February-March and stay open longer.
- ProjectKids data (projectkids.io) tracks enrollment status live, so you can see what's still open without calling every program individually.
What Are the Best Sports Camps Near Beaverton and Hillsboro?
Sports programs make up the largest single category in our Portland-area database, and the westside is well-covered. The YMCA Trail Blazers Basketball Camp at 9685 SW Harvest Court runs $290-$410/week for ages 5-12, with extended care options that matter if you're not done until 5:30. (ProjectKids camp data, 2026)
Portland Timbers FC runs multi-location soccer camps at $240-$615/week for ages 5-18. The price spread reflects the difference between half-day skill clinics and full residential programs. The entry point at $240/week is a reasonable try-it-first option for younger kids. Ages 5-8 do better in the lower-intensity sessions anyway.
Oregon Gymnastics Academy sits at 14811 NE Airport Way in Portland, which is a 20-minute drive from most of Beaverton without traffic. Prices run $225-$350/week for ages 4-16. Current enrollment shows all 120 sessions full, so if this is your target, put your email on the waitlist immediately and check back after spring break when cancellations come through.
Citation Capsule: The YMCA Trail Blazers Basketball Camp at 9685 SW Harvest Court charges $290-$410 per week for children ages 5-12 and includes extended care, making it one of the few westside sports programs that accommodates full workday schedules. (ProjectKids camp data, 2026)
Portland United Soccer Club runs multiple locations at $150-$350/week for ages 4-18. This is the most accessible price point for soccer if Timbers FC's range runs higher than your budget. Portland Kayak Company at 2455 NW Nicolai Street offers something genuinely different: water-based programming at $225-$350/week for ages 10-15. It's not a westside address, but it's a short shot up NW 23rd and the skill set is unlike anything else in this price range.
Extended Care: The Real Filter for Working Parents
Parents building a spreadsheet on this tend to eliminate half the list when they add an "extended care" column. A 3 PM pickup is incompatible with most full-time jobs, full stop. The YMCA Trail Blazers camp at SW Harvest Court explicitly includes extended care in its pricing. Bay Club Portland at 18120 SW Lower Boones Ferry Road runs sports camps at $340-$520/week for ages 3-15 and is currently listed as "Coming Soon" for summer 2026. That address is five minutes from the Bridgeport Village area, which makes it geographically useful for families in the Tualatin-Sherwood corridor.
Volleyball for Life Summer Camps runs multiple locations at $195-$325/week for ages 8-18. If your kid is 10 or older and already interested in volleyball specifically, this is the best price-per-session ratio in that sport. Kidokinetics of Southeast Portland runs programs at Wilsonville Memorial Park for $135-$235/week for ages 3-10, with a format that emphasizes multi-sport exposure rather than specialization.
What Are the Best STEM and Tech Camps on the Westside?
STEM is where westside Portland genuinely punches above its weight, and that makes sense given the concentration of tech employers in the Hillsboro-Beaverton corridor. Prices run higher in this category: $350-$800/week is common for serious programs. (ProjectKids camp data, 2026)
PlayTo Labs runs at $400-$800/week for ages 8-16. All 33 sessions are currently full. This is the highest-quality coding and engineering program in the database by session count and price, and it reliably sells out before January is over. If this is on your list, register the moment enrollment opens, not when you remember in March.
Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum at 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way in McMinnville runs STEM camps at $349-$399/week for ages 5-14. McMinnville is 40 miles from Beaverton, but this is one of those cases where the destination justifies the logistics. The museum's collection includes a Spruce Goose, a Nike missile installation, and actual spacecraft. The curriculum is built around the physical artifacts. There is nothing like it within 100 miles.
Saturday Academy at Central Catholic High School (2401 SE Stark Street) runs $350-$770/week for ages 5-14. The address is Portland proper, but the Saturday Academy reputation is strong enough that westside families regularly make the trip. Experiment PDX STEM Camps at 1421 SE Stark St runs $160-$200/week for ages 6-11, which is among the most affordable legit STEM options in the database. All 20 sessions are currently full.
Citation Capsule: Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum STEM camps in McMinnville run $349-$399 per week for ages 5-14, using the museum's permanent collection of aerospace artifacts as curriculum anchors. The museum holds over 150 aircraft and is one of the largest air and space museums in the world. (ProjectKids camp data, 2026)
Cross-referencing enrollment status against price in our database shows a consistent pattern: STEM camps under $250/week fill first and fastest, typically showing full or waitlist status before private specialty camps in the same price tier. Parents optimizing for affordability in STEM need to register earlier, not later.
Sherwood Center for the Arts at 22689 SW Pine Street in Sherwood runs STEM programs at $132-$479/week for ages 6-16. That address is 15 miles south of Beaverton, down 99W, but it has 407 sessions available and is currently open for enrollment. For families in the Tigard-Tualatin-Sherwood triangle, this is the closest high-volume STEM option with confirmed open spots.
Are There Affordable Summer Camps Near Beaverton?
Yes, and they're more available than the private specialty camp noise makes it seem. The price floor for legitimate full-day programming is around $150/week, and several quality programs land between $150 and $275/week. (ProjectKids camp data, 2026)
Portland Parks & Recreation Summer Day Camps run at multiple locations for $155-$275/week for ages 6-12. All 40 sessions are currently open. These are the budget anchor of summer camp planning in this market. The curriculum varies by site and emphasizes outdoor activity, sports, and arts. Extended care is available at most sites.
North Clackamas Parks & Recreation District runs community programs at $150-$300/week for ages 3-18. Listed as "Coming Soon" for summer 2026, with 341 sessions planned. NCPRD covers the Milwaukie-Clackamas corridor, which is southeast of Portland, but families in the Tualatin-Lake Oswego-West Linn area have used it as an alternative to Beaverton city programs when specific weeks sold out.
Mt. Hood Aquatics Summer Swim Lessons at 6405 SE Belmont St run $85-$195/week for ages 3-17. This is the lowest price point in the database for structured weekly programming, and swim lessons serve a real developmental purpose for kids 3-7. The address is inner SE, but the cost profile makes it worth knowing.
Southwest Community Center at 6820 SW 45th Avenue runs community programs at $225-$315/week for ages 3-17. Currently listed as "Coming Soon," with 18 sessions planned. That address puts it squarely in the Southwest Portland hills, which is 10 minutes from most of Beaverton without traffic. This is one of the more geographically convenient options for families in the Cedar Hills and Raleigh Hills neighborhoods.
What Arts and Theater Programs Are Available on the Westside?
Arts programs are thinner on the westside than STEM, but the Portland-proper options that serve westside families are worth naming specifically. Echo Theater Company, formerly Do Jump, at 1515 SE 37th Ave runs $240-$550/week for ages 4-17. All 26 sessions are full. Echo at 1420 NW 17th Ave runs the same price range for ages 4-17, with 18 sessions all full. (ProjectKids camp data, 2026)
If Echo is full, Oregon Children's Theatre runs multiple locations at $210-$895/week for ages 3-18. Currently listed as "Coming Soon" for summer 2026 with 21 sessions. The price range is wide because it spans half-day workshops for young kids all the way up to intensive residential programs for teens.
Cascade School of Music at 2522 NW Thurman St runs camps at $295-$425/week for ages 8-18. This is the best music-specific camp option within a reasonable westside commute. NW 23rd is straightforward from Beaverton via Highway 30 or Barnes Road, and the school has a strong reputation in the Portland music education community.
Arts camps fill at a different pace than STEM or sports camps. Echo Theater fills fastest because it has a specific following and limited physical capacity. Music programs like Cascade School of Music tend to have more rolling availability because session sizes are smaller and cancellations are more frequent. If your first choice in arts is full, calling the waitlist for a specific session type (instrument-specific vs. general music) often yields results faster than waiting for a general opening.
The Portland Fashion Institute at 4301 NE Tillamook runs programs at $99/week for ages 8-12. All 30 sessions are currently full, but the price point is worth noting. Fashion design and textile arts are underrepresented in the summer camp market generally, and the $99/week price is one of the lowest for any structured specialty program in the database.
Overnight and Multi-Week Camp Options Worth Knowing
Not every family needs day camp. If your kid is 7 or older and ready for extended time away, the overnight options around Portland are genuinely strong. Camp Namanu at 10300 SE Camp Namanu Rd, operated by Camp Fire Columbia, runs $575-$2,000/week for ages 7-17. It's a Sandy River camp with 137 sessions and open enrollment. (ProjectKids camp data, 2026)
Citation Capsule: Camp Namanu at 10300 SE Camp Namanu Rd is operated by Camp Fire Columbia and offers residential outdoor programming at $575-$2,000 per week for ages 7-17. The camp sits on the Sandy River and has operated continuously since 1924, making it one of the oldest continuously operating camps in the Pacific Northwest. (ProjectKids camp data, 2026)
Westwind Stewardship Group at 7500 N Fraser Ave runs residential programs at $600-$1,650/week for ages 7-17. Currently on waitlist. Westwind sits on the Oregon coast and emphasizes environmental stewardship alongside traditional outdoor camp programming. The waitlist status means you're not getting in this summer without an existing relationship or a cancellation.
Camp Tamarack operates under a special use permit with Deschutes National Forest and runs $375-$750/week for ages 8-18 with open enrollment and 29 sessions available. Central Oregon setting, Cascade scenery, traditional camp activities. This is the most accessible price-to-experience ratio in the overnight camp category, and it's not full.
Comparison: Westside-Friendly Summer Camps at a Glance
| Camp | Type | Ages | Weekly Cost | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YMCA Trail Blazers Basketball | Sports | 5-12 | $290-$410 | Open |
| Portland United Soccer Club | Sports | 4-18 | $150-$350 | Open |
| Bay Club Portland | Sports | 3-15 | $340-$520 | Coming Soon |
| Sherwood Center for the Arts | STEM | 6-16 | $132-$479 | Open |
| Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum | STEM | 5-14 | $349-$399 | Coming Soon |
| Saturday Academy | STEM | 5-14 | $350-$770 | Open |
| PlayTo Labs | STEM | 8-16 | $400-$800 | Full |
| Southwest Community Center | Community | 3-17 | $225-$315 | Coming Soon |
| Portland Parks & Recreation Day Camps | Outdoor | 6-12 | $155-$275 | Open |
| Cascade School of Music | Arts | 8-18 | $295-$425 | Open |
| Camp Namanu | Overnight | 7-17 | $575-$2,000 | Open |
| Camp Tamarack | Overnight | 8-18 | $375-$750 | Open |
When Should Westside Parents Register?
The registration calendar is predictable once you've seen one cycle. Private specialty camps, particularly coding and STEM, open in January. By March, the top-tier ones are full or waitlisted. That's not marketing pressure; PlayTo Labs had all 33 sessions full before most families started looking. (ProjectKids camp data, 2026)
City recreation catalogs work differently. Beaverton Parks & Recreation opens its summer catalog in February. Hillsboro Parks & Recreation usually follows in March. These programs fill more slowly because supply is higher and price points are more accessible, but the best sessions (full-day with extended care, popular activity themes) still close out by May. Treating city rec as a backup strategy works, but only if you look in February, not June.
The YMCA branches serving the westside, including the Walker Road and Tualatin Valley Highway locations, take rolling registration. They're worth a direct call as late as June because cancellation volume is real and the website is rarely current. A two-minute phone call beats three tabs open comparing waitlist forms.
For spring break and teacher workday programs, the same providers run them with shorter windows. Register for spring break at the same time you register for summer. The dates are published together and the spots go faster relative to supply.
Spring break programs through the Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metropolitan Area vary in cost and require income-based eligibility for some tiers, but they cover multiple locations and ages 6-18. For families who qualify, Boys & Girls Clubs provide some of the lowest per-week costs in the entire database.
The practical strategy for westside families: pull the Beaverton and Hillsboro rec catalogs in early February. Lock in at least one city rec program as a fallback. Then register for one or two specialty camps, knowing the price will be higher but the programming will be more specific. Don't wait until your kid asks what they're doing in July.
ProjectKids tracks 233 Portland-area summer camps with live enrollment status, prices, and session-level scheduling. Browse by neighborhood, age, or activity type at projectkids.io.
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