Bootstrap is a national nonprofit that reimagines K-12 math and science education by integrating computer science, data science, and the math behind artificial intelligence directly into the courses students already take — not as a bolt-on elective, but as the engine for teaching rigorous, standards-aligned content more effectively. Built on more than two decades of learning-sciences research, Bootstrap's curricula are free for teachers and currently reach over 50,000 students a year in classrooms across 49 states.
RIGOROUS MATH, PROVEN OUTCOMES
Bootstrap's defining bet is that computing is one of the best tools we have for teaching real mathematics — not a distraction from it. Each of our integrated pathways is built around a "low-floor, high-ceiling" design: every student can get started, and every student can go as deep as they're capable of going. Independent research shows positive transfer from Bootstrap coursework to performance on standardized math exams, and 90% of teachers who use Bootstrap say they'd recommend it to a colleague. Materials are developed and continually tested with university research partners, and align to the Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, and CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards. Bootstrap also partners with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the American Association of Physics Teachers to keep its content grounded in what the subject-matter experts know works.
THE CURRICULA
Bootstrap:Algebra (grades 8-12) teaches core algebraic concepts — functions, graphs, order of operations, and symbolic reasoning — by having students build their own simple video games using the Pyret programming language. Students don't just learn what a function is; they write dozens of them, see them run, and debug them when they're wrong. That immediate feedback loop is what makes abstract algebra concrete.
Bootstrap:Algebra 2 (grades 10-12) extends that same function-first approach into more advanced territory: polynomial, rational, exponential, and trigonometric functions, systems of equations, and the kind of symbolic fluency students need for pre-calculus and beyond.
Bootstrap:Expressions + Equations (grades 4-8) brings the same approach to middle school math, meeting the exact moment when many students start to disengage from math and decide it "isn't for them." By having students build simple animations and programs, it keeps middle-grades math — expressions, equations, ratios, functions — concrete and motivating at the age when that matters most.
Bootstrap:Physics (grades 9-11) applies computational modeling to core physics concepts — motion, forces, energy — so students can build and test simulations of the phenomena they're studying rather than only working static problems on paper, reinforcing the same functional thinking from Bootstrap's math pathways.
Bootstrap:Data Science is built for Math, Science, Social Studies, and CS teachers alike, and was the first nationally available data science course of its kind. It comes in two forms: a flexible Data Literacy unit (grades 5-12) that drops into an existing science, social studies, or math course as a short unit or semester elective, and a full-year Data Science course (grades 9-12) that goes deeper into statistical modeling using real, authentic datasets. Because it's designed to integrate into science and social studies classrooms as readily as math ones, it's often a school's easiest on-ramp to computational and data literacy across multiple departments at once. This is also where Bootstrap's newest work lives: teaching the statistical and mathematical foundations underlying modern machine learning and AI, so students understand what's actually happening inside the tools they're already using.
Bootstrap also offers Game Design (grades 5-9) and a range of Hour of Code activities (grades 4-12) as a low-stakes entry point for schools just getting started.
HOW IT WORKS, AND WHO IT REACHES
While some teachers use our materials in standalone CS, DS, or AI classes, every one of our pathways is designed to be taught by the math, science, or social studies teacher a school already has — the large majority with no prior computing background — inside a course already on the schedule, supported by free workbooks, teacher guides, and professional learning that pairs workshops with academic-year coaching. Bootstrap's reach includes a student population that is roughly 50% Black or Latinx and more than 43% girls, with strong representation from Title I schools — groups too often left out of advanced math and computing pathways. Bootstrap is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives.
