FIRST Robotics: Programs by Age and How to Join a Team

Last updated: November 10, 2026

FIRST Robotics is a family of team robotics programs for students from kindergarten through 12th grade, run by the nonprofit FIRST. Your child can join one of three programs by grade: FIRST LEGO League (grades K-8), FIRST Tech Challenge (grades 7-12) and the FIRST Robotics Competition (grades 9-12). Each season has a new theme and a new game, and the 2026-27 season is called FIRST CANOPY, with a biodiversity theme. One change matters for younger children: FIRST says 2026-27 is the final season of FIRST LEGO League, and new K-8 programs launch in 2027-28. This guide maps every program by age, shows what a season involves month by month, and explains how to choose, join or start a team, using only what FIRST publishes as of November 2026.

Your child builds a robot for FIRST. The next step is a real question, explored with a PhD mentor from a top-20 university, and insiders know how families find it. Send me the insider guide for parents →

What is FIRST Robotics?

FIRST stands for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology." It is a not-for-profit organization that FIRST says has served more than 4 million young people since 1989, with a presence in 114 countries.

"FIRST Robotics" often means the whole organization, but the FIRST Robotics Competition is only the high school program. The right program depends on your child's grade.

FIRST's most recent counts by program:

• FIRST LEGO League: more than 650,000 students in 77 countries in 2024-25
• FIRST Tech Challenge: more than 109,000 students in 81 countries in 2024-25
• FIRST Robotics Competition: more than 93,000 students in 35 countries in 2025

FIRST programs by age: the full map

FIRST notes that ages can vary by region. This table uses the grades and team sizes FIRST lists for the 2026-27 season in the United States and Canada.

Two overlaps help families. A 7th or 8th grader can choose FIRST LEGO League Challenge or FIRST Tech Challenge. A high schooler can choose FIRST Tech Challenge or the FIRST Robotics Competition.

What changes for younger children after 2026-27

FIRST says the 2026-27 BIOGLOW season is the final season of FIRST LEGO League. For 2027-28, FIRST is building new K-8 programs with new names and technology. It says they will feel familiar, "with similar team sizes, event structure, and judging," and that grades 3 and up will keep an innovation project. FIRST plans to keep LEGO Education SPIKE sets compatible through the 2028-29 season.

You may also see FIRST LEGO League Discover on regional sites. FIRST's 2026-27 registration options do not include it.

What each program involves

FIRST LEGO League

Explore (grades 2-4) is for young beginners; FIRST says no technical skills are needed. The team designs, builds and codes a model, and the season ends at a festival where every team is recognized.

Challenge (grades 4-8) adds competition. The team programs a SPIKE Prime robot to complete missions on its own during two-and-a-half-minute matches. Children also complete an Innovation Project: research into a real-world problem connected to the theme, and a solution they present to judges.

FIRST Tech Challenge (grades 7-12)

Teams design, build and code a robot from a kit of parts. In two-on-two matches, the robot first runs on its own code, then student drivers take control. Beyond the robot, FIRST lists community outreach and engineering innovation as part of the season.

FIRST Robotics Competition (grades 9-12)

Teams build industrial-sized robots and compete in three-team alliances. Students also create a team identity, raise funds and promote STEM in their community, so there are roles for students who love business, media or design.

The LEGO League Innovation Project already asks your child to research a real problem. Some children want to take that question much further. Show me how to find it →

What a FIRST season looks like, month by month

Each program has its own calendar. FIRST publishes the start of each season and the event window; local Program Delivery Partners set the exact event dates in your region.

Here is how those months feel from your child's side:

1. The reveal. Teams get the new challenge, read the rules together and pick a strategy. FIRST Tech Challenge calls its September kickoff the start of "build season."
2. The build. The team designs, builds, codes and tests, and keeps an engineering notebook. FIRST LEGO League coaches follow FIRST's Team Meeting Guide, which gives guidance and lesson plans for each meeting.
3. The events. FIRST LEGO League Challenge teams play robot game matches and present to judges. In some regions, FIRST Tech Challenge teams play smaller league meets before qualifying tournaments. FIRST Robotics Competition teams play one regional event or two district events as part of registration.
4. Advancement. Top teams move on to state, regional or district championships, and some earn a place at the FIRST Championship.

FIRST calls its Championship the world's largest K-12 robotics event. In 2026 it drew 50,000 attendees from 59 countries, including 19,000 students on 1,142 teams. FIRST's 2027 Championship page gives travel information for Houston.

How often a team meets is up to the team, so ask before your child joins.

How to choose the right FIRST program

Start with your child's grade, then ask three questions.

1. How much time can your family give? A FIRST LEGO League season is the gentlest start. The FIRST Robotics Competition asks the most, with large robots and a busy spring.
2. Does your child want to compete, or to explore? Explore celebrates every team. Challenge, Tech Challenge and the Robotics Competition are competitions with judged awards.
3. What is near you? The best program is the one with a good team your child can reach.

For a 7th or 8th grader, FIRST Tech Challenge is the bigger step: real machine parts, driver-controlled matches, and a team that can continue through 12th grade. For a younger child, Explore is a low-pressure first season. At home, good STEM toys can show whether building and coding hold your child's interest.

The right program fits your child's grade. The right challenge fits their curiosity: a real experiment they design, with an expert beside them. Show me the experiments →

How to find and join a FIRST team

1. Search for teams. Use FIRST's Teams and Events search. FIRST cannot share team contact information because of its privacy policy, but you can use a team's public email address, if it lists one, to ask whether it has space.
2. Ask locally. Teams form in schools, libraries, home school groups and youth organizations.
3. Visit an event. FIRST says one of the best ways to learn about a program is to attend an event and meet teams.
4. Register your child. FIRST requires all youth participants to register. Once a team invites your child, you complete the youth registration in the FIRST Dashboard.

How to start a team

FIRST says many teams are started by parents, teachers or community leaders, and that technical experience is not required.

• Coaches: each team needs two adult lead coaches (FIRST LEGO League Class Packs need one facilitator).
• Registration: create an account in the FIRST Dashboard, choose "Create a New Team," select the program and check out in the Storefront.
• Events: event fees are separate. Contact your local Program Delivery Partner to register for events.
• Grants: FIRST lists sponsor grants on its Team Grant Opportunities page, and your Program Delivery Partner may know of local ones.

How much does FIRST Robotics cost?

These are FIRST's 2026-27 prices for US teams, before tax, shipping and local event fees.

Split across a team, the FIRST Robotics Competition registration works out to $325-$650 per student on a team of 10-20. FIRST offers a fundraising toolkit for teams.

Volunteer and mentor roles for parents

FIRST events run on volunteers. FIRST counts 493,000 volunteer opportunities each season. Roles include:

• Meet the teams: judge, robot inspector, team registration
• Around the field: referee, scorekeeper, field resetter
• Event delivery: emcee, event photographer, load-in crew
• On a team: mentor, team volunteer (chaperoning, food, logistics) or team administrator

FIRST says you do not need to be a STEM expert to mentor. Teenagers ages 13-17 can also serve as Youth Mentors for teams of younger children, a natural role for an older sibling.

Scholarships and awards

FIRST says participants can access hundreds of exclusive scholarships from colleges, universities and industry partners, through a scholarship portal built with Pearson Futures. FIRST counts more than 200 scholarship, university and workforce partners.

Awards also recognize individual students. FIRST Robotics Competition teams can apply for honors such as the Dean's List Award, and FIRST Tech Challenge teams can submit Leadership Award nominations for students in 10th and 11th grade.

Is FIRST Robotics a good extracurricular?

For a child who loves building, yes. FIRST reports that 83% of its alumni pursue STEM majors by year four of college. Your child also learns to work in a team, on a deadline, with no answer key.

Colleges look for depth, and FIRST can give it: a student who writes the robot's code for four seasons has a clear story. The strongest next step connects robotics to a question your child chooses. That might be a research project on sensors, control systems or the season's biodiversity theme. See how to get into research in middle school and programs for gifted middle school students.

For high schoolers, see our guides to summer engineering programs, extracurricular activities and how to get into MIT. A child who enjoys the code more than the hardware may like USACO, the national programming olympiad. A middle schooler who likes the math behind the robot may enjoy MATHCOUNTS. For a team competition across all sciences, see Science Olympiad.

Four seasons of robot code show skill. A finished research paper on a question your child chose shows what they can discover, with the right mentor. Send me the parent insider guide →

Frequently asked questions

What does FIRST Robotics do?

FIRST runs team robotics programs for grades K-12. Each season brings a new themed challenge that teams solve with a robot they design and code.

How expensive is FIRST Robotics?

It depends on the program. FIRST estimates about $500 to start a FIRST LEGO League Explore team, about $1,800 for FIRST Tech Challenge, and $6,500 for FIRST Robotics Competition registration alone.

What age is FIRST Robotics for?

FIRST LEGO League serves grades K-8, FIRST Tech Challenge grades 7-12 (ages 12-18) and the FIRST Robotics Competition grades 9-12 (ages 14-18).

Does MIT like FIRST Robotics?

No college publishes a rule about one activity. FIRST shows hands-on engineering and teamwork; colleges then look at what your child did with it.

Is FIRST LEGO League ending?

Yes. FIRST says 2026-27 is the final FIRST LEGO League season. New FIRST K-8 programs launch for 2027-28.

Sources

• FIRST, Home
• FIRST, How to Choose a FIRST Program
• FIRST, FIRST LEGO League
• FIRST, FIRST LEGO League Getting Started
• FIRST, BIOGLOW Game and Season
• FIRST, K-8 Programs: 2027 and Beyond
• FIRST, FIRST Tech Challenge Getting Started
• FIRST, BIOBUZZ Game and Season
• FIRST, FIRST Robotics Competition Getting Started
• FIRST, BIOCORE Game and Season
• FIRST, Cost and Registration
• FIRST, Event Experience
• FIRST, FIRST Championship
• FIRST, FIRST CANOPY Season
• FIRST, Parents and Caregivers
• FIRST, Teams
• FIRST, Volunteers
• FIRST, Classroom to Career and Scholarships
• FIRST, Team Grant Opportunities
• FIRST, Impact

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