Mission
To provide youth STEM education for grades 6–12 through hands-on engineering, data-driven problem solving, AI literacy, and project leadership — including competitive STEM Racing teams, workshops, mentorship, and community outreach.
Who we serve
We serve middle and high school students in grades 6–12 across New Jersey. Students join through competitive STEM Racing teams today; workshops, mentorship, and additional teams expand as capacity grows.
Adults mentor and supervise. Students own engineering, enterprise, and presentation deliverables — portfolios, testing data, sponsor materials, and competition interviews.
How programs work
Every Apex STEM program is built around four skill pillars. Competitive STEM Racing is the flagship where all four come together in a full season of design–build–test–compete:
- Engineering & design — CAD, build, test. Students design in CAD, prototype, test against specs, and document manufacturing — the same workflow used in industry and competition portfolios.
- Data & analytics — Evidence on every decision. Collect testing data, run analysis, and tie numbers to design choices — not pretty pictures without measurements.
- AI literacy — Tools used responsibly. Students learn to use AI and coding tools as assistants while owning their work — research, documentation, and presentation prep.
- Leadership & communication — Present, manage, mentor. Project management, sponsorship, verbal presentation, and teamwork — enterprise skills that score at competition and transfer beyond it.
Season work includes CAD and manufacturing, evidence from testing, responsible use of AI and coding tools, and enterprise roles (project management, sponsorship, verbal presentation). See Programs for detail and Teams for the active flagship team.
Vision
A sustainable regional hub where students build engineering, data, AI literacy, and leadership skills through competitive teams and workshops — regardless of whether their school offers a formal program.
Aspiration: Skills transfer to college STEM programs and technical careers. STEM Racing is the proving ground, not the ceiling.
Values
- Student-led work — adults enable; students own deliverables
- Data-informed decisions — testing and evidence guide design
- Responsible AI literacy — AI assists; students own their work
- Transparency & access — clear budgets, sponsor reporting, reduced barriers
- Safety & integrity — waivers, insurance, documented policies
Geographic focus
New Jersey. We currently concentrate on communities in Somerset and Union County and expand statewide as additional teams and workshops launch.
Governance & tax status
Apex STEM Education Inc. is governed by a volunteer board of trustees with documented bylaws, conflict-of-interest policy, and treasurer-reviewed budgets. Program funds are separate from any affiliated commercial entity. Student programs operate under safety policies, insurance, and adult mentor oversight.
Public reporting: see our impact page for outcomes and how donations are used, and news for recent milestones.
501(c)(3) status: Apex STEM Education Inc. is a tax-exempt organization under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Donations may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. EIN 42-3121570.IRS determination letter dated June 16, 2026.
Contact
hello@apexstem.org
2 Technology Drive North, Unit 4361
Warren, NJ 07059
Apex STEM Education Inc. is not affiliated with Apex Learning, the online curriculum company.