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The American Camp Association is a national organization serving the more than 15,000 year-round and summer camps in the U.S., which collectively welcome 26 million campers. Last year, the group releaseda study showing that 58 percent of youth said their time at summer camp "helped them appreciate the importance of being present in the moment." In today's fast-paced world, an opportunity to experience life away from omnipresent screens and endlessly updating timelines makes the experience of summer camp even more valuable.

With so many camps nationwide, though, parents have a challenging task in picking the right one for their children. Choosing a summer camp requires aligning its offerings with the personality and interests of the camper, as well as the safety and financial concerns of the parent. To help,Newsweek has partnered with data researcher Plant-A Insights Group to present the second annual ranking of America's Best Summer Camps.

The list presents the 500 best U.S. summer camps, split into 200 day camps and 300 overnight camps. The locations are ranked based on a survey of 30,000 parents conducted in 2023 and 2024 and nearly 700,000 social media reviews on Google and Facebook. Camps were rated on criteria like selection of offered activities, accessibility, staff-to-children ratio and camp safety.

This year's edition of America's Best Summer Camps offers the most far-reaching guidance on finding the right setting for your child's summer adventure.

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These rankings are intended to support parents as they research summer camp options for their children. They are informational, not prescriptive: Parents and guardians, who know their children so well, are the decision-makers.

LICENSING:

Are you on the list?Click here to claim your award and learn how to use it

METHODOLOGY

Summer camps are a quintessential American experience, providing children with a unique opportunity to explore new interests, forge lifelong friendships, and cultivate independence within a supportive and enjoyable setting.Newsweek and Plant-A Insights embarked on an exhaustive research program to unveil America's Best Summer Camps 2024, which offer a diverse range of activities as well as seasoned staff, and foster safe, inclusive atmospheres. Our meticulous evaluation identified camps with good staff-to-camper ratios and well-trained staff members who are passionate about nurturing children's growth and development.

The methodology for America's Best Summer Camps 2024 is combines a comprehensive, independent online survey with more than 15,000 parents who have either sent their child to a summer camp or are planning to do so in the future. The interviewed parents were asked to rate up to 10 camps that they are familiar with. The study is designed to be demographically representative, aligning with U.S. Census Data. In total, over 3,500 camps were evaluated and more than 134,000 camp reviews were collected between March and April 2024.

Additionally, more than 51,000 camp reviews collected from more than 15,000 parents from America's Best Summer Camps 2023 were integrated into the overall findings with a reduced weight.

The camp evaluation criteria are designed based on a peer-to-peer survey Plant-A conducted in 2023 with about 120 camp managers to validate the questionnaire for the parent survey regarding the relevance of the queried topics from a professional perspective. Plant-A extensively researched all camp reviews on the social media platforms Google and Facebook. In total, we collected more than 699,000 social media reviews from both platforms which were consolidated into a Social Media Score for each camp.

Plant-A researched and validated every single camp regarding the variety of programs, gender specification, address of the camps as well as if the camp is accredited by the American Camp Association(https://www.acacamps.org/).

Click here to request the detailedmethodology document.

Disclaimer:

This Ranking is based on primary and secondary market research and analysis of publicly available data or provided to Plant-A Insights Group LLC. Placement in the ranking is a positive recognition based on research of publicly available data sources at the time, the information provided in the validation survey and an extensive survey of parents in the U.S. The ranking is the result of a detailed research process which, due to the interval of data collection and analysis, is a reflection of data from the last 24 months. Furthermore, events following March 30, 2024, were not a subject of this ranking. Newsweek and Plant-A make no claim to the completeness of the companies examined. The information provided in this ranking should be considered in conjunction with other available information about Summer Camps or, if possible, accompanied by a visit to a facility. considered in conjunction with other available information. Plant-A nor any of its subsidiaries or their respective officers, directors, shareholders, employees or agents accept any responsibility or liability with respect to the use of or reliance on any information or analysis contained in this document. The quality of the camps that are not included in the ranking is not disputed. This work is copyright by Plant-A and may not be published, transmitted, broadcast, copied, reproduced or reprinted in whole or in part without the explicit written permission of Plant-A Insights Group LLC. Copyright © 2024 Plant-A Insights Group LLC. All rights reserved.