Science fair projects for high school
For a first high school fair, take a middle school project and add what judges at this level look for: a second variable, more trials and an honest look at error. 67 projects fit. Start with these 3.
- Which cup keeps an ice cube from melting longest?1st–7th grade · 1 day of testing · about $1🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: what the cup is made of. Dependent: how long the ice cube takes to melt all the way (minutes).
- How many drops of water fit on a penny?2nd–7th grade · 1 day of testing · free🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: what is in the water. Dependent: how many drops fit on the penny before it spills over (drops).
- Which gives a balloon the most static: hair, wool or cotton?2nd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · about $1🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: what the balloon is rubbed on. Dependent: how many paper bits the balloon picks up (paper bits).
What to expect
Peabody is written for kindergarten to 8th grade, so there are no high school projects of their own here. What there is: every project that reaches 7th grade, each with a second variable to test. A 9th grader running one of these with five trials per level, a mean, the spread of the results and a two-line graph has a respectable first project, and one they can finish.
High school fairs usually follow the rules of a regional or state fair, which follow the international rules (Society for Science's ISEF rules). Those add forms, sign-offs and review for anything with people, animals or microbes, which is why we leave all of those out. Check your fair's rules before you start, and keep a dated logbook from the first day.
Counted from the projects on this page: 29 about how things move, 19 about water, ice and mixing, 19 about growing and weather; 25 using kitchen things, 26 using paper, tape and toys, 16 using the outdoors and some seeds. 42 are free with what most houses have, and the rest cost about $1 or about $2 or about $3 or about $4. Testing takes from 1 to 21 days. 12 have a step a grown-up does, marked on the page.
All 67, with the independent and dependent variables named
The independent variable is the one thing you change; the dependent variable is what you measure, with its unit. What to keep the same (the controlled variables) is on each project's page. To name the variables for an idea of your own, use the variables helper.
- Which cup keeps an ice cube from melting longest?1st–7th grade · 1 day of testing · about $1🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: what the cup is made of. Dependent: how long the ice cube takes to melt all the way (minutes).
- How many drops of water fit on a penny?2nd–7th grade · 1 day of testing · free🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: what is in the water. Dependent: how many drops fit on the penny before it spills over (drops).
- Which gives a balloon the most static: hair, wool or cotton?2nd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · about $1🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: what the balloon is rubbed on. Dependent: how many paper bits the balloon picks up (paper bits).
- Does a wider base keep a cup tower from tipping?2nd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: how wide the bottom of the tower is. Dependent: how many books go under the board before the tower tips (books).
- Does food colouring spread faster in hot water?2nd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how warm the water is. Dependent: how long one drop of colour takes to spread through the whole cup (seconds).
- Which wrap muffles the sound of a ticking timer best?2nd–7th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: what the timer is wrapped in. Dependent: how far away you can still hear it (cm).
- Which paper bridge shape holds the most coins?2nd–7th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: the shape of the paper. Dependent: how many pennies it holds before it falls (pennies).
- Does more air make a balloon rocket go farther?2nd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · about $1🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: how big the balloon is blown up. Dependent: how far the balloon rocket travels along the string (cm).
- Where does the most rain land: the open yard, under a tree or by the house?2nd–8th grade · 7 days of testing · free🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: where the rain gauge stands. Dependent: how much rain the gauge catches in a week (mm).
- Do leaves help celery pull up coloured water?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · about $2🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how many leaves are left on the stalk. Dependent: how far up the stalk the colour climbs in four hours (cm).
- How much water makes a bottle flip land best?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how much water is in the bottle. Dependent: how many of 10 flips land upright (landings, of 10).
- Does a colder cup get more drops on its outside?3rd–7th grade · 1 day of testing · free🌦️ Growing and weather · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how cold the water in the cup is. Dependent: how many drops are on the cup's outside, inside a small square, after ten minutes (drops).
- How much salt does it take to float an egg?3rd–7th grade · 1 day of testing · free🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how much salt is in the water. Dependent: how high the top of the egg sits in the glass (cm).
- Does more baking soda make a bigger fizz?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how much baking soda goes in. Dependent: how high the foam climbs up the cup (cm).
- Which soil lets water through fastest: sand, potting soil or garden soil?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · about $1🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: the kind of soil in the cup. Dependent: how much water drips through in one minute (mL).
- Does hotter water make a bigger cloud in a jar?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🌦️ Growing and weather · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how warm the water in the jar is. Dependent: how cloudy the jar gets in one minute (cloud score, 0 to 5).
- Does a heavier toy car roll farther?3rd–7th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: how much weight is on the car. Dependent: how far the car rolls (cm).
- Does a paper clip make a plane fly farther?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: how many paper clips are on the plane's nose. Dependent: how far the plane flies (cm).
- Do longer blades make a spinner fall slower?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: how long the spinner's blades are. Dependent: how long the spinner takes to fall (seconds).
- Does a bigger disc make a top spin longer?3rd–7th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: how big the disc on the top is. Dependent: how long the top spins (seconds).
- Which paper column shape holds the most books?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: the shape of the paper column. Dependent: how many books it holds before it crumples (books).
- How much cornstarch makes oobleck hold a penny?3rd–7th grade · 1 day of testing · about $1🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how much cornstarch is mixed in. Dependent: how long a penny stays on top of the oobleck (seconds).
- Does more vinegar blow a balloon up bigger?3rd–7th grade · 1 day of testing · about $2🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how much vinegar goes in the bottle. Dependent: how far around the balloon is (cm).
- Does a bigger drum feel sound from farther away?3rd–7th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how big the drum is. Dependent: how far away the banged tray can be and still make the salt jump (cm).
- Does a pointed nose make a straw rocket fly farther?3rd–7th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: the shape of the rocket's nose. Dependent: how far the rocket flies (cm).
- Does a longer arm make a catapult throw farther?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: how long the catapult's throwing arm is. Dependent: how far the paper ball flies (cm).
- Do bigger hoops make a straw glider fly farther?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: how big the glider's hoops are. Dependent: how far the glider flies (cm).
- Which wing shape flies farthest?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: the shape of the wings. Dependent: how far the plane flies (cm).
- Does a bigger parachute fall slower?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: the size of the parachute. Dependent: how long the parachute takes to fall (seconds).
- Does a longer tail keep a kite steadier?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: how long the kite's tail is. Dependent: how many times the kite spins or dives in 30 seconds (spins and dives).
- Does a higher start make a marble roll faster?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: how high up the run the marble starts. Dependent: how fast the marble crosses 2 m of floor (cm per second).
- Which padding keeps a dropped egg from cracking?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · about $3🚗 How things move · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: the padding packed around the egg. Dependent: how many drops the egg comes through without a crack (drops).
- Does dish soap stop oil and water from separating?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how much dish soap goes in. Dependent: how long the oil and water take to split back into two layers (seconds).
- Does more salt make ice water colder?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how much salt goes in the ice water. Dependent: how cold the ice water gets after 10 minutes (degrees).
- Does a cover keep water in the sun warmer?3rd–7th grade · 1 day of testing · about $3🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: what covers the water. Dependent: how many degrees the water warms in one hour (degrees).
- Which colour of paper warms up most in the sun?3rd–8th grade · 1 day of testing · about $3🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: the colour of the paper. Dependent: how many degrees the thermometer under the paper warms in 20 minutes (degrees).
- What softens an eggshell fastest?3rd–7th grade · 3 days of testing · about $3🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: the liquid the egg sits in. Dependent: how soft the shell feels after three days (softness score, 0 to 5).
- Do seeds sprout faster somewhere warm?3rd–7th grade · 7 days of testing · free🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: how warm the place is where the beans sit. Dependent: how many of the five beans have sprouted by day four (beans sprouted, of 5).
- Do bigger seeds sprout faster?3rd–7th grade · 7 days of testing · about $3🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: how big the seed is. Dependent: how many of the five seeds have sprouted by day four (seeds sprouted, of 5).
- Do roots grow down even if you turn the seed?3rd–7th grade · 7 days of testing · free🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: how the beans are turned on day three. Dependent: how many of the three roots in a bag have their tips pointing down on day seven (roots pointing down, of 3).
- Does planting a seed deeper make it slower to come up?3rd–8th grade · 14 days of testing · about $1🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: how deep the bean is planted. Dependent: how many days until the shoot pokes out of the soil (days).
- Does a bigger water drop make letters look bigger?4th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how big the water drop is. Dependent: how tall a letter looks through the drop (mm).
- Which shoe grips a slope best?4th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: which shoe sits on the slope. Dependent: how high the board is lifted when the shoe starts to slide (cm).
- Does a longer string swing slower?4th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: the length of the string. Dependent: how many swings it makes in 15 seconds (swings).
- Where must pennies sit to balance a ruler?4th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: how many pennies are in the stack on the right. Dependent: how far from the pencil the stack must sit to balance the ruler (cm).
- Which bread turns the brownest in the toaster?4th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · about $3🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: the kind of bread. Dependent: how much browner the slice gets in the toaster (brown score, 0 to 5).
- Which filter makes muddy water clearest?4th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · about $2🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: what the filter is made of. Dependent: how many lines of print you can read through the filtered water (lines read, of 10).
- Does a cold ball bounce lower than a warm one?4th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · about $3🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: how warm the ball is. Dependent: how high the ball bounces (cm).
- Do dominoes fall faster when farther apart?4th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · about $4🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: the gap between the dominoes. Dependent: how many seconds the whole line takes to fall (seconds).
- Which material makes the slowest parachute?4th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: what the parachute is made from. Dependent: how long the parachute takes to fall (seconds).
- Which kitchen liquids change red cabbage water?4th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · about $3🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: the liquid added to the cabbage water. Dependent: what colour the cabbage water turns, on your 1 to 5 scale (colour number, 1 to 5).
- Does a steeper hill wash away more soil?4th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: how steep the hill is. Dependent: how deep the washed-away mud is in the cup after 15 minutes (mm).
- Do the heaviest liquids always sink to the bottom?4th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · about $2🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: which kitchen liquid is in the cup. Dependent: how many grams a quarter cup of it weighs (grams).
- Do leaves give off more water in sun or shade?4th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: how much sun the leaves get. Dependent: how many drops of water collect in the bag in three hours (drops).
- Does salty water take longer to freeze?4th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how much salt is in the water. Dependent: how long the water takes to freeze all the way through (minutes).
- Where is it windiest around your home?4th–8th grade · 3 days of testing · free🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: where the spinner stands. Dependent: how many turns the spinner makes in 30 seconds (turns).
- Which grows crystals faster: salt or sugar?4th–8th grade · 5 days of testing · free🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: what is dissolved in the water. Dependent: how long the longest crystal is after five days (mm).
- Does grass grow best under red, blue or green light?4th–8th grade · 14 days of testing · about $3🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: the colour of the light the grass gets. Dependent: how tall the grass grows in 14 days (mm).
- Does salty or sugary water change a bean plant?4th–8th grade · 14 days of testing · about $2🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: what the bean plants are watered with. Dependent: how tall the plant is on day 14 (cm).
- Do crowded seeds grow shorter?4th–8th grade · 14 days of testing · about $2🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: how many beans share one cup. Dependent: how tall the tallest plant in the cup is on day 14 (cm).
- Do grass roots stop soil washing away?4th–8th grade · 14 days of testing · about $3🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: what covers the soil. Dependent: how deep the washed-away mud is in the cup after 15 minutes (mm).
- Which kitchen scrap helps a plant grow most?4th–8th grade · 21 days of testing · about $3🌦️ Growing and weather · 🌱 Outside and plantsIndependent: what is mixed into the soil. Dependent: how tall the tallest blade of grass is on day 21 (cm).
- Does a heavier pendulum swing faster?5th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: how many pennies hang on the string. Dependent: how many swings it makes in 30 seconds (swings).
- How much does a rubber band stretch with each extra weight?5th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: how many pennies hang on the band. Dependent: how far the rubber band stretches (cm).
- Does a full bottle roll down a ramp faster?5th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🚗 How things move · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how much water is in the bottle. Dependent: how long the bottle takes to roll down the ramp (seconds).
- Does slanted light spread wider?5th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · about $1🌦️ Growing and weather · ✂️ Paper, tape and toysIndependent: the angle the light hits the paper. Dependent: how many squares of the grid the light covers (squares).
- Does warm water hold more salt than cold?5th–8th grade · 1 day of testing · free🧪 Water, ice and mixing · 🧂 Kitchen thingsIndependent: how warm the water is. Dependent: how many teaspoons of salt dissolve in the water (teaspoons).
Find a project
By grade
- Kindergarten
- 1st grade
- 2nd grade
- 3rd grade
- 4th grade
- 5th grade
- 6th grade
- 7th grade
- 8th grade
- Middle school
- High school
By time and by what you have
- 🗓️ This weekend
- 📅 About a week
- 📆 Two weeks or more
- 🧂 Kitchen things
- ✂️ Paper, tape and toys
- 🌱 Outside and plants
- ⭐ Easy ones
- 🏠 What's at home?
About a topic
- 🍎 Food
- 🍬 Candy and sugar
- 💧 Water
- 🌱 Plants and seeds
- 🎵 Sound and music
- ⚽ Sports
- ✈️ Paper airplanes
- 🌦️ Weather
- 🟢 Slime
- 🧲 Magnets
- 🐾 Animals
Sheets to print
Get ready for the fair
👨👩👧 For grown-ups and teachers: how much to help, the safety rules, and running a school fair. Science fair v0.16.1 · Checked .