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FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)

FIRST® provides programming for students in grades PreK–12 through FIRST® LEGO League, FIRST® Tech Challenge, FIRST® Robotics Competition, and FIRST® Championship. Its purpose is to encourage collaboration in and exploration of robotics and increase student coding and programming skills. Age-appropriate concepts and techniques are introduced in each program. These concepts are designed to help prepare participants for potential future STEM careers.

Programs
FIRST® Championship (FIRST®)
FIRST® Robotics Season (FIRST®)
A student FIRST participant makes adjustments to a robot at the FIRST Championship.

Meeting and interacting with technicians working on cutting-edge engineering projects was especially impactful. It provided a real-world perspective on innovation and helped me better understand how STEM concepts are applied in professional settings, which I can now bring back into my classroom to make learning more relevant and meaningful for students.
I really appreciated the balance between time to work on our innovation project, connecting with different organizations during Partner Speed Networking, and participating in the IDP presentations. It provided a great mix of dedicated project time, meaningful connections, and opportunities for reflection, brainstorming, and challenging ideas. - Program Participant

Participant Data

The FIRST® seasons in 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 included the following programs:

  • FIRST® LEGO League introduces STEM to students in grades PreK–8 via hands-on learning experiences in a guided, global robotics program. Three separate leagues (Discover, Explore, and Challenge) inspire youth to experiment and grow their critical thinking, coding, and design skills.
  • FIRST® Tech Challenge focuses on students in grades 7–12, helping them learn to think like engineers. Teams design, program, and build robots to compete against other teams in an alliance format.
  • FIRST® Robotics Competition is a program for high school students who design, program, and build a robot. They start with a standard kit of parts and a common set of rules and play in a themed, head-to-head challenge.
  • FIRST® Championship is a culminating, international event for the robotics competition season and an annual celebration of STEM as FIRST® prepares young people for the future.

Students

59,849 total student participants

Student Grade Level

Military-Connected Students

Geographic Reach

FIRST® programming took place across the United States in all 50 states. In addition, FIRST® had multiple DoWEA (Department of War Education Activity) teams located internationally.

FIRST DSEC participant locations
Connectivity

Network Connectivity  

The following network map, known as a sociogram, displays the frequency of the partner’s interactions over a 6-month period (August 2025 to January 2026). Thicker lines represent interactions in which the partner interacted daily or weekly. Thinner lines represent interactions in which partners interacted monthly, twice per month, or quarterly or less. Colored circles represent STEM education partners (blue) and hub leads (green). The accompanying bar chart shows the distribution of the partner’s connections across interaction frequencies. 

FIRST® reported interacting with 22 other partners.   

FIRST Sociogram

Most of FIRST’s reported interactions with other partners occurred quarterly or less. 

FIRST Bar