Recognizing the importance of both keeping middle school students engaged and improving their math skills, Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) developed a summer school STEM program involving not only math and science instruction but also the experience of building a robot and competing with those robots in a city-wide tournament. Underlying the intervention's logic model was the belief that hands-on activities like robotics can build a sense of competence and value in academic pursuits that will increase student engagement and achievement. The results of this study suggest that continued investment in high-interest elective activities such as robotics could have a significant impact on helping students remain engaged in school, who otherwise might begin to disengage and thus lower their chances for successful transition into college and career.