Currently no one else in the Iowa City area provides the type of deep curriculum and high standards for outcomes that StairWay5 provides.
There are a few introductory STEM programs and camps at various locations across the area that introduce younger students to programming (generally block programming via applications like Scratch tied to games such as Minecraft) and Robotics (putting together pre-selected Lego models).
Below is a general summary comparison of another available program in the Iowa City area and one of the leading providers of STEM technology education in larger urban cities. This information is based on public information available and we encourage parents to review the details.
| Category | StairWay5 | U of I Pre-Eng Camps | ID Tech Camps |
| Tuition per course | $750-$800 | $225-$335 | $850-$1300 |
| Total work hours per course | 30 | 15 | 30-35 |
| Locations | Iowa City area | Iowa City area | None in Iowa. |
| Year-round courses | Yes – Fall, Spring, Summer | No – Summer and Spring Break | No – Summer only |
| Staff to Student Ratio | 8 to 1 | ~16 to 2 | 8 to 1 (note: combines multiple classes in 1 room) |
| Instructors | Industry and/or academic expertise in area of instruction | College students | College students |
| Programming Curriculum | Broad, Industry Standard – see details | No | Limited – see recent Yelp reviews |
| Robotics Curriculum | Broad – see details | Limited – see details | Limited – see recent Yelp reviews |
| Engineering / Design Curriculum | Yes – see details | Limited | Age 16-18 |
| Teaching Style | Project Based Learning, Student Agency | Pre-defined projects | Pre-defined, games-focused |
| Future Skills Focus | Extensive | No | No |