When you walk into practically any Planet Fitness on a weekday morning in July, the atmosphere is different from the rest of the year. The people using the treadmills don’t exactly resemble the regulars; they’re younger, a little unsure of where to begin, and some are obviously learning how to use the equipment for the first time. It’s not a coincidence. The High School Summer Pass will make a comeback in 2026.
Teens between the ages of 14 and 19 will have free gym access at more than 2,700 locations across the US and Canada from June 1 through August 31 thanks to Planet Fitness’s confirmed return of its yearly High School Summer Pass program. Pre-registration is currently available. There is no application fee, no monthly fee, and no secret enrollment process that results in a bill later. The summer membership begins on June 1, teens can register online or in person, and anyone under the age of 18 must have a waiver signed by a parent or guardian. It’s as easy as these things get.
It’s not just the price that makes this worth considering. Since the program’s launch in 2019, Planet Fitness has reportedly waived over $300 million in membership fees for adolescent participants. That isn’t a marketing gimmick. Reaching communities where access to organized summer fitness programs is genuinely limited is a sustained commitment that has been going on for seven years. For many of the teenagers involved, this may be their first experience with a real gym with certified trainers and organized equipment; it’s not a community center with three treadmills or a school weight room, but a complete facility.
This year’s program’s research reveals something that is both apparent and subtly concerning. About half of teenagers say that their fitness levels drop when school lets out, according to a nationwide survey done by Planet Fitness. That’s the summer fitness slump, which occurs between June and September when screen time takes the place of the school year’s structure. According to the same study, 81% of teenagers admit that they spend a large amount of time on social media and playing video games. Anyone who has recently spent time with teenagers will not find any of this shocking, but the program as a whole takes on new significance when it is validated by statistics.
Seeing this happen year after year gives me the impression that Planet Fitness has discovered something that the larger fitness industry largely overlooks: the habits people develop when they are 16 or 17 tend to stick. It takes more than just a summer program to get an adolescent into a gym, match them with a trainer, and help them establish a routine before life gets complicated. The play is longer. This year, the company has teamed up with American Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik to promote the initiative, and his participation lends some legitimacy. He’s not a public relations representative reciting a script. He is an athlete who has publicly discussed the psychological and physical strain of competitive training, and his message is received differently.
This summer, participants will have access to all of Planet Fitness’s strength and cardio equipment, including brand-new plate-loaded machines, free fitness instruction from certified trainers, workout plans tailored to teenagers, and the Planet Fitness app with on-demand workout options. For those who sign up, Gymshark offers a 20 percent discount, which is a modest but considerate perk for teenagers who take their training seriously enough to want the right equipment. The Summer Pass does not grant access to other clubs, unlike a regular Black Card membership, so the only real restriction worth mentioning is that teenagers must exercise at the particular facility where they registered.
The math here is simple for any parent with a teen between the ages of 14 and 19 living at home. Open facilities, a structured setting that isn’t a couch, free access, no commitment, and no continuing fees after August 31. The sign-up process is now open.
