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When Code Ninjas first opened its doors in the Whole Foods Plaza in 2020, owner Victor Lee had a singular mission: to teach kids how to code. Fast forward six years, and the Sudbury location is not just surviving; it is thriving. Ranked among the top 10 best-performing centers out of 400 worldwide, Code Ninjas Sudbury has become a staple of local STEM education.
Recently, the popular program upgraded its headquarters, moving into a larger space in the Sudbury Farms Plaza. Through a combination of tailored curriculum, strong community ties, and a vision for the future, Lee and his team are helping local students navigate the digital world, and building their confidence along the way.
For its first five years, Code Ninjas operated out of a single, bustling room. While the space was beautiful, it presented a unique logistical challenge: teaching kids ranging from 5 to 17 years old all in the same area.
“We tried to separate them as much as we could by using different parts of the room, but that didn’t work,” Lee admits.
As the center’s curriculum evolved, so did the need for a facility that could accommodate different developmental stages. The new dojo in the Sudbury Farms Plaza boasts six distinct classrooms, allowing instructors to separate students by age and skill level.
The specialized pathways now include:
- JR Spark: Ages 5–6
- JR Quest: Ages 7–8
- JR Pro: Age 9
- Lower BELT: Ages 10–12
- Upper BELT: Ages 13–17
“Every age group has different needs and a different level of skills, so our curriculum matches that,” says Lee. “It’s a much bigger space, and the walls allow for students to be around their peers.”
While coding is often stereotyped as a solitary activity, the environment at Code Ninjas is highly collaborative. Students frequently work in pairs to build and program robots, playtest each other’s original video games, and offer constructive feedback.
Older “higher belt” ninjas naturally step into mentorship roles, inspiring the younger students to level up their own skills. Parents are also brought into the fold, especially during Parent Engagement Week for the JR classes, where they get hands-on experience with the STEM activities their kids are tackling.
For Lee, this sense of community is the heart of the business. He recalls a difficult patch during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 when a parent’s passing comment profoundly changed his outlook.
“Parents shared that Code Ninjas is a place that their kids can come, explore STEM, and be themselves. That made me vow to keep the place open no matter what, and now we are thriving.” — Victor Lee
The ultimate milestone for a Code Ninja is achieving the coveted “Black Belt.” Recently, two local students reached this impressive summit, completing the full curriculum and presenting their original games to the community.
To celebrate, the center hosted a Black Belt Ceremony. One student delivered a speech reflecting on the difficulty of the process and the hard work required to persevere. Following his presentation, he fielded questions from the audience about his game development and his multi-year journey at Code Ninjas. Both students are now officially recognized on the global Code Ninjas Black Belt registry.
Bridging the After-School Gap
Beyond the main dojo, Code Ninjas has been actively expanding its footprint into Sudbury Public Schools. For the past two years, they have run a highly successful after-school program at Loring Elementary. The program separates students into K-2 and 3-5 cohorts.
“Parents love it, kids love it, and we love it!” Lee says, though he notes that running off-site programs comes with logistical hurdles, such as keeping school classrooms tidy.
Recognizing the critical shortage of quality after-school care, Lee is eager to find local champions to help expand these offerings. He is actively looking to collaborate with PTOs and school administrators to bring the program to Haynes, Nixon, and Peter Noyes Elementary Schools.
Preparing for a Global Future
Looking five years ahead, Lee sees an increasing demand for tech literacy. Interestingly, the center has seen a recent surge in enrollments for 5- and 6-year-old parents, proving that Sudbury parents are eager to introduce STEM concepts early.
However, Lee is also deeply passionate about reaching teenagers before they head off to college.
Reflecting on his own stressful experience learning to code in college, he hopes Code Ninjas can provide a low-stakes, high-reward environment for high schoolers that sets them up for success in advanced studies.
“I hope that many kids can build their confidence here before going to college so they can pursue what they like,” Lee explains. “I want our Sudbury kids to be competitive in the global workforce. That means learning coding and all the other STEM topics that we teach here.”