You Just Made Science the Best!

When you enter the Fleet Science Center, you step into a different world. Laughter ringing through the galleries welcomes you through the doors. The smell of popcorn beckons you to the theater, where the possibilities for adventure are endless. Interactive exhibits transform you into an astronaut, an engineer, an inventor. You step into a world of possibilities. You step into San Diego’s Best Museum of 2025.

With over 100 unique exhibits, an iconic 76-foot wraparound IMAX® giant dome screen, and an energetic makerspace, the historic Fleet building is a hub for scientific exploration and innovation. It has welcomed and wowed visitors of all kinds since 1973, when it opened as the first IMAX® dome theater in the world.

This year, you voted us as your Best Museum of 2025 in San Diego Magazine’s annual ‘Best Of’ Awards. This honor means the world to us. Our goal as an organization is to realize a San Diego where everyone is connected to the power of science, and your recognition tells us we are doing something right.

While you are likely familiar with our beautiful home in Balboa Park and the world of possibility it holds, many have yet to see the work that we do beyond the building.

Since we opened our doors over 50 years ago, the Fleet has evolved, expanded, and transcended the boundaries of our building. We are proud to be a community-wide organization with roots in Balboa Park and branches reaching to every corner of San Diego County. The Fleet’s impact can be felt from Oceanside to San Ysidro and everywhere in between.

Don’t believe it? Let me show you!

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The 2024 Impact Report spans the 2023-2024 fiscal year and details the tangible impact of the Fleet Science Center on the community, both in the building and beyond.

In 2024, the Fleet reached 59,832 students across 390 San Diego County schools through educational STEM programs. From Family Science Nights, which gather families at their schools to experience informative, hands-on science investigations, to in-school workshops and assemblies, which engage students in inquiry-based STEM activities, the Fleet champions dozens of programs that make STEM more accessible to the community.

“The impact that they have had on our students and parents is tremendous,” says San Ysidro School District Assistant Superintendent Manuel Bojorquez. “Seeing our students eager to learn science and form dreams about professions in science is amazing. It inspires them.”

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In 2024, the Fleet team reached 99.9% of San Diego County ZIP codes. Throughout these neighborhoods, the Fleet has built strong, lasting relationships with community members and implemented accessible projects, programs, and initiatives.

“The San Ysidro School District has had a truly remarkable partnership with the Fleet, bringing the joy of science, technology, engineering, and math, the field of STEM, to all our students,” says SYSD Superintendent Gina Potter, Ed.D. “It is something I have never seen in any school district in the state of California.”

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And the Fleet doesn’t stop at bringing STEM to San Diego schools. Have you heard of Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar, an event where you can grab a drink and chat with local scientists and your local brewery? Or Fleet on the Go, a program that brought 47 Fleet exhibits to 16 public libraries across San Diego County in 2024?

Through programs like these and partnerships with community leaders, the Fleet can extend its reach and weave STEM into every corner of the community. One of these community leaders is LaRaza Webb, co-founder of The Block Club, founding participant in the Art for Planetary Health initiative, and long-time partner of the Fleet.

“This partnership is truly an example of breaking down barriers and creating unexpected connections,” Webb explains. “We’ve been able to show residents that science isn’t just confined to labs and art isn’t just for galleries. This demonstration has empowered our residents, and especially our youth, with new ways to see themselves as problem solvers and creators with both analytical and creative skills.”

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“Science and art are things that should not be classified as luxuries," Webb continues. "They are vibrant, everyday tools that are essential to create a better, connected future.”

Last year, we connected over 408,380 adults, students, and youth at the Fleet and in the community to the power of science, a 4.7% increase over 2023. Since 1973, we have served over 26 million people. Next year, those numbers will be higher.

Stepping into the Fleet Science Center means you are stepping into a world of possibility. But this world is much larger than just one building. This world exists in your schools, in your libraries, even in your local brewery. The world of the Fleet exists in every corner of San Diego County, making STEM just a step away. And it’s all for you.

"There is power in science and power in bringing STEM education to communities like ours," says Liana Davis, Assistant Principal at Ocean View Hills Elementary in San Ysidro. "The Fleet sees our community, sees the needs of our community, and they really do believe just how transformative good quality STEM education can be."

Explore our 2024 Impact Report to discover the full impact of the Fleet Science Center.