The standard for web development education.
We analyze, benchmark, and compare the curriculums of top bootcamps and degree programs. Stop guessing which program teaches modern web standards.
2024 Industry Report
Only 14% of bootcamps teach Web Accessibility (WCAG) to AA standards. Only 22% cover Core Web Vitals.
Read the full analysis →Most web education is stuck in 2018.
Ignored Performance
Programs still teach heavy client-side rendering without addressing Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) or First Contentful Paint (FCP). Real jobs demand performance budgeting.
Why performance matters →Missing Accessibility
Accessibility is treated as an elective or completely ignored. Semantic HTML is glossed over in favor of <div> soup and inaccessible custom components.
Outdated Tooling
Students learn complex bundlers for simple tasks, relying on bloated packages rather than understanding the platform fundamentals and native browser APIs.
Platform fundamentals →How we evaluate curriculums
Our methodology is transparent, ruthless, and based on what actual engineering teams need right now.
1. Fundamentals First
We check if programs spend enough time on HTML, CSS, and Vanilla JS before jumping into frameworks. Do they teach the DOM API? Do they explain the cascade properly?
2. Core Web Vitals
Is performance taught as a metric? Programs must teach students how to measure and improve LCP, INP, and CLS to pass our performance standard.
3. Security Posture
We evaluate if OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities are covered. Programs teaching students to inject raw unescaped HTML via JS fail immediately.
4. Real-world Architecture
Do they teach edge caching, CDN usage, and the difference between SSR, SSG, and CSR? Or do they just default to a heavy single-page application for a blog?
The 2024 Bootcamp Benchmark
A sample of our extensive curriculum analysis across major providers. Data collected Q1 2024.
| Provider | A11y Covered | Web Vitals | Security Mod | Platform Fundamentals | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provider A | Yes (WCAG AA) | Yes | Extensive | High | Recommended |
| Provider B | Basic | No | Basic | Medium | Needs Improvement |
| Provider C | No | No | No | Low | Avoid |
| Provider D | Yes | Basic | Extensive | High | Recommended |
The cost of shipping garbage.
When bootcamps fail to teach accessibility, we exclude 1 in 4 adults in the US with a disability. When they ignore performance, mobile users on 3G networks abandon sites.
-
80%Of top million websites have low contrast text issues. (Source: WebAIM)
-
53%Of mobile site visits are abandoned if pages take longer than 3 seconds to load.
Are you a hiring manager?
Don't assume a bootcamp certificate means a candidate knows how to build for the web platform. Use our Technical Interview Guide to test for actual platform knowledge, not just framework syntax.
Are you a student?
Before you spend $15,000 on a bootcamp, check if their curriculum passes our basic standards. Demand better education.
Bootcamp ROI Calculator
A stark look at the financial reality. We strip away the marketing claims and look at placement rates, median starting salaries, and debt burden.
Risk-Adjusted Value
This represents the expected first-year value after tuition, adjusted by the 70% probability of actually landing a job.
Deep Dives
Semantic HTML
Why <button> vs <div onClick> is a fireable offense in a competent engineering organization.
Caching Strategies
Cache-control headers, ETags, and why setting everything to max-age=0 is ruining your performance.
Form Validation
Stop loading a 50kb JS library for form validation. Learn the HTML5 Constraint Validation API.
CLS Calculator Tool
Interactive tool to understand exactly how Cumulative Layout Shift is calculated by browsers.
Contrast Checker Tool
Ensure your brand colors pass WCAG AA and AAA standards.
The Self-Taught Route
A curriculum map for those bypassing bootcamps. What to learn, in what order, and why.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why focus on vanilla HTML/CSS/JS when React is the industry standard?
React is a tool. The web platform is the foundation. If you don't understand the DOM, event delegation, the cascade, and network protocols, you will write terrible React code. The best React developers are experts in the underlying platform.
Are bootcamps worth it?
It depends entirely on the curriculum. A bootcamp that spends 2 weeks on HTML/CSS and 10 weeks on a specific framework stack is training you to be obsolete in 3 years. Look for programs that emphasize computer science fundamentals and web platform APIs. See our rankings.
How do you gather your curriculum data?
We audit publicly available syllabi, interview recent graduates, and review the final capstone projects produced by students to evaluate the real-world application of their learning.
Stay Updated
We publish quarterly updates to our curriculum rankings and deep dives into web standards. No spam, just technical analysis.
Ready to compare?
Don't waste months of your life on an outdated curriculum.
Explore Curriculums