Demonstration scale aquaponics systems can be implemented in K-12 aquaculture extension programming to increase student interest in agricultural concepts and promote comprehension of scientific phenomena. The interdisciplinary nature of aquaponics makes it a hands-on extension education tool that can be adapted to engage diverse populations of school-age learners and recruit underserved minority groups into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. Aquaponics project-based investigations (APBI) expose students from varying age groups and backgrounds to aquaculture, sustainable agriculture and nutritious eating behaviors. The complexity of growing plants and fish together provides tangible representation of aquatic ecosystem requirements and how they respond to biotic and abiotic factors. Aquaponics can also be used to teach students that all living systems have limits to the amount of biodiversity that they can support; this is the carrying capacity concept. The bacterial nitrification process is another scientific concept that can be highlighted in aquaponics extension curriculums. Program participants use STEM skills to disseminate fish and plant production data, perform water quality testing and calculate fish feeding rates. By allowing students to develop scientific inquiry through the use of classroom and extracurricular extension based aquaponics programs, they may also discover interest in STEM careers or agriculture extension focused areas like FFA, 4-H and family consumer sciences. Extension agents can utilize the information in this presentation to develop new programs, or complement existing ones, for youth of all ages.