The Gifted Center offers instruction to students who require more intense interventions of academic acceleration, pace, affective development, and advanced investigation or enrichment. Parents and teachers are encouraged to seek students from traditionally under-served populations to participate in Gifted Centers. The application period is October through November for middle school and November through January for elementary school. A Gifted Center is comprised of several classrooms of identified gifted students within a regular elementary or middle school. Each Center serves a region of the district and is limited in space availability.
Parents are responsible for transportation.
Current centers are located at Devinny, Hackberry Hill, Kendrick Lakes, Parmalee, Westridge, Creighton, and Moore. Gifted Centers provide support and instruction that includes content acceleration, independent study, leadership skills, research and presentation skills, problem solving, and creative thinking. Academic challenge and affective development are fostered by peer interaction or counseling within a one to two year age span. Integration with other age-mates at the host school is provided in electives, specials, field trips, and units of study as planned by teachers at the school. It is a rigorous, four-year program, with a worldwide orientation and a focus on the arts.