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Education Directory | Minnesota Council for the Gifted & Talented

Minnesota Council for the Gifted & Talented

Connections. Advocacy. Resources. Equity. Support.

Full-time Gifted & Talented School Programs

These are schools focused on serving the needs of advanced learners. Each school has its own model that determines curriculum and instruction, grades served, and admissions criteria. Some are self-contained schools, where the whole school is designed for gifted & talented students. Some are a school within a school, which are public schools that have been divided into smaller subunits, within one building. Each program approaches this differently, but typically the gifted & talented students are integrated with other students for classes like music, art, lunch or recess.

Exploration High School, Minneapolis
Grades Served
9, 10, 11
Type of Program
Public, Self-Contained
Admission Requirements
None
2E Accommodations
Personalized Learning Plans
2 Sentence Description
Personalized Learning Plans
ISD 199/Inver Grove Heights
Grades Served
2, 3, 4, 5
Program Name(s)
Atheneum Gifted Magnet School
Type of Program
Public, School within a School
Admission Requirements
95th% on MAP Reading, MAP Math, and CogAT and/or WISC Gifted
2E Accommodations
Many Atheneum teachers have years of experience and/or training in gifted education, and some even have a certificate in providing for the needs of 2E students. Teachers are often flexible and help to provide the accommodations students need through flexible seating, fidgets, breaks, and in many other ways.
2 Sentence Description
Our program meets the needs of advanced learners by providing an accelerated curriculum as well as opportunities to go deeper into learning through enrichment. We also help meet the social emotional needs of our students through the Ashoka school community that Atheneum is a part of.
Lakeville Area Schools
Grades Served
3, 4, 5
Program Name(s)
Ignite! Challenge & Choice
Type of Program
Public, School within a School
Admission Requirements
99th percentile ability score, 99th percentile math achievement score, & 99th percentile reading achievement score
2 Sentence Description
Ignite! is a unique full-time gifted program that combines a challenging core curriculum with flexible choice offerings to provide highly gifted children the opportunity to ignite their passion for learning. Our program utilizes research-based curriculum and approaches that are customized for gifted learners, and supports executive functioning, as well as social-emotional well-being.
Metropolitan Open School, St. Louis Park
Grades Served
K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Type of Program
Private
Admission Requirements
School visit(s) by parents and prospective students. Application form and application fee.
2E Accommodations
Small, mixed-age classes of a maximum of eight students to one teacher that allow for individual and small group instruction in an interactive, supportive, personalized environment
2 Sentence Description
Throughout the school year, students’ strengths are assessed so that their individualized curriculum can continue to challenge them. By developing a personal plan for each child’s learning, we aim at stimulating the development of a mature, self-reliant, self-motivated student.
Minnetonka Public Schools
Grades Served
2, 3, 4, 5
Program Name(s)
Navigator
Type of Program
Public, School within a School
Admission Requirements
Exceptionally gifted students with Full Scale or General Abilities Index of 140 or higher
2E Accommodations
Navigator integrates Social Thinking, Habits of Mind, and Executive Functioning Skills work throughout the school day. These programs provide a common language and set of learned skills for students to apply in school and beyond.
2 Sentence Description
The Navigator program provides a specialized learning environment which capitalizes on the unique intellectual strengths and vast interests of its learners. Its meaningful, rigorous, and differentiated curriculum leads to whole-child growth as students learn about themselves and the world in the context of a robust social/emotional gifted curriculum.
Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools, ISD 719
Website
Grades Served
3, 4, 5
Program Name(s)
SAGE Academy
Type of Program
Public, School within a School
Admission Requirements
Identification for SAGE Academy is based on ability and achievement data.
2E Accommodations
Yes
2 Sentence Description
SAGE Academy provides an option within our school district to meet the needs of learners identified for gifted programming.
Rochester Public Schools, Rochester, MN
Grades Served
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Program Name(s)
Elementary Services
Type of Program
Public, School within a School
Admission Requirements
Go to website and Identification of Students to see the pathways
2 Sentence Description
Primary Education Thinking Skills taught in all 1st and 2nd grade classrooms. Elementary Advanced Learning Services for identified students in grades 3-5.
Rochester Public Schools, Rochester, MN
Grades Served
6, 7, 8
Program Name(s)
Highly Gifted Program, available at students’ attendance area schools
Admission Requirements
View Website Link. Click on the Middle School Advanced Learning Program.
2E Accommodations
Staff work together to accommodate students’ individual needs.
2 Sentence Description
Students spend about half their day in advanced courses with academic peers and half the day with grade-level peers in exploratory courses.
Rochester Public Schools, Rochester, MN
Grades Served
6, 7, 8
Program Name(s)
Middle School Honors Option Classes; RAMP (Rochester Accelerated Math Program)
Admission Requirements
View Website Link. Click on the Middle School Honors Option Classes.
2E Accommodations
Staff work together to accommodate individual student needs.
2 Sentence Description
Honors classes and accelerated math classes provide additional depth and challenge to students.
Saint Paul Public Schools
Grades Served
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Program Name(s)
Capitol Hill Gifted & Talented Magnet School
Type of Program
Public, Self-Contained
Admission Requirements
Admission requirements: Identification of gifted and talented through the CogAT7, portfolio assessment, or prior (outside) identification or assessment
2E Accommodations
Our teachers are experienced and skilled with providing differentiation and gifted education, and many even have a 2e training certificate to meet the needs of our 2e and/or 3e learners. Our teachers, support staff, and counseling program help to support the social and emotional needs of students unidentified but in need of support.
2 Sentence Description
Capitol Hill Gifted & Talented Magnet is an elementary and middle school with a focus on providing extensive differentiation in all subjects, an incorporation of project-based and independent choice learning, and an emphasis on instruction of social-emotional needs of the gifted and talented individual. We provide many different types of individualized and choice opportunities, including ability-based math acceleration, our SEM-R (Schoolwide Enrichment Model-Reading) Reading program, band/orchestra opportunities for elementary and middle students, and enrichment groups and programs, including Mathmasters and Lego League.