Gifted & Talented

Gifted & Talented Program
of the
Cleveland Municipal School District

Our mission is to deliver high-quality educational services, which ensure that all students reach their fullest educational potential. The Gifted and Talented Program is one part of the total educational services of the Cleveland Municipal School District, and supports this mission by:

Meeting the academic needs of gifted students.

Providing high-quality instruction appropriate to the learning styles of gifted children.

Providing continuing enrichment beyond the minimum mastery level.

Stimulating critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.

Promoting student leadership.

History of the Gifted and Talented (Major Work) Program:


In October 1921, the Cleveland Public School System began its first program for gifted children at Denison Elementary School where gifted children in grades four, five, and six participated. This program was supported by the Women’s City Club of Cleveland.

From 1921 to 1927, fourteen elementary and two junior high schools were established as centers for gifted children. In the decades of the 1940’s and 1950’s, the Cleveland Public Schools developed and articulated a program for gifted pupils from the primary grades through high school.

Thus, from a modest beginning, the program which at one time was called the “greatest experiment in education,” has grown and developed into a program that currently provides enriching educational experiences for over 2,500 children with high intellectual and/or academic ability.