The Gifted and Talented team is focused on providing equitable, high impact identification and programming for gifted learners to thrive.

We strive to ensure that gifted and talented students are engaged, rigorously challenged, and supported to reach their full emotional, intellectual, and creative potential. By equipping students to become successful, critical, compassionate, and collaborative individuals, we are preparing them to become leaders and citizens of the 21st century.

We provide services to gifted students and their families. The Gifted and Talented Department oversees gifted identification, magnet eligibility, and talent pool placements in the district. In addition, we support and monitor each school's gifted programming in order to ensure best practice for gifted students.

ALL schools in the district are responsible for meeting the needs of identified gifted and talented students. Please view this document to find your school's GT representative and contact info: Gifted and Talented Teacher/Point of Contact.

Please click here for currently available programming plans for each DPS School.

Phone: 720-423-2056
Email: giftedandtalented@dpsk12.org
Mailing Address: 1860 Lincoln St, 8th Floor, Denver, CO 80203
gt.dpsk12.org | Facebook

Family Communication Pathways

Dear DPS Families,

We are excited to share some big news: Denver Public Schools is expanding access to gifted education by growing our network of Gifted Magnet Schools from seven to eleven sites! Starting in Fall 2026, four additional DPS schools will officially launch gifted magnet programs — three elementary schools and one K–8 school:

New Gifted Magnet Programs (Beginning Fall 2026)

• Beach Court Elementary

• Carson Elementary

• Isabella Bird Community School 

• Florida Pitt-Waller K–8

This is the first time in over 15 years that new gifted magnet sites have been added in DPS. We are proud to now have a formal process for schools to apply to become magnet sites, and we are launching these new programs with purpose, equity, and long-term planning.

Our Goal: System Change to Increase Access

We are not aiming to close any existing magnet schools. Instead, our goal is to strengthen and expand gifted programming by:

• Improving programming at our current GT magnet sites

• Supporting new gifted magnet sites with thoughtful planning and collaboration

• Expanding access to high-quality gifted programming across the city

While there has been no indication from any current gifted magnet school community that magnet closure is being considered, we want to be clear that any future decision to end a magnet program would be driven by a community-led process in partnership with school leadership.

Planning Year: 2025–26

The 2025–26 school year will serve as a planning year ("Year 0") for our four new magnet sites. During this time, each school will partner closely with the Gifted and Talented (GT) team to design programming that supports the needs of advanced learners and to prepare for all operational aspects of becoming a magnet site.

Since the planning process is just getting started, schools may not yet have all the answers about what their specific programs will look like. We appreciate your patience and support as school leaders and educators take the time to build thoughtful, purposeful models for gifted education.

To help families prepare for the School Choice process, we will update this site by the end of December 2025 with detailed information about each school’s gifted programming.

When Can Families Choose a New GT Magnet Site?

The first opportunity for families to select one of the new GT magnet schools will be during the DPS School Choice process in January 2026. Students must be identified as eligible for the gifted magnet programming to apply.

We are grateful for your continued support as we work to build a stronger, more inclusive gifted education system across DPS. We believe every child deserves access to the programming that meets their academic and social-emotional needs — and this expansion is a major step forward in making that possible for gifted students in DPS.

Please click here for more information about GT magnet school eligibility.

Dr. Meryl Faulkner
Director, Gifted and Talented Department