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.

Dr. Meryl Faulkner
Director, Gifted and Talented Department

Students must have a qualifying cognitive test score in the 95th percentile or above to become magnet eligible. 

After becoming eligible through testing, families must go through the School Choice process to select preferred schools and go through the lottery process for admittance.

Magnet Eligibility (ME) status does not expire and students may apply to magnet sites at any point in their time in DPS.

ME students do not receive an Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) until a full HGT identification has been made. However, they are eligible for support services.

Once eligible, ME students will never need to be retested with a cognitive assessment for the purposes of magnet eligibility. Additional achievement testing may be conducted for the purposes of a full identification.

Magnet site enrollment is not mandatory. Magnet site placement is a decision made by the family. ME students are still eligible to receive support services at their neighborhood school through the GT teacher. The decision to attend a magnet site should be based on whether a child’s academic and social needs are being met. HGT programming will varies from site-to-site.

Elementary and Middle School Gifted Magnet Program (HGT)

The Gifted and Talented magnet program provides an educational option for students who have been designated as magnet eligible (ME) or identified as Highly Gifted (HGT). This educational option is provided to address the extreme needs of students with exceptional intellectual ability.  Magnet Eligible students benefit from a higher concentration of intellectual peers at a magnet site which supports their unique social needs and promotes friendship building.

This program is designed for the students whose cognitive ability is in the top 5th percentile or above, demonstrating the most extreme needs which cannot be met in a traditional classroom. This program is not specifically designed for students with abilities in the arts, leadership or creativity, although cognitively gifted students may also have these strengths.

In order to access this program, a family must go through the School Choice process when a student has been designated as magnet eligible (ME) or Highly Gifted (HGT) with a cognitive test scored in the 95th percentile or above.

Please contact the HGT magnet schools with questions regarding the school specific programming.

Current HGT Magnet Sites
Lena Archuleta Elementary (1st-5th)
ECE-3 and kindergarten offered at Escalante-Biggs Academy.

Cory Elementary (1st-5th)
ECE and kindergarten offered at Stephen Knight Center for Early Education.

Edison Elementary (ECE-5th)

Gust Elementary (ECE-5th)

Polaris Elementary  (1st-5th) 

Teller Elementary (ECE-5th)

Morey Middle School (6th-8th)

New Gifted Magnet Schools (Starting Fall 2026)

Beach Court Elementary (ECE-5th)

Carson Elementary (K-5th)

Florida Pitt-Waller (ECE-8)

Isabella Bird Community School (ECE-5th)

Currently there are no designated Gifted Magnet High Schools in DPS.

Reach out to the school's GT teacher for more information about programming at their school.

Information About School Choice & the GT Department

Magnet eligible students are able to apply to any of the magnet sites listed above for the following school year. 

Magnet eligibility does not guarantee placement at a magnet site. Families must apply with Choice and Enrollment Services to be considered for magnet placement. 

• First Round School Choice: The application typically opens in January and closes in mid-February. Following the nomination deadline, the DPS GT Department receives a list of applicants and applies the HGT priority for the lottery. School Choice will run the lottery and send out the results to families. 

• Second Round School Choice: The application typically reopens in March/April and closes in August. The second round does not function on a lottery, but rather on a first-come, first-served basis for the seats remaining at the school from the first round. Applicants will appear on a waitlist until the GT Department receives the applicant lists from Choice and applies the HGT priority.

The GT Department cannot place students directly and does not influence placement at any school.