Gifted Services

Pinellas County Schools offers gifted program services to all eligible students grades K – 12 in every single school.

Elementary School Services

Elementary school students have two options for services. They can stay at their zoned elementary school and receive pull-out services or they can make an application to the Center for Gifted Studies to receivie full-time gifted services during the District Application Period.

FULL-TIME GIFTED SERVICES

All gifted students interested in attending a Center for Gifted Studies must apply during the magnet application period that occurs in January each year.  For more information, please see District Application Programs.

In north county: Elisa Nelson 

In mid county: Ridgecrest 

In south county: Midtown Academy

• NORTH Elisa Nelson Elementary School – Students zoned for Dunedin Highland, Carwise, Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor & Tarpon Springs Middle Schools are able to apply for a seat in the Center for Gifted Studies at Elisa Nelson. To schedule a tour contact the magnet coordinator at 727-298-2788

• MID Ridgecrest Elementary School  – Students zoned for Largo, Morgan Fitzgerald, Oak Grove, Osceola, Pinellas Park & Seminole Middle Schools are able to apply for a seat in the Center for Gifted Studies at Ridgecrest. To schedule a tour contact the magnet coordinator at 727-588-3580 x2021

• SOUTH Midtown Academy Elementary School  -  Students zoned for Azalea, Bay Point, John Hopkins, Meadowlawn, & Tyrone Middle Schools are able to apply for a seat in the Center for Gifted Studies at Midtown. To schedule a tour contact the magnet coordinator at 727-893-1358 x2060

PART-TIME GIFTED SERVICES

We offer on-site,  part-time gifted services to all eligible students at  every single one of our 78 elementary schools! Students are pulled out for 3-5 hours per week to work with a gifted endorsed teacher and gifted peers. Curriculum focuses on critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, social-emotional growth, and high-level content as a vehicle to work on the Florida gifted goals. Gifted teachers also work with classroom teachers to ensure that their gifted students are being challenged in their general education classroom. 

Middle School Services

Middle school students have the option of receiving services at their zoned school or making an application to one of four Centers for Gifted Studies during the District Application Period.

FULL-TIME GIFTED SERVICES

In the full-time service option, gifted students are in self-contained classes for all of the core classes:  language arts, math, science, social studies, world language, and a specially designed magnet elective.  All of the students in these classes have met gifted eligibility.  Instruction is provided by gifted endorsed teachers.  This educational setting is designed to be challenging and rigorous with curriculum delivered through instructional strategies that promote creative, critical and complex thinking. 

This option is available at the Middle School Centers for Gifted Studies: Dunedin Highland, Morgan Fitzgerald, Thurgood Marshall Fundamental and John Hopkins.  The Middle School Centers for Gifted Studies are a school within a school magnet model designed to meet the unique academic and social/emotional needs of adolescent gifted students through  full-time gifted services.

Click Here for CGS Curriculum Map and highlights.

In north county: Dunedin Highland

In mid county: Morgan Fitzgerald

In south county: Thurgood Marshall Fundamental (Gifted/Fundamental) or John Hopkins (Gifted/Arts) (NEW in 2021)

• NORTH Dunedin Highland Middle School  – Students zoned for Dunedin Highland, Carwise, Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor & Tarpon Springs Middle Schools are able to apply for a seat in the Center for Gifted Studies at Dunedin. To schedule a tour contact the magnet coordinator at 727-469-4112

• MID Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School – Students zoned for Largo, Morgan Fitzgerald, Oak Grove, Osceola, Pinellas Park & Seminole Middle Schools are able to apply for a seat in the Center for Gifted Studies at Morgan Fitzgerald. To schedule a tour contact the magnet coordinator at 727-547-4526

• SOUTH  Thurgood Marshall Middle School or John Hopkins Middle School -  Students zoned for Azalea, Bay Point, John Hopkins, Meadowlawn, & Tyrone Middle Schools are able to apply for a seat in the Center for Gifted Studies at Thurgood Marshall (Gifted/Fundamental) or the Center for Gifted Studies at John Hopkins (Gifted/Arts). To schedule a tour contact the magnet coordinator at (TMMS) 727-552-1737 or (JHMS) 727-893-2400 x2036.

For further information, please feel free to contact the Gifted Program office at 588-6046.

All gifted students interested, including those at an elemetnary Center for Gifted Studies program, in attending one of the Middle School Centers for Gifted Studies must apply during the magnet application period held in Januuary each year.  For more information, please see District Application Programs or contact the Center for Gifted Studies in your geographic area.

PART-TIME GIFTED SERVICES

In the part-time option, gifted students spend a portion of their day with other gifted students. Unlike the elementary pull-out program model, gifted services are part of a student’s regular daily schedule.  All Pinellas County middle schools offer part-time gifted services but options vary based on the gifted enrollment of the school.

The Advanced Academics 6-8 (gifted elective course) is offered in all middle schools. All of the students in the course have met gifted eligibility and instruction is provided by a gifted endorsed teacher.  This course is similar to the elementary pull-out program in that it exposes students to topics not usually included in middle school curriculum.  The Advanced Academics course topics rotate over the three years of middle school and include: Literature; Social Sciences-Philosophy and Psychology; Social Sciences-Investigating Cultures.

All middle schools offer advanced or accelerated courses in math and science. These classes are blended classes made up of both gifted and academically talented students.

High School Services

Gifted Elective & Consultation

"In Pinellas County, we believe in offering a variety of gifted services so that we can best meet the needs of all of our gifted learners. "