How many full‑time private schools exclusively for highly gifted students operate in the U.S., and where are they located?
Executive summary
There is no single authoritative count in the provided reporting of how many full‑time private schools in the United States exist that serve exclusively highly gifted students, and therefore an exact national total cannot be stated from these sources; instead, national specialist networks and directories identify a modest but dispersed set of dedicated institutions and many more private schools that serve gifted students without being exclusively for them (AISGS; Hoagies' Gifted; OurKids) [1] [2] [3].
1. Why an exact national count is elusive: no central registry or uniform definition
A precise tally is blocked by two linked gaps in the sources: there is no central federal or widely accepted national registry of "schools exclusively for highly gifted students" presented in the reporting, and different organizations use different criteria—some list schools that serve gifted learners exclusively, others include schools that "significantly" serve gifted learners or that offer gifted programs within broader private schools (the Association of Independent Schools for Gifted Students states AISGS schools serve gifted learners exclusively or significantly, highlighting definitional fuzziness) [1].
2. What the specialist networks and directories show about scope and membership
The best available leads come from specialty associations and curated directories: AISGS identifies independent nonprofit primary and secondary schools that either serve gifted learners exclusively or significantly, implying a small network of dedicated institutions rather than hundreds [1]; Hoagies' Gifted and other lists compile U.S. and Canadian gifted schools but do not present a single, definitive U.S. count [2] [3]; PrivateSchoolReview and OurKids highlight dozens of private schools known for gifted programming, some of which are explicitly focused on highly gifted students while others simply offer accelerated curricula [4] [3].
3. Geographic picture from named examples in the reporting
The schools repeatedly cited across these sources demonstrate that dedicated gifted private schools are scattered across the country: Mirman School in Los Angeles is cited as a private school serving highly gifted students [5] [1]; Long Island School for the Gifted (Huntington Station, NY) and Ricks Center for Gifted Children (Denver, CO) appear in PrivateSchoolReview lists [4]; Roeper City & Country School (Bloomfield Hills, MI) and Quest Academy (Palatine, IL) are named by AISGS and review sites as longstanding independent gifted schools [4] [1]; The Grayson School operates in Pennsylvania and markets itself as a school for gifted learners [6]; The Peabody School in Charlottesville, VA is presented as geared toward advanced students [7]. Regional directories such as the Northwest Gifted Child Association also catalog multiple Washington‑state schools that specialize or cater to gifted learners [8].
4. Schools that look like they’re “exclusively” for gifted students versus broader private options
Some institutions explicitly position themselves as full‑time schools for gifted children — examples above include Mirman, Roeper, Quest, Long Island School for the Gifted, Grayson, and Ricks Center — while other private chains and 1‑to‑1 models such as Fusion Academy operate numerous campuses that serve gifted students among broader populations but are not described as exclusively for the highly gifted (Fusion’s network exceeds 80 locations across 19 states) [9] [10]. The reporting therefore differentiates between a small set of mission‑built gifted schools and a wider ecosystem of private schools and programs that may serve gifted learners without exclusivity [1] [3].
5. Practical takeaway and a path to a more exact count
From the sources provided, it is possible to assemble a regional inventory by combining AISGS membership, Hoagies' Gifted lists, state or regional gifted associations, and private‑school review directories, but none of the cited sources publishes a single national number; researchers seeking an exact tally should cross‑reference AISGS membership rolls, Hoagies' and OurKids directories, and state gifted‑education associations to produce a defensible list [1] [2] [3]. The reporting shows that fully dedicated gifted private schools exist coast to coast — California, New York, Colorado, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and elsewhere — but it does not supply a definitive numeric total [5] [4] [1] [8] [7] [6].