2024 Best Schools with Gifted and Talented Programs in the Colorado Springs Area

• Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12, CO•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.82 out of 5  190 reviews

Alum: When I attended Freshman orientation at CMHS, I had no idea what they were going to throw at me. But now that I just graduated from CMHS, I can say without a doubt that they prepared me and my peers for college and beyond. I won’t lie, the school is rather difficult in terms of its academic performance. Students have high expectations placed upon them. The staff there is nearly perfect, and the counseling office staff is beyond amazing. The admin team can be hit or miss, especially when it comes to planning events. But COVID-19 definitely didn’t help with that. On that note, my sophomore year was particularly awful due to COVID-19. I’m going to omit the entirety of my sophomore year from this review since that was not indicative of what normal high school life at CMHS was like. The overall atmosphere I would say is pretty good, but the social life of the high school can also be hit or miss. I won’t count that against the high school itself, but it is something to note. Overall, 4 stars... Read 190 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 1,261

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Harrison School District No. 2, CO•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.72 out of 5  127 reviews

Alum: Most of the teachers are absolutely fantastic; pay isn’t phenomenal so you can tell that they truly care about the students. There is almost always a mass exodus between middle and high school due to a change in politics and student life. The curriculum is expanding along with the population of the school, which is great for high schoolers who may consider leaving due to the limited experiences. New classes include AP Psychology and A Capella Choir, among others. Students do tend to be very prone towards cliques, but most groups get along relatively well.There is very heavy support for the basketball and soccer teams specifically, but very little recognition for liberal arts such as knowledge bowl and theater, although they are well populated programs.... Read 127 reviews

• grade A

• Students 321

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12, CO•

• K-6

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  1 review

• grade A

• Students 321

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12, CO•

• K-6

• grade A

• Students 297

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12, CO•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Middle School Student: I'm currently an eighth grader in the junior high, and this is possibly going to be one of my favorite years in school. I don't come from much, and I have had a rough time with the previous schools I had gone to. My fellow peers are incredibly kind and welcoming, and I feel like I belong. The electives are varied and are taught well, heck, even me, a more academic rounded student, enjoyed the art/music electives and felt like I was successful. On top of that, the faculty and teachers are very kind and supportive, and I think I'd leave the school being prepared for freshmen year. The downside is that there is the occasional slur said, drug use is fairly common, and there is a lot of mental health issues (which, they're trying to address during the mandatory health classes).... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 557

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Lewis-Palmer School District 38, CO•

• PK, K-6

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: My children attend this school. Culture of excellence, low teacher to student ratio, experienced teachers, established G/T program, high test scores and involved parents. John Irwin school of excellence x 2.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 335

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12, CO•

• K-6

• grade A

• Students 323

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12, CO•

• K-6

• grade A

• Students 479

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Academy School District No. 20, CO•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.99 out of 5  375 reviews

Junior: Air Academy has been an awesome school for me to attend. My teachers and coaches know me and care about me. Teachers are passionate, and classes are challenging, but not impossible. We have all kinds of great classes and learning opportunities. I have loved my science and engineering classes (and of course PE). The football and track programs are like family. I highly recommend Air Academy to anyone looking for a personal learning experience!... Read 375 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,351

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Lewis-Palmer School District 38, CO•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.08 out of 5  378 reviews

Junior: Palmer Ridge High School has been a good experience for me so far. I love going to sports games and assemblies because of the school spirit that fills the student body. Whenever I may need some extra help with my classes or have a question about anything, it is very easy to either find a teacher or a student mentor. For lunch this year, I am very excited that I will be able to go off campus for lunch since I will be an upper classman. Although I enjoy my experiences at PR, there are some downsides, as with any school. One thing I wish would change would be the monitoring of student behavior. I am well aware that there is only a certain amount of man power that can be put to monitoring student behavior but I often think that it is being used in the wrong capacities. While some students are vaping in the bathrooms, others are being yelled at for running in the hallways or walking somewhere within the school without a hall pass. However, I believe the good surpasses the bad at PRHS.... Read 378 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,206

• Student-teacher ratio 22:1

• Colorado Springs School District No. 11, CO•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.27 out of 5  22 reviews

Senior: As a student of Odyssey Early College and Career Options, I can confidently say that this high school is an excellent choice for students who are looking to challenge themselves academically and prepare for college. One of the best things about Odyssey is its focus on early college coursework. Students have the opportunity to take college-level classes and earn both high school and college credits. This allows students to get a head start on their college education and save money on tuition. The teachers at Odyssey are top-notch. They are knowledgeable, supportive, and always willing to go the extra mile to help students succeed. The small class sizes allow for personalized attention and a more individualized approach to learning. One area where the school could improve is in its extracurricular activities, particularly sports. Odyssey's sports programs are quite limited, and there are not many opportunities for students to participate in team sports or competitive athletics.... Read 22 reviews

• grade A

• Students 304

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Academy School District No. 20, CO•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.91 out of 5  452 reviews

Senior: Pine creek is a great option when it comes to Colorado Springs high schools. All the teachers are amazing and the classes have made me feel prepared for college. There are lots of out of school activity’s you can attend with friends such as sports games and extracurricular activity’s. The best parts of pine creek is the teachers. They are all so amazing. Another amazing part is the sports. It’s fun having a school where our athletic teams win regularly. This makes sports games really fun to attend. The worst parts includes being really crowded, bathrooms are always dirty, and the food in the lunch room isn’t the greatest. Despite these things pine creek is still an amazing place to spend your time as a high school student. I would like to see the worst parts of pine creek improve. By making these improvements pine creek would be the superior Colorado Springs high school. Overall pine creek is the best school you can send your high school students to because of all the opportunities.... Read 452 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,808

• Student-teacher ratio 20:1

• Academy School District No. 20, CO•

• K-5

• grade A

• Students 622

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Academy School District No. 20, CO•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Senior: Challenger Middle School was a nice middle school to go to. Being taught at a rural elementary school, Challenger provided a decent transition to a suburban lifestyle, fairly good academics, and a wonderful faculty. Much of the administration was average, mostly carried by the excitement and will of the teachers, librarians, counselors, etc. The high school readiness was a but stale because of a lack of high school transition classes during 8th grade, but was overall a good experience from being an adolescent to becoming a teenager.... Read 1 review

• grade A

• Students 607

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Academy School District No. 20, CO•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: My kids love this school! All 4 are thrilled to be in DCC. we live in D20 not because we love the crowded city but because we love DCC. Excellent programs, caring staff, loads of stuff for my science junkies while still meeting the needs of my artist and my athlete. We plan to stay here unti all 4 of our kids move through DCC.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 761

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Academy School District No. 20, CO•

• K-5

• grade A

• Students 354

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Academy School District No. 20, CO•

• PK, K-5

• grade A

• Students 522

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Lewis-Palmer School District 38, CO•

• PK, K-6

• grade A minus

• Students 403

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Lewis-Palmer School District 38, CO•

• PK, K-6

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

• grade A minus

• Students 377

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Academy School District No. 20, CO•

• PK, K-5

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: We've had 4 kids attend this school. I love the French immersion program. I love that they will work with advanced kids without having to bump them to another grade. Amazing and caring teachers and staff. Love the after school clubs, science fair, and the crown jewel, the International Tour Day where kids get to "travel" to other countries. Because it is an IB school I think is why we also have many different nationalities and cultures represented in my kids classroom, which is wonderful! Only thing I didn't comment on was food; we never buy school lunch. Facility does have 2 portable classroom buildings. One child has had classes out there 3 times, but says they are warm in the winter and cool when it's hot outside, plus these also have bathrooms attached so that's convenient.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 414

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Lewis-Palmer School District 38, CO•

• PK, K-6

• •
  Rating 4.8 out of 5  5 reviews

Parent: This school has phenomenal teachers and paraprofessionals. My son has Autism and he gets a tremendous amount of support. In his first elementary school, he was barely making it, and we were in a top-rated district AND school. Now, he brings home As and Bs because he gets the help he needs. While there's overall room for improvement, this school is meeting all of the needs that are important to me as a parent.... Read 5 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 798

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Academy School District No. 20, CO•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  14 reviews

Senior: The Village is an amazing place to be as a student-athlete and just a regular student. The staff tries their absolute hardest to treat the students as if they are an adult and normal human beings. With that being said staff also make sure you are staying on top of your responsibilities and help you in any way they can. Although students have responsibilities, the staff allows the students to take care of these in their own schedule and time. Meaning, assignments are not due until the end of the semester, attendance is not taken, and students have a wide variety of assistance if needed. My best experience as a student was being able to really connect with my teachers and other students. I truthfully can't say I have had a bad experience at The Village. The only thing that I would like to see change is the amount of school spirit. For how amazing the school is and how hard everyone works, I think the school deservesa little more credit.... Read 14 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 408

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Academy School District No. 20, CO•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.7 out of 5  10 reviews

Alum: I loved everything about the academics at Eagleview. I was in the Academic Arts Academy. My history teachers - Mr. Salagovic & Mr. Stewart were especially influential in starting my love of history. Mr. Sparkes, my choir teacher, started my love of choral singing - that I plan to continue in college. This is my senior year in high school and I currently helping teaching sixth grade choir with Mr. Sparkes and I have the privilege of going back to middle school every week. I didn't make any friends that carried into my high school years, and I have plenty of friends now - so socialization is something the school could work on.... Read 10 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 954

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Academy School District No. 20, CO•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.73 out of 5  306 reviews

Senior: I've been in the Discovery Canyon Campus High School every since Freshman year. Definitely the best thing about the school in my opinion is the art side of it. Whether it's visual or performing, I've always enjoyed the classes. Although it comes with some bias because art and music are my forte, but the experiences and the friends I've made along the way have made the whole high school experience beautiful. On the other hand, some of the staff and students have not been the best. I am considered a quiet kid so making friends was and still is hard for me. We are also losing teachers and the ones that I do have are not the best. I would like to see the school be more aware of how their students feel and how little some of their staff works for students to have academic success. All that aside, it won't stop me from having a good high school experience.... Read 306 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 1,123

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Lewis-Palmer School District 38, CO•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 3.88 out of 5  8 reviews

Senior: We only have one middle school in the district and five elementary schools. So all of the sudden there’s a ton of kids you’ve never met. You might recognize them from local competitions but now they’re in your classes and you can sit with them at lunch. It was a really neat experience. But I also think that the student body is way too big for the building. And although the teachers all did an amazing job handling 30+ middle schoolers in each class, it felt crowded and cramped.... Read 8 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 785

• Student-teacher ratio 20:1