Research
How many public schools run a gifted program, by state 58.6% of the 91,001 U.S. public schools with a CRDC 2021-22 record reported a gifted and talented program. The share was highest in Maryland (94.0%) and lowest in Vermont (0.4%).
CRDC 2021-22 gifted flag · schools open in 2024-25 · this page first published 2026-06-29 · data checked 2026-09-29 · method
U.S. 58.6% 50 states measured
Widest access 94.0% Maryland
Narrowest access 0.4% Vermont
Schools with a gifted program by state AK 40%; AL 70%; AR 89%; AZ 49%; CA 48%; CO 89%; CT 28%; DC 0%; DE 32%; FL 85%; GA 92%; HI 42%; IA 87%; ID 48%; IL 19%; IN 77%; KS 71%; KY 87%; LA 74%; MA 2%; MD 94%; ME 56%; MI 5%; MN 32%; MO 50%; MS 67%; MT 21%; NC 89%; ND 15%; NE 74%; NH 4%; NJ 59%; NM 64%; NV 49%; NY 8%; OH 70%; OK 93%; OR 75%; PA 78%; RI 2%; SC 89%; SD 8%; TN 51%; TX 85%; UT 28%; VA 93%; VT 0%; WA 70%; WI 40%; WV 67%; WY 24% AK: 40% AK 40% ME: 56% ME 56% WI: 40% WI 40% VT: 0% VT 0% NH: 4% NH 4% WA: 70% WA 70% ID: 48% ID 48% MT: 21% MT 21% ND: 15% ND 15% MN: 32% MN 32% IL: 19% IL 19% MI: 5% MI 5% NY: 8% NY 8% MA: 2% MA 2% OR: 75% OR 75% NV: 49% NV 49% WY: 24% WY 24% SD: 8% SD 8% IA: 87% IA 87% IN: 77% IN 77% OH: 70% OH 70% PA: 78% PA 78% NJ: 59% NJ 59% CT: 28% CT 28% RI: 2% RI 2% CA: 48% CA 48% UT: 28% UT 28% CO: 89% CO 89% NE: 74% NE 74% MO: 50% MO 50% KY: 87% KY 87% WV: 67% WV 67% VA: 93% VA 93% MD: 94% MD 94% DE: 32% DE 32% AZ: 49% AZ 49% NM: 64% NM 64% KS: 71% KS 71% AR: 89% AR 89% TN: 51% TN 51% NC: 89% NC 89% SC: 89% SC 89% DC: 0% DC 0% OK: 93% OK 93% LA: 74% LA 74% MS: 67% MS 67% AL: 70% AL 70% GA: 92% GA 92% HI: 42% HI 42% TX: 85% TX 85% FL: 85% FL 85%
Schools with a gifted program by state AK 40%; AL 70%; AR 89%; AZ 49%; CA 48%; CO 89%; CT 28%; DC 0%; DE 32%; FL 85%; GA 92%; HI 42%; IA 87%; ID 48%; IL 19%; IN 77%; KS 71%; KY 87%; LA 74%; MA 2%; MD 94%; ME 56%; MI 5%; MN 32%; MO 50%; MS 67%; MT 21%; NC 89%; ND 15%; NE 74%; NH 4%; NJ 59%; NM 64%; NV 49%; NY 8%; OH 70%; OK 93%; OR 75%; PA 78%; RI 2%; SC 89%; SD 8%; TN 51%; TX 85%; UT 28%; VA 93%; VT 0%; WA 70%; WI 40%; WV 67%; WY 24% AK: 40% AK 40% ME: 56% ME 56% WI: 40% WI 40% VT: 0% VT 0% NH: 4% NH 4% WA: 70% WA 70% ID: 48% ID 48% MT: 21% MT 21% ND: 15% ND 15% MN: 32% MN 32% IL: 19% IL 19% MI: 5% MI 5% NY: 8% NY 8% MA: 2% MA 2% OR: 75% OR 75% NV: 49% NV 49% WY: 24% WY 24% SD: 8% SD 8% IA: 87% IA 87% IN: 77% IN 77% OH: 70% OH 70% PA: 78% PA 78% NJ: 59% NJ 59% CT: 28% CT 28% RI: 2% RI 2% CA: 48% CA 48% UT: 28% UT 28% CO: 89% CO 89% NE: 74% NE 74% MO: 50% MO 50% KY: 87% KY 87% WV: 67% WV 67% VA: 93% VA 93% MD: 94% MD 94% DE: 32% DE 32% AZ: 49% AZ 49% NM: 64% NM 64% KS: 71% KS 71% AR: 89% AR 89% TN: 51% TN 51% NC: 89% NC 89% SC: 89% SC 89% DC: 0% DC 0% OK: 93% OK 93% LA: 74% LA 74% MS: 67% MS 67% AL: 70% AL 70% GA: 92% GA 92% HI: 42% HI 42% TX: 85% TX 85% FL: 85% FL 85%
Schools with a gifted program by state AK 40%; AL 70%; AR 89%; AZ 49%; CA 48%; CO 89%; CT 28%; DC 0%; DE 32%; FL 85%; GA 92%; HI 42%; IA 87%; ID 48%; IL 19%; IN 77%; KS 71%; KY 87%; LA 74%; MA 2%; MD 94%; ME 56%; MI 5%; MN 32%; MO 50%; MS 67%; MT 21%; NC 89%; ND 15%; NE 74%; NH 4%; NJ 59%; NM 64%; NV 49%; NY 8%; OH 70%; OK 93%; OR 75%; PA 78%; RI 2%; SC 89%; SD 8%; TN 51%; TX 85%; UT 28%; VA 93%; VT 0%; WA 70%; WI 40%; WV 67%; WY 24% AK: 40% AK ME: 56% ME WI: 40% WI VT: 0% VT NH: 4% NH WA: 70% WA ID: 48% ID MT: 21% MT ND: 15% ND MN: 32% MN IL: 19% IL MI: 5% MI NY: 8% NY MA: 2% MA OR: 75% OR NV: 49% NV WY: 24% WY SD: 8% SD IA: 87% IA IN: 77% IN OH: 70% OH PA: 78% PA NJ: 59% NJ CT: 28% CT RI: 2% RI CA: 48% CA UT: 28% UT CO: 89% CO NE: 74% NE MO: 50% MO KY: 87% KY WV: 67% WV VA: 93% VA MD: 94% MD DE: 32% DE AZ: 49% AZ NM: 64% NM KS: 71% KS AR: 89% AR TN: 51% TN NC: 89% NC SC: 89% SC DC: 0% DC OK: 93% OK LA: 74% LA MS: 67% MS AL: 70% AL GA: 92% GA HI: 42% HI TX: 85% TX FL: 85% FL
Schools with a gifted program by state AK 40%; AL 70%; AR 89%; AZ 49%; CA 48%; CO 89%; CT 28%; DC 0%; DE 32%; FL 85%; GA 92%; HI 42%; IA 87%; ID 48%; IL 19%; IN 77%; KS 71%; KY 87%; LA 74%; MA 2%; MD 94%; ME 56%; MI 5%; MN 32%; MO 50%; MS 67%; MT 21%; NC 89%; ND 15%; NE 74%; NH 4%; NJ 59%; NM 64%; NV 49%; NY 8%; OH 70%; OK 93%; OR 75%; PA 78%; RI 2%; SC 89%; SD 8%; TN 51%; TX 85%; UT 28%; VA 93%; VT 0%; WA 70%; WI 40%; WV 67%; WY 24% AK: 40% AK ME: 56% ME WI: 40% WI VT: 0% VT NH: 4% NH WA: 70% WA ID: 48% ID MT: 21% MT ND: 15% ND MN: 32% MN IL: 19% IL MI: 5% MI NY: 8% NY MA: 2% MA OR: 75% OR NV: 49% NV WY: 24% WY SD: 8% SD IA: 87% IA IN: 77% IN OH: 70% OH PA: 78% PA NJ: 59% NJ CT: 28% CT RI: 2% RI CA: 48% CA UT: 28% UT CO: 89% CO NE: 74% NE MO: 50% MO KY: 87% KY WV: 67% WV VA: 93% VA MD: 94% MD DE: 32% DE AZ: 49% AZ NM: 64% NM KS: 71% KS AR: 89% AR TN: 51% TN NC: 89% NC SC: 89% SC DC: 0% DC OK: 93% OK LA: 74% LA MS: 67% MS AL: 70% AL GA: 92% GA HI: 42% HI TX: 85% TX FL: 85% FL
Schools with a gifted program
D.C. is one city system, so it is in the table but not ranked among the 50 states.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 (gifted and talented program); NCES CCD 2024-25 (school status).
Widest access: the top ten Schools with a gifted program, highest ten states Maryland 94.0%; Oklahoma 92.9%; Virginia 92.6%; Georgia 92.3%; Arkansas 89.1%; South Carolina 88.9%; Colorado 88.8%; North Carolina 88.8%; Iowa 86.8%; Kentucky 86.5%; U.S. 58.6%. 0 25 50 75 100 Maryland 94.0% Oklahoma 92.9% Virginia 92.6% Georgia 92.3% Arkansas 89.1% South Carolina 88.9% Colorado 88.8% North Carolina 88.8% Iowa 86.8% Kentucky 86.5% U.S. 58.6%
Schools with a gifted program, highest ten states Maryland 94.0%; Oklahoma 92.9%; Virginia 92.6%; Georgia 92.3%; Arkansas 89.1%; South Carolina 88.9%; Colorado 88.8%; North Carolina 88.8%; Iowa 86.8%; Kentucky 86.5%; U.S. 58.6%. 0 25 50 75 100 Maryland 94.0% Oklahoma 92.9% Virginia 92.6% Georgia 92.3% Arkansas 89.1% South Carolina 88.9% Colorado 88.8% North Carolina 88.8% Iowa 86.8% Kentucky 86.5% U.S. 58.6%
Schools with a gifted program, highest ten states Maryland 94.0%; Oklahoma 92.9%; Virginia 92.6%; Georgia 92.3%; Arkansas 89.1%; South Carolina 88.9%; Colorado 88.8%; North Carolina 88.8%; Iowa 86.8%; Kentucky 86.5%; U.S. 58.6%. 0 50 100 Maryland 94.0% Oklahoma 92.9% Virginia 92.6% Georgia 92.3% Arkansas 89.1% South Carolina 88.9% Colorado 88.8% North Carolina 88.8% Iowa 86.8% Kentucky 86.5% U.S. 58.6%
Schools with a gifted program, highest ten states Maryland 94.0%; Oklahoma 92.9%; Virginia 92.6%; Georgia 92.3%; Arkansas 89.1%; South Carolina 88.9%; Colorado 88.8%; North Carolina 88.8%; Iowa 86.8%; Kentucky 86.5%; U.S. 58.6%. 0 50 100 Maryland 94.0% Oklahoma 92.9% Virginia 92.6% Georgia 92.3% Arkansas 89.1% South Carolina 88.9% Colorado 88.8% North Carolina 88.8% Iowa 86.8% Kentucky 86.5% U.S. 58.6%
Narrowest access: the bottom ten Schools with a gifted program, lowest ten states Vermont 0.4%; Rhode Island 2.0%; Massachusetts 2.4%; New Hampshire 4.0%; Michigan 4.8%; New York 8.1%; South Dakota 8.3%; North Dakota 15.4%; Illinois 19.1%; Montana 20.5%; U.S. 58.6%. 0 20 40 60 Vermont 0.4% Rhode Island 2.0% Massachusetts 2.4% New Hampshire 4.0% Michigan 4.8% New York 8.1% South Dakota 8.3% North Dakota 15.4% Illinois 19.1% Montana 20.5% U.S. 58.6%
Schools with a gifted program, lowest ten states Vermont 0.4%; Rhode Island 2.0%; Massachusetts 2.4%; New Hampshire 4.0%; Michigan 4.8%; New York 8.1%; South Dakota 8.3%; North Dakota 15.4%; Illinois 19.1%; Montana 20.5%; U.S. 58.6%. 0 20 40 60 Vermont 0.4% Rhode Island 2.0% Massachusetts 2.4% New Hampshire 4.0% Michigan 4.8% New York 8.1% South Dakota 8.3% North Dakota 15.4% Illinois 19.1% Montana 20.5% U.S. 58.6%
Schools with a gifted program, lowest ten states Vermont 0.4%; Rhode Island 2.0%; Massachusetts 2.4%; New Hampshire 4.0%; Michigan 4.8%; New York 8.1%; South Dakota 8.3%; North Dakota 15.4%; Illinois 19.1%; Montana 20.5%; U.S. 58.6%. 0 20 40 60 Vermont 0.4% Rhode Island 2.0% Massachusetts 2.4% New Hampshire 4.0% Michigan 4.8% New York 8.1% South Dakota 8.3% North Dakota 15.4% Illinois 19.1% Montana 20.5% U.S. 58.6%
Schools with a gifted program, lowest ten states Vermont 0.4%; Rhode Island 2.0%; Massachusetts 2.4%; New Hampshire 4.0%; Michigan 4.8%; New York 8.1%; South Dakota 8.3%; North Dakota 15.4%; Illinois 19.1%; Montana 20.5%; U.S. 58.6%. 0 20 40 60 Vermont 0.4% Rhode Island 2.0% Massachusetts 2.4% New Hampshire 4.0% Michigan 4.8% New York 8.1% South Dakota 8.3% North Dakota 15.4% Illinois 19.1% Montana 20.5% U.S. 58.6%
The question and the method Gifted and talented programs serve students who need more challenge than the standard curriculum, and whether a school runs one depends heavily on state policy. Across the 51 state systems with enough reporting schools, what share of schools offer one?
Each school open in 2024-25 is matched to its CRDC 2021-22 record; the state figure is the share of its reporting schools with a gifted and talented program. States need 50 reporting schools.
Limits. This counts schools, not students identified as gifted, and says nothing about program quality. A low figure usually reflects state policy rather than student need: some states mandate and fund gifted services, others leave it to districts or serve advanced students through honors classes or acceleration, so a school without a separately reported program is not necessarily without advanced options.
Every state All 51 as a table State Rank Schools with a gifted program Schools reporting Maryland 1 94.0% 1,367 Oklahoma 2 92.9% 1,743 Virginia 3 92.6% 1,833 Georgia 4 92.3% 2,267 Arkansas 5 89.1% 1,013 South Carolina 6 88.9% 1,148 Colorado 7 88.8% 1,835 North Carolina 8 88.8% 2,626 Iowa 9 86.8% 1,279 Kentucky 10 86.5% 1,367 Texas 11 85.1% 8,588 Florida 12 84.8% 3,841 Pennsylvania 13 77.5% 2,838 Indiana 14 77.0% 1,807 Oregon 15 74.7% 1,252 Louisiana 16 74.4% 1,268 Nebraska 17 74.2% 972 Kansas 18 71.3% 1,317 Washington 19 70.3% 2,343 Alabama 20 70.1% 1,336 Ohio 21 69.5% 3,421 West Virginia 22 66.8% 623 Mississippi 23 66.7% 830 New Mexico 24 64.4% 842 New Jersey 25 59.1% 2,445 Maine 26 56.1% 549 Tennessee 27 50.9% 1,773 Missouri 28 50.2% 2,261 Nevada 29 48.9% 712 Arizona 30 48.7% 2,024 California 31 48.2% 9,825 Idaho 32 48.1% 748 Hawaii 33 41.8% 294 Wisconsin 34 40.1% 2,122 Alaska 35 39.5% 479 Delaware 36 31.7% 221 Minnesota 37 31.7% 2,173 Utah 38 28.4% 1,033 Connecticut 39 28.1% 975 Wyoming 40 24.0% 342 Montana 41 20.5% 816 Illinois 42 19.1% 3,804 North Dakota 43 15.4% 479 South Dakota 44 8.3% 661 New York 45 8.1% 3,153 Michigan 46 4.8% 3,283 New Hampshire 47 4.0% 477 Massachusetts 48 2.4% 1,781 Rhode Island 49 2.0% 299 District of Columbia not ranked 0.4% 234 Vermont 50 0.4% 282
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 (gifted and talented program); NCES CCD 2024-25 (school status).
Sources
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection Gifted and talented programs by school · 2021-22
Cite this page PlainSchools, “Gifted Program Access by State (CRDC 2021-22).” Compiled from Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), 2021-22; data as of 2026-09-29.
https://plainschools.com/research/gifted-program-access-by-state
APA and MLA references for this page APA: PlainSchools. (2026). Gifted Program Access by State (CRDC 2021-22). Retrieved October 20, 2026 , from https://plainschools.com/research/gifted-program-access-by-state
MLA: "Gifted Program Access by State (CRDC 2021-22)." PlainSchools, 2026, https://plainschools.com/research/gifted-program-access-by-state.
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Compiled from official source data by PlainSchools . · Updated September 2026