Gifted

Gifted identification is a multistep process used to identify K-12 students from various backgrounds who are eligible for service options through HCPS programs for the gifted.

The 2026-27 referral window is October 22, 2026 - November 12, 2026.

To initiate the gifted identification process, a student must be referred by a staff member, parent or guardian, community member or themselves during the referral window. A set of Frequently Asked Questions follows. For questions about services or programs, links are included in the table below. For other questions, contact your school’s gifted identification coordinator using the linked contact list. The gifted identification process will conclude in March 2027. Information will be mailed to families of referred students via USPS mail.

Transfer Policy
Are you new to Henrico County? Was your child identified as a gifted student in another public school division*?
Please follow the directions below to ensure that we are able to provide your child with the appropriate services and instruction.

• Notify your school secretary when you register that your child has been previously identified as
• gifted in another public school division.
• Please provide a copy of all available paperwork from their gifted identification if possible to
• the school secretary and/or gifted identification coordinator. If you do not have copies of the identification documents from your child’s previous school please request that copies be sent to the new school.
• Once you notify the school, a member of the HCPS Gifted Education Department will contact you
• with more information and necessary forms.
• Transfer students who have been identified gifted in a previous public school division must meet the criteria for a gifted identification in Henrico County Public Schools to receive gifted services.

*As per the Local Plan for the Education of the Gifted, Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) does not accept gifted identifications made in the private school setting, as private schools are not governed by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) or required to follow the Commonwealth’s regulations for gifted identification and services. All students must be evaluated through the HCPS identification process to determine eligibility for Henrico gifted services. If your student is transferring to HCPS from a private school you may refer them during our referral window in the fall.

FAQ
How do I initiate a referral for the gifted identification process for my student? 

Referrals must be received in writing by an individual school’s gifted identification coordinator during the referral window. You can find your school’s coordinator here. Students can be referred in general intellectual aptitude, specific aptitude (language arts), or a specific aptitude (math).

What type of testing is required for the identification process?

The Virginia Department of Education requires that a nationally normed test be on file for all students in the gifted identification process. Many nationally normed tests remain valid for two years. All HCPS second grade students will participate in ability testing through the annual administration of the universal screener. For students who are referred for gifted identification and who do not have a valid test score, ability testing will be given on an as-needed basis.

If my second grade student participated in the fall universal screening, do I still need to formally refer my student for the gifted identification process?

Yes — the gifted identification process requires that a parent, guardian, teacher, community member or student must initiate the referral. Currently, all students are screened universally with an ability assessment in the fall of second grade.

My student attends the Henrico Virtual Academy. How will testing and other information be collected?

Due to the VDOE requirement referred to above, students participating in virtual schooling need to make appointments with a school staff member to test in a school building. Additional information required for the identification process can be collected virtually.

If my student is identified as gifted, when will services start?

Students begin working with a gifted resource teacher at the start of the following school year. Gifted resource teachers collaborate with classroom teachers following the close of identification to assist with differentiation in the classroom for students identified to receive gifted services. 

If my student isn’t identified, can they go through the process again?

Students may go through the process once per academic year. Students who were found not eligible may be referred again during the following school year.

What other types of information will be collected during the process?

A portfolio of information is collected about each student in the gifted identification process. The portfolio includes:

• Standardized test score(s).
• A parent and guardian questionnaire.
• Teacher scale.
• Grades.
• Observation and performance tasks.

Portfolios are reviewed by identification placement teams at each school to determine eligibility for services. In order to qualify for services, students must have four supportive pieces of evidence in the area of referral.

What effect will my student’s extended absence have on the referral and identification process?

A student must be enrolled in Henrico County Public Schools to be referred during the referral window. Referrals and paperwork giving permission to proceed with the gifted identification process must be collected by the designated date for the school year. Any requests received after the referral window will be considered during the next school year.

If a student is referred and signed permission is received prior to unenrollment, the identification process will pause. Once a student is reenrolled, the school will work with the family to identify the number of days missed and complete the process by the end of the school year.

I’m interested in my child attending one of the elementary gifted zone centers in fourth or fifth grade. How do I know if my child is eligible?

HCPS students who are identified in general intellect (both language arts and math) by the end of third or fourth grade have the opportunity to attend a gifted zone center for fourth and/or fifth grade. If your child is currently identified in one area, you may refer them in the other area to ensure eligibility for the gifted zone center. To find the assigned zone center for your child’s elementary school, please consult this document.

I’m interested in my child attending the Gifted Young Scholars Academy at L. Douglas Wilder Middle School next year. How can I make sure my child is eligible?

The application process for the Gifted Young Scholars Academy begins in the fall of a student’s fifth grade year. To be eligible for the program, students must be identified in general intellect (both language arts and math) by the end of their fourth grade year and be registered as an HCPS student.

The HCPS Gifted Resource Program is designed to nurture and extend curiosity, metacognition and creative expression through a variety of student-centered opportunities. Students will become self-directed learners through experiences that foster creative risk-taking and support intellectual development. Using rigorous 21st century curricula and innovative instructional opportunities, HCPS encourages all students to maximize their potential.

• K-12 Gifted Program opportunities
• Gifted Young Scholars Academy at L. Douglas Wilder Middle School
• Visual and Performing Arts at Henrico Center for the Arts
• Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School / MLWGS application process
• Summer Residential Governor’s School

Committee Application

Purpose
According to the state plan:

To advise the school board through the division superintendent of educational needs of all gifted students in the division. As a part of this goal, the committee shall review annually the local plan for the education of gifted students, including revisions, and determine the extent to which the plan for the previous year was implemented.

According to the bylaws (as approved by the Henrico School Board) the committee will:

• Work directly with the superintendent’s office.
• Study the needs and concerns of gifted education.
• Provide an annual report to the School Board of its findings.
• Examine, question and advise to promote mutually beneficial relationships among 
• the School Board, schools, parents and the community, developing each to their maximum 
• potential to address the needs and concerns of gifted students.
• Address issues with countywide implications.

Council may address itself to:

• Improving the relations among parents, community and schools at large regarding gifted education by fostering better communication between the school system and the community.
• Reviewing the manner and extent to which the Plan for Gifted Education is being implemented to ensure that schools are using it for the maximum benefit of the gifted students.

Scheduled Meetings
Four official Gifted Education Advisory Committee meetings will be conducted as hybrid public meetings. Virtual attendees may participate through Microsoft Teams (links coming soon). In-person attendees will meet on site at various locations throughout Henrico County (see addresses below). Meetings are from 6-7:30 p.m.

• If you are attempting to attend a meeting through Microsoft Teams and have technical issues with Teams, please contact Henrico Gifted Specialist at 804-226-5126.
• If there is a change to the GEAC meeting format or schedule, a new meeting notice will be posted on this page in accordance with the provisions of Va. Code § 2.2-3707.
• A public comment period or Q and A session will be part of each meeting.
• GEAC members attending the meeting virtually will count toward the quorum requirement and allowed to participate in any votes that take place during the meeting.

Gifted programming in Henrico County Public Schools includes direct service for identified students in grades K-8, through resource services at the elementary level, and through Talented and Gifted, or TAG, elective courses offered in middle school.

HCPS has three zone-center program sites serving fourth and fifth grade students. The remaining fourth and fifth grade students identified in general intellectual ability (language arts and math) are served in school-based programming.

Secondary gifted programming includes an application and lottery based program for students in grades 6-8 through the Gifted Young Scholars Academy at L. Douglas Wilder Middle School. To be eligible to apply for GYSA, students must be identified in general intellectual aptitude by the end of fourth grade, and be in good academic standing. There are 100 seats available in the Gifted Young Scholars Academy. A lottery system is used to select students who will be offered a place in the program. Students must meet all of the criteria above to be entered in the lottery.

Each Summer Residential Governor’s School focuses on one special area of interest. Students live on a college or university campus for the duration of the program. During their stay, students are involved in classroom and laboratory work, field studies, research, individual and group projects and performances, and seminars with noted scholars, visiting artists and other professionals. In mentorship programs, students are selected to work side by side with research scientists, physicians and a variety of other professionals. A director and student-life staff members provide supervision 24 hours a day, throughout the program. Application information is shared with all 10th and 11th grade students each fall.

• Virginia Department of Education’s Summer Residential Site

The Center for the Arts serves students in grades 9-12 who are gifted in visual and performing arts. Students at the specialty center program at Henrico High School participate in a four-year course of study in one CFA curriculum area: dance, musical theatre, theatre or visual arts.

Students accepted to the HCPS Center for the Arts are identified as gifted in the areas of visual and performing arts.

The Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School is a regional high school program that hosts 192 HCPS students and provides comprehensive educational opportunities that advance gifted students’ understanding of world cultures and languages.

• HCPS MLWGS site
• Maggie L Walker Governor’s School site

HCPS Gifted Programs is committed to recognizing and nurturing students' strengths as early as possible. Through our Talent Development program, we work to make sure students with high potential have the chance to be seen, supported, and challenged.

For questions about Talent Development please contact Matthew Parker, HCPS Talent Development Coordinator.