Is an opportunity class the same as a gifted program?

In NSW, opportunity classes and selective high schools are a placement process run by the department. The High Potential and Gifted Education policy also expects every public school to extend high-potential students. A school-run program is not the same as an OC place.

Does every state have a selective gifted school?

No. Western Australia publishes selective Gifted and Talented programs. Queensland publishes the Queensland Academies. Other states focus on support inside local schools, sometimes with named programs at particular schools. The Northern Territory does not publish a single gifted-program page that this guide could cite.

When do WA selective applications close for 2028?

The WA Department of Education says applications for Gifted and Talented entry to Years 7, 9, 10 and 11 in 2028 close at 6 pm on Friday 5 February 2027. They opened on Tuesday 13 October 2026. The department says the dates can change.

Can a child start school early because they are gifted?

Only through the state's early-entry rules. The ACT publishes one path, including a psychologist report. Tasmania publishes an early-entry process for eligible gifted students. It is not a decision a family can make alone.

Gifted and Talented Programs in Australia

Q: What is a gifted and talented program?

It is extra depth, pace or breadth for a student whose learning needs sit beyond the usual year-level work. States use different names. A program can be classroom extension, a part-time group, or a selective school place. The name does not mean the same thing everywhere.

A gifted and talented program is the extra challenge a school, or a school system, puts in place when the usual year-level work is not enough. It might be harder work in class, a group that meets once a week, or a selective school.

As of 20 October 2026, the notes below are from each department's public pages. This is a map of published programs, not a league table. For the NSW test itself, use the OC and selective schools guide. For support and extension inside an ordinary school week, use academic support and enrichment.

What is a gifted and talented program?

It is planned teaching that goes further than the class program, because the student needs more depth, pace or breadth. Departments do not share one definition.

NSW's High Potential and Gifted Education Policy, opens in a new tab talks about potential in intellectual, creative, social-emotional and physical domains. It expects public schools to extend students beyond their current level, and to consider acceleration with the student and the parents when that is in the child's interests.

Victoria's Supporting High-Ability Students policy, opens in a new tab says government schools include extension and enrichment in the whole-school curriculum plan. Schools funded through the Student Excellence Program must appoint a high-ability practice leader. The policy points families to the Victorian High-Ability Program, the Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series, and programs at the Centre for Higher Education Studies.

A selective place and a classroom extension are both real. They are not interchangeable. Ask which one a school means.

What each state publishes

New South Wales. Every public school is covered by the High Potential and Gifted Education policy. Opportunity classes and selective high schools are a separate placement process. The placement procedures say they do not cover programs a school runs itself.

Victoria. Support is through the high-ability policy and the programs named above. This guide does not list individual Victorian schools, because the department's policy is about provision in government schools rather than one league of gifted schools.

Queensland. State schools must differentiate, and they can extend and enrich the year-level curriculum. Principals can also use discretionary time for extra programs.

The gifted and talented education page, opens in a new tab describes the Queensland Academies as selective-entry schools for high-achieving students. There are three: Creative Industries, Health Sciences, and Science, Mathematics and Technology. Their only senior curriculum is the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. That is a structure, not a ranking.

Western Australia. The department runs Gifted and Talented selective programs, opens in a new tab at 24 public secondary schools, covering academic, arts and languages streams, including an online academic program for country students. Primary students in Years 5 and 6 may be offered the part-time Primary Extension and Challenge (PEAC) program. Academic secondary places use the Academic Selective Entrance Test.

Applications for Years 7, 9, 10 and 11 in 2028 opened on 13 October 2026 and close at 6 pm on Friday 5 February 2027. The key dates page, opens in a new tab says those dates may change.

South Australia. The department's list of specialist programs, opens in a new tab names IGNITE at Aberfoyle Park High School, Glenunga International High School and The Heights School. Assessment dates are published by those schools, not as one state test date on that list. A statewide gifted policy, separate from enrolment and early entry, was not found in the public policy list checked for this guide. Early entry to school is case by case under the enrolment policy, opens in a new tab.

Tasmania. The Extended Learning for Gifted Students procedure, opens in a new tab says schools identify gifted students, differentiate using the Australian Curriculum, and can accelerate by subject or year level. Early entry to kindergarten for eligible gifted students is part of that procedure. The document's related procedures include an acceleration procedure and an enrolment procedure.

Australian Capital Territory. The Gifted and Talented Students Policy, opens in a new tab, last updated on 21 May 2026, applies from preschool to Year 12. Schools identify students and provide programs that can include extension, grouping, mentoring and acceleration. Each public school principal nominates a Gifted and Talented Liaison Officer.

Early entry to preschool or kindergarten has a published test. The parent nominates, and a psychologist registered in Australia provides a report showing a full-scale IQ of 130 or above, with extra information if the scores vary a lot. That rule is an eligibility check. It is not a suggestion to test every child.

Northern Territory. A dedicated public gifted-and-talented program page was not found while this guide was checked on 20 October 2026. Ask the school and the department what extension or acceleration they offer. This page will not invent a program the Territory has not published.

Australia

Look at schools, then ask about extension

A program name is not a place. Find schools you can reach, then ask what gifted provision they actually run.

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What to ask a school

Ask how they notice a student who needs more challenge, what changes in the timetable, and who you talk to if it is not working. Ask whether acceleration is possible, and what happens to friendships and the later certificate if a student moves ahead.

Selective tests and scholarship tests are different forms. Do not prepare for one because a tutor mentioned the other. The scholarship guide is for school awards. Compare Schools is for the shortlist once you know which schools are real options.

Gifted and Talented Programs: What Each State Offers

What is a gifted and talented program?

What each state publishes

Look at schools, then ask about extension

What to ask a school

Official sources

Frequently Asked Questions

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