Gifted & Talented / acGATEWAY / Aiken Scholars Academy
Aiken County Public Schools provides state-identified gifted services plus selective academic and artistic pathways for students seeking greater depth, acceleration, and specialized instruction.
How services work: District options include gifted classes, honors and accelerated learning, the application-based Aiken Scholars Academy with intensive coursework and upper-grade dual enrollment, and audition-based acGATEWAY summer study in visual and performing arts.
How students are identified: South Carolina screens all second-graders with CogAT and Iowa and uses state aptitude, achievement, and performance dimensions for academic eligibility. Aiken Scholars Academy requires a separate eighth-grade application, while acGATEWAY uses discipline-specific applications and auditions.
- Grades
- Grades 3–12 services and specialized pathways
- Last reviewed
- September 4, 2026