Pennsylvania Approves Area's First Private School For Gifted Students
By Mike DeNardo
BROOMALL, Pa. (CBS) -- The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has issued a license for the region's first private school exclusively for gifted students.
The Grayson School is expected to open this fall, in Broomall, for grades K through 6.
Melissa Bilash, the school's executive board chair, says there are 35,000 students identified as gifted in Southeastern Pennsylvania, but before now no school had provided an all-gifted, all-day environment.
"The need is palpable. So the families are reaching out to us," she tells KYW Newsradio. "Families were the catalyst in getting the school from a seedling to where we are today."
Bilash says Grayson School will start with a project-based curriculum for up to 31 students, with plans to expand to grades K-12. She says IQ is only part of the admissions process, which will include interviews and work samples.
Tuition is $21,800 a year, and Bilash says the board plans to offer some financial aid.