Enrichment:  Middle School & High School

National Talent Search Programs (7th grade students)

Talent Searches:  Some academically talented 7th and 8th grade students participate in a talent search program such as the ones listed below. This would involve students taking the ACT® or SAT® tests in middle school to see how they performed compared to their peers.  These scores provide students with opportunities to enroll in specialized subprograms, including eStudies courses, Summer Studies programs, and Scholar Weekends. Some students also used this as early preparation for college admissions tests.

• Center for Talented Youth (Johns Hopkins University)

• Above-Grade-Level Assessment (Northwestern University)

7th and 8th graders can also register for and take the SAT test independently by applying directly through the College Board. Test scores from 7th and 8th grade test administrations are automatically removed from a students’ test score reports, so these scores are not reported when the student later applies to college

Enrichment Opportunities for Middle and High School Students

There are endless opportunities for students to challenge themselves outside of the classroom. These options include contests, day camps, weekend camps, summer programs, and mentorship opportunities. View the list below to find a program that aligns with your student’s interests.  Some already have chapters in Leander, others you would need to start. 

National/International Competitions

• Academic Pentathlon (Grades 6-8)

• AGLOA Academic Games (Grades 4-12)

• American Mathematics Competitions (Grades 6-12)

• B.E.S.T. Robotics Design Contest (Grades 6-12)

• Botball (Grades 6-12)

• Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship (7th Grade)

• Carson Scholars Fund (Grades 4-11)

• Congressional App Challenge (Grades 6-12)

• Congressional Art Competition (Grades 7-12)

• Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge (Ages 13-18)

• C-SPAN’s Student Cam (Grades 6-12)

• Cubes in Space (Ages 11-18)

• CyberFair (Grades K-12)

• Davidson Fellows Scholarship (18 & under)

• Destination Imagination (Grades K-12)

• Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge (Grades 5-8)

• Doors to Diplomacy (Ages 12-19)

• eCyberMission (Grades 6-9)

• EngineerGirl Writing Contest (Grades 3-12)

• First Robotics Competition (Ages 6-18)

• First Tech Challenge (Grades 7-12)

• Future Problem Solving Program International (Grades 4-12)

• Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes (Ages 8-18)

• Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament

• Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars Program (Grade 7)

• The Junior Academy (Ages 13-17)

• Kids Lit Quiz (Ages 10-13)

• Kids Philosophy Slam (Grades K-12)

• Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams (Grades 6-10)

• Letters about Literature (Grades 4-12)

• LifeSmarts (Grades 6-12)

• Marine Advanced Technology Education Competition (Grades K-12)

• MathCounts (Grades 6-8)

• The Math League (Grades 4-12)

• Math Olympiads (Grades 4-8)

• NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program (Grades K-12)

• National Academic League (Grades 5-12)

• National Academic Quiz Tournaments (Grades 6-12)

• National Gallery for America’s Young Artists (Grades K-12)

• National Gallery for America’s Young Inventors (Grades K-12)

• National Geographic Bee (Grades 4-8)

• National History Bee (Grades 4-12)

• National History Day Contest (Grades 6-12)

• National Invention Convention and Entrepreneurship Expo (Grades K-12)

• National Marbles Tournament (Ages 7-14)

• National Robotics Challenge (Grades 4-12)

• National Science Bowl (Grades 6-12)

• NCTE Promising Young Writers (Grade 8)

• Nicholas Green Award (Grades 3-8)

• Noetic Learning Math Contest (Grades 2-8)

• Odyssey of the Mind (Grades 3-12)

• Plant the Moon (Ages 14 & under)

• Perennial Math (Grades 3-8)

• Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors (Grades 5-8)

• Rube Goldberg Contests (Ages 8-18)

• Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (Grades 7-12)

• Science Olympiad (Grades K-12)

• Science without Borders Challenge (Ages 11-19)

• Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee (Ages 15 & under)

• SeaPerch Challenge (Grades 6-12)

• SIBA Invention Competition (Grades PreK-12)

• The America Rocketry Challenge (Grades 6-12)

• Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Sciences (Grades 6-12)

• Toshiba ExploraVision (Grades K-12)

• USA Brain Bee (Ages 13-19)

• USA Mathematical Talent Search (Grades 6-12)

• Word Masters Challenge (Grades 3-8)

• You Be the Chemist Challenge (Grades 5-8)

• Young Entrepreneur Hall of Fame (Grades K-12)

Online Programs

• Alcumus (Grades 2-12)

• Athena’s Advanced Academy (All grade levels)

• Davidson Academy Online (Davidson Academy of Nevada, Grades 6-10)

• RISE (Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Grades 7-12)

• IA Online (Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities)

• Iowa Online AP Academy (University of Iowa, Grades 6-12)

• CTY Online (Johns Hopkins University CTY, Grades K-12)

• Gifted LearningLinks (Northwestern University CTD, Grades K-12)

• Khan Academy (All grade levels)

• MIT Open Courseware (All grade levels)

• OnlineG3 (All grade levels)

• RC Online (University of Washington RC, Grades K-8)

• Redbird (Grades PreK-12)

• Stanford Online High School (Stanford University, Grades 7-12)

• Summer Institute for the Gifted Online Learning (Ages 7-12)

Weekend Programs

• WINGS (University of Iowa, Grades 2-8)

• CHAMP (Michigan State University GATE, Grades 7-9)

• ISHALL (Michigan State University GATE, Grades 7-9)

• MANGAA (Michigan State University GATE, Grades 7-9)

• ALL: Latin (Michigan State University GATE, Grades 7-9)

• Accelerated Weekend Experience (Northwestern University CTD, ​Grades 3-8)

• Saturday Gifted Studies (Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies, University of Southern Mississippi, Grades K-8)

• WAVU (Vanderbilt University PTY, Grades 7-10)

• Saturday Enrichment Program (University of Washington RC, Grades K-8)

• Super Saturdays (Western Kentucky University CGS, Grades 1-8)

• Gifted and Talented Workshops (The Health Museum in Houston, Texas)

• BRIGHTLinks (NC-based nonprofit linking home- and traditionally-schooled profoundly gifted students. Grades K-12)

Summer Programs

• Summer Laureate Program (University of Arkansas Little Rock, Grades K-8)

• Academic Talent Development Program (UC Berkeley, Grades 4-12)

• Duke Precollege programs (Duke University)

• Gifted and Talented Institute (UC Irvine, Grades 8-12)

• Academic Camps for Excellence (Calvin College, Grades 4-8)

• Awesome Math (Cornell University, Grades 7-12)

• Summer @ IMSA (Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Grades 3-10)

• IA Summer Youth Camps (Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities, Grades K-12)

• Junior Scholars Academy (University of Iowa, Grades 2-8)

• Blank Summer Institute (University of Iowa, Grades 7-8)

• Workshop for Young Writers (University of Iowa, Grades 7-9)

• Intensive Studies (Johns Hopkins University CTY, Grades 7-12)

• Academic Explorations (Johns Hopkins University CTY, Grades 7-12)

• Canada/USA Mathcamp (Lewis and Clark, Grades 7-12)

• Center for Gifted Youth (Long Island University, Grades 2-8)

• Summer @ LSMSA (Lousiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, Grades 7-9)

• ACERA Summer Camp (Massachusetts School of Science, Creativity and Leadership, Grades K-12)

• Boston Leadership Institute (Grades 8-12)

• Summer Academy (Middlebury Interactive Languages, Grades 8-12)

• ExplorSchool (Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth, Grades 5-7)

• Expand Your Mind (Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth, Grades 8-12)

• Rebel Quest (University of Mississippi, Grades 1-6)

• University of Mississippi Pre-College Programs (University of Mississippi, Grades 7-12)

• New York Film Academy (Ages 10-18)

• NCSSM Summer Programs (North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Grades 8-12)

• Super Summer (Purdue University GERI, Grades K-4)

• Summer Residential Camp (Purdue University GERI, Grades 5-12)

• Summer Math Camps (Texas State University, Grades 3-12)

• Creative Writing Camp (Rice University, K-12)

• School Mathematics Project (Rice University, Grades 1-12)

• Tapia Camps (Rice University, Grades 7-12)

• Roeper Summer Programs (The Roeper School of Michigan, Grades K-11)

• Summer Program for Academically Talented Youthh (Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies, University of Southern Mississippi, Grades 7-10)

• Health Sciences Summer Camp (University of Texas at Austin, Grades 6-12)

• Joseph Baldwin Academy (Truman State University, Grades 7-9)

• Summer Institute for the Gifted (Various locations, Ages 9-17)

• Middle School Challenge (Washington University in St. Louis, Grades 6-8)

• SCATS (Western Kentucky University CGS, Grades 6-8)

• VAMPY (Western Kentucky University CGS, Grades 7-10)

• Wesleyan Summer Gifted Program (West Virginia Wesleyan College, Grades 5-12)

• Camp Launch (The College of William & Mary, Grades 7-10)

• Lone Star Leadership Academy (Education in Action, Grades 4-8)

• NSLU Robotics Camp (Northwestern State University of Louisiana, Ages 8-14)

• ADVANCE Program for Young Scholars (Northwestern Sate University of Louisiana, Grades 7-11)

• Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes (Stanford University, Grades 8-11)