Growing pains irk school for gifted students
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Enrollment for Ace Academy in Central Austin has grown 500 percent since its opening just a few years ago.
It’s a statistic that’s forced the school to turn away gifted students looking for more out of their education.
Students like 12-year-old Grace Protzmann, who enrolled at the school in January along with 110 other gifted students. She takes algebra two years ahead of when she would take it in the public school system.
"For me, it was easy work and here I feel very challenged in the right way," she said.
The school prides itself on teacher-student dialogue and a classroom style that fits the students’ hunger to learn beyond their years.
Donna Husley co-founded the school in 2005 with just eight families. She is the parent to a gifted child herself.
"It's very frustrating for a child to pick up a book or a problem and be told, 'No, you can't do that cause we don't do that till next year,'" she said. “They want more depth than anyone else is interested in."
Ace is set to enroll a record 150 gifted students for the upcoming school year. However, administrators will have to turn kids away because the school has outgrown the space it leases in the center of town. Saturday, school officials will launch a fundraising campaign to move to a larger location.
"Everyone wants happy kids. You know, so to see my children fulfilled. They come home and talk about things that were meaningful in their day," former student Caroline Pope said. "They're building problem-solving skills. They're building social skills. They're building verbal skills, all while they're playing."
Tuition ranges from $5,000 for preschoolers and up to $12,500 for students at the high school level.
As a nonprofit private school, administrators and teachers hope to raise enough money to fulfill the expansion and be in a position to offer scholarships.
During the summer months, Ace continues its lessons through a program open to any eligible child.
To learn if your child qualifies, visit AustinGifted.org.