The Schilling School for Gifted Children, Cincinnati | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

“The Schilling School for Gifted Children is an independent, coeducational day school serving academically gifted children in grades K-12. Founded in 1997, the school is a member of the Ohio Association of Independent Schools and is chartered by the Ohio Department of Education which, along with the Canadian Department of Education, requested permission to use the Schilling curriculum as a model. Schilling is the only K-12 school exclusively for gifted children in Ohio. Academic classes are accelerated one and a half to two grades beyond those in traditional schools. All academic classes for which high school credit is awarded are considered honors courses. Many are taught at the college level, including Differential Equations, Discrete Math, Molecular Biology, 20th Century European and Russian Literature, and Japanese V, VI, and VII. Foreign language study begins in kindergarten, continues through high school and includes Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Japanese, Latin, Russian, Sign, and Spanish.

For a number of years the school’s fencing team has won the Southwest Ohio High School Fencing Association’s league championship. Other sports include Aikido, Cross Country, Golf, Sand Volleyball, Table Tennis, and Tennis. Schilling enrolls international students and offers international specialty classes, such as Asian Literature, Asian History, French Literature, Modern Japanese Literature and Russian Studies. Fine arts offerings include Graphic Design, Oil Painting, Drawing, Mechanical Drawing, Digital Photography, Music Ensemble and Musical Theatre. The faculty is comprised of gifted adults who are experienced teachers, subject specialists, and practitioners in their fields of expertise. All Schilling graduates go on to college. Cincinnati Magazine rated Schilling the number 2 best private high school in the tri-state area. The magazine also recognized Schilling for having the highest average SAT score among greater Cincinnati public and private high schools.

Requirements
Qualifying test scores, 130 IQ or higher.”

First I want to talk about the education, because after all, it is a gifted school. I thought I understood my child and gifted children until we attended Schilling. I was skeptical at first, because it was so different from everything I knew from traditional schools we had attended. However, I trusted this was the place for my daughter when after shadowing she exclaimed, “They understand me there!” She was so hungry to learn to her ability. She always got straight A+’s and scored 99th percentile on grade level standardized tests but she could only learn within the confines of what they could teach her. We would not have known what she was truly capable of, had we not made the switch.

At Schilling, my daughter was allowed to learn at an accelerated pace, without the expectation she should skip a grade. She could take classes according to her ability, not grade level. She had the opportunity to learn higher level concepts alongside peers who think and learn in the same way. She was engaged and encouraged to think, not just sit there and be taught at.

The teachers we encountered really knew my child. They were were caring and compassionate yet they challenged my daughter every day. Dr. Schilling is a kind and patient head of school who has a passion for gifted children. Every day is not perfect but when you are faced with one of those imperfect days, her door is always open and she is ready and willing to help you find a solution.

The children are considerate, welcoming, enthusiastic and accepting of each other. They are the top tier of giftedness. With this great blessing, sometimes comes other hardships. Schilling is a school that understands and embraces the whole child.

No school is perfect. Schilling is not for everyone. Only you and your gifted child can decide if it is the right school for you but I would encourage you to look and decide for yourself.