About high-ability students
High ability is an umbrella term used to describe high potential and/or performance. High-ability students have abilities that are more advanced in one or more domains of learning than peers of a similar age.
Some high-ability students have a general aptitude that allows them to achieve across a wide range of subjects. Others may exhibit subject specific aptitude. The ability, aptitude and performance of high-ability students will vary. Students with high ability may also have a disability or learning difficulty, sometimes known as twice exceptional or 2e.
High ability can manifest in different domains, or in combination. According to Professor Françoys Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent, these domains include:
- Intellectual ability: usually manifests in a broad range of academic-focused subjects, speed of learning and complex thinking patterns
- Physical ability: often presents in physical education or dance
- Creative ability: is likely to find expression in the arts
- Advanced social ability: will cut across a variety of subject areas and often finds expression in leadership.
Gagné and others estimate that at least 10% of the population is highly able in one or more domains.
Reviewed 22 April 2025