Lake Washington School District (LWSD) offers three different highly capable programs for elementary students.

K-5 Highly Capable (K5HC) - K5HC services provide highly capable students in kindergarten to fifth grade school-based enrichment in reading and/or math. K5HC teachers meet with students in small groups for 30 minutes on a weekly basis in the student’s neighborhood school. K5HC services focus on critical thinking and reasoning, creativity, interpersonal relationships and leadership skills. K5HC teachers also provide resources and strategies to the student’s classroom teacher to assist the teacher with accelerating and differentiating instruction. 

Part-time Quest - Currently, Dickinson Elementary is the site for the pull-out program for Ben Rush students. The enrichment pull-out program is designed to meet the needs of students who have exceptional ability by enriching their elementary curriculum. Students attend their home school four days a week and the enrichment pull-out classroom one day a week. The curriculum in the enrichment pull-out program includes integrated social studies and science themes. Students apply literacy and math with emphasis on higher level thinking skills. Long-term projects are part of the enrichment pull-out program.

Full-time Quest - Currently, Redmond Elementary is the site for the full-time program for Ben Rush students. The Full-time Quest program provides our most highly capable students the opportunity to engage in rigorous, challenging, integrated, and enriched curriculum with their academic peers. The program is designed to meet the needs of students who have been identified as having exceptional cognitive and academic ability by accelerating and enriching the district curriculum. Students are enrolled in a self-contained classroom all day, five days a week. Full-time Quest classes are multi-aged with a 2nd/3rd grade or 4th/5th grade grouping of students. The learning pace is faster than in the regular education program; students are expected to perform work that exceeds grade level standards by at least one grade level.

For more information on how your child can qualify for these programs and when to apply, visit Accelerated Programs.