Grades 3–8 · Gifted and talented
Charles Townes Center
The Charles Townes Center (CTC) serves highly gifted and talented students in grades 3–8, chosen through a three-tiered process designed to identify highly gifted students from throughout the district.
Watch the CTC overview video
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3–8
Grades served
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90
Students per grade level
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3
Tiers in the identification process
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District
Students come from across Greenville County Schools
CTC core values
Explore, Enrich, Excel
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Explore
Students generate questions and take on challenges that celebrate individual interests and academic risk-taking, fostering curiosity and personal responsibility.
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Enrich
Collaborative experiences broaden global perspectives, develop interpersonal skills, and build confidence in a safe, cooperative environment.
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Excel
Students begin an exceptional pathway toward autonomy, combining critical and creative thinking with evaluation and reflection.
Joining the CTC
Admissions
Three performance dimensions
The Center serves up to 90 students per grade in grades 3–8. Initial entry in third grade is based on:
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Reasoning ability
Nationally standardized aptitude assessments
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Achievement
Nationally standardized achievement assessments
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Classroom performance
How students perform day to day
Please review the admission criteria before completing the evaluation request form.
Questions about the CTC?
Deborah Foulkes, CTC Program Coordinator
Program highlights
3rd Grade Curiosity Project
Nearly all the world’s knowledge is a click away, but young learners still need to know how to digest, organize, and make sense of it. In the Curiosity Project, each student chooses a topic they care about and follows it from question to presentation, building the self-direction they will use for life.
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Step 1
Choose a topic
Something they are truly curious about
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Step 2
Ask questions
Follow their own driving questions
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Step 3
Research
Gather, evaluate, and organize information
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Step 4
Present
Share with classmates and families, in a format of their choice
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Step 5
Reflect
Look back on what and how they learned
Skills students build
- Time management
- Evaluating sources
- Problem-solving
- Individualized learning
- Self-direction
CTC Jr. Beta Club
Membership requirements for middle school students.
Two programs, one school
Sterling Program
Sterling is also home to the Sterling Program, offering personalized learning for students in grades 4K–5.