Experts say that the most gifted children do not always get good grades

Parents are often told that gifted kids are the ones with perfect report cards. Yet many of the brightest children are not at the top of the class.

Some children test in the 99.9th percentile on IQ measures, yet struggle to sit still, hand in homework, or care about grades.

Researchers at the University of Alicante in Spain, who study gifted brains, see this gap every day. They find that ability and school achievement are far less tightly linked than most people think.

Giftedness goes beyond test scores

In education, giftedness, an unusually advanced ability in one or more areas, is defined by more than high test scores.

The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) notes that students perform or can perform at much higher levels than classmates. It also stresses that they come from every racial, cultural, and economic group.

Cognitive studies show that many gifted children process information faster and juggle more pieces of a problem at once than their peers.

This speed can help them master school material quickly, yet it can also leave them bored when lessons move slowly.

Uneven growth in gifted children

A gifted eight-year-old might read like a middle-schooler, yet melt down over tying shoes or losing a game. Researchers describe this pattern as asynchronous development, an uneven growth across thinking, social, and emotional skills.

A recent systematic review of 17 studies examined how schools identify gifted children. It reported that identification should rely more on general cognitive abilities than on IQ scores or academic performance.

Many highly able kids can talk for hours about space or history but forget to brush their teeth or pack a backpack.

That gap between what they can do in their heads and what they manage in daily routines often confuses adults who expect their advanced thinking to come with equally advanced life skills.

Gifted children and emotions

Gifted children often feel emotions with unusual intensity, reacting strongly to unfairness, sad stories, or even small changes in routine.

In one clinical study, gifted children reported more inattention and hyperactivity. They also rated their own social functioning and physical health lower than peers with average intelligence.

Many also start asking big life questions earlier than classmates, about death, poverty, climate change, or why people hurt one another.

A simple story about playground bullying can lead to a long conversation about how society should work and what counts as justice.

Because their understanding races ahead of their coping skills, they can feel overwhelmed by worries they are not yet ready to manage.

One expert noted that gifted children may even struggle to enjoy shows when a character is hurt or sad.

Curiosity runs deep

Some highly gifted kids spend their free time studying subway maps, writing complex stories, or making chemistry jokes that few adults catch.

To outside observers, this can look like they are missing out on childhood, but for them it is a natural way to explore the world.

When parents worry that these interests are too grown-up, they sometimes try to push their child back toward age-typical hobbies.

That pressure can send the message that their curiosity is wrong instead of giving them room to explore hard questions and advanced topics at their own pace.

Grades don’t show giftedness

In many classrooms, gifted students learn new material much faster than the curriculum expects, so lessons repeat information they already understand.

After weeks or years of this pattern, some start to tune out, stop trying, or argue with teachers instead of quietly earning easy As.

Some students are also twice exceptional, gifted but living with a disability or learning difference that complicates school.

A review of research on these students found that schools often focus on fixing weaknesses, overlook strengths, and fail to provide the tailored support they need to succeed.

Teachers and parents may assume that truly gifted students are always organized, polite, and motivated. When a child is messy or restless, that student can be labeled lazy instead of highly able.

These stereotypes can block referrals for advanced programs, especially for students from low income families or marginalized communities.

How to support gifted children

Families who notice these patterns can start by writing down specific examples of advanced thinking, intense feelings, and learning struggles.

Sharing that record with a pediatrician or school psychologist makes it easier to decide whether a full evaluation is a good next step.

When families pursue testing, they can ask schools to consider teacher observations, family checklists, and professional assessments together. That approach is more helpful than relying on a single score.

At home and in class, adults can help by validating big feelings and teaching simple coping skills. They can also keep expectations realistic for life skills like organization.

Where gifted minds can grow

Small changes such as offering harder reading, deeper questions, or independent projects can keep curiosity alive without piling on busywork.

Seeing these traits as clues rather than misbehavior lets adults respond with support instead of punishment.

When gifted kids receive the right mix of challenge, understanding, and mental health care, their unusual minds can thrive. Those benefits can extend to their own lives and the communities around them.

The study is published in Education Sciences.

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