One thing about the "gifted program" I may have failed to mention, is that it's a free space with lots of different activities and variety of teachers to suppor

One thing about the "gifted program" I may have failed to mention, is that it's a free space with lots of different activities and variety of teachers to support them (and not only in STEM). That is what I would like to see replicated without pre-filtering. It's the opposite of "jam everybody together" (which I agree does not work). Aptitude is not craved in stone, aptitude can be shifted (for some, for the generally healthy kids) given the right ecosystem. Tangent - if you haven't read Holt's "how children fail", it's a must-read (for teachers and parents alike).