For many, high school evokes memories of classrooms, crowded hallways and lunch periods. However, the Stanford Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) is planning to offer a different kind of high school experience to students around the world.

For the academic year 2006-2007, EPGY is launching an online high school for gifted students. The program is directed by Patrick Suppes, the Lucie Stern professor of philosophy emeritus. While there are many online high school offerings, such as those offered by the University of Texas-Austin and the University of Miami, EPGY is the first to target gifted high schoolers.

“The focus is to get a richer and deeper education,” Suppes said. “We’re only interested in a rigorous academic high school experience.”

EPGY, which was founded in 1992, currently enrolls about 4,000 students of all ages and in many different disciplines. Students from elementary school through high school participate in various mathematics, English, humanities, physics, computer science and music courses. There is a particular focus on math, English and physics — areas traditionally targeted for gifted education.

To ensure that the academic experience provided by the school is well-rounded, and to fulfill the basic requirements needed to be certified as a high school, EPGY is currently expanding its offerings in the social sciences. EPGY is also offering a course in AP Music Theory, a course not commonly found at traditional high schools nationwide. According to Suppes, if there is a greater demand for courses in history, economics and music, the program will consider expansion in the future.

EPGY would like to remain a fairly small organization. Suppes said he hopes that enrollment for this year will range from 50-100 students. While the school’s formal admissions forms are still being revised, Suppes explained that admissions decisions will be made based on a number of factors, such as PSAT scores and a record of strong academics.

“There is no algorithm,” he said. “Rather, students will be judged based on a portfolio of what they’ve done, whey they offer and their potential for the future.”

He anticipates that the high school will enroll students from all over the United States who desire a more challenging experience, students of American families who are working abroad as well as a number of students who are home-schooled.

The online high school is made possible by a gift from the Malone Family Foundation which has also funded previous endeavors at EPGY. According to Ray Ravaglia, deputy director of EPGY, these funds are marked primarily to get the school up and running. While EPGY offers limited financial aid, administrators hope to raise more funds so they can reach out to a broader range of students who could benefit from a gifted education.

“We still will be actively seeking money to give for financial aid,” Ravaglia said. “There are plenty of qualified students that come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and we’d like to give them this opportunity.”