I don't know--it would be fascinating to find out how many kids are offered a spot but turn it down. All I know is that there always ends up being a long waiting list and they don't even invite all the kids who are eligible, just those who are on the top half or so of their rank ordered chart. The gifted programming in the regular schools sucks so much that it would be hard for me to understand why people would opt to stay, unless their child is happy there with established friendships.