We are in AZ. Chandler has a self contained gifted program, but I don't know too much about it. Kyrene will also be moving to a self contained format next year. Our children have not entered the school system yet, but I know parents who have their children in the Kyrene gifted programs and they are very happy. We have researched all of the options (public & private) in the SE valley and we will be sending our kids to the Kyrene district.
Before we moved here I had also heard terrible things about the schools, but I never seem to meet anyone that is actually unhappy with the education their child is receiving. My co-workers, who are also very educated, do not seem to complain about the schools (they attend primarily SE valley schools). Most of my close friends have kids that are still too young for elementary school, so I don't have their input yet. Although, everyone seems to agree that AZ could spend more on education. Now...complaining about the weather is a whole different issue!
