Report: U.S. failing brightest students

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Because the U.S. education system doesn’t properly cultivate its most promising pupils, as many gifted as non-gifted students drop out of school.

About 5 percent of both populations leave school early, Time magazine reported Friday.

This is, in part, because those who write education policy generally focus on students of impoverished means or who have learning disabilities; they don’t create programs that nuture children who are intellectually exceptional.

U.S. schools spend more than $8 billion a year educating the mentally retarded and about $800 million on programs for the gifted.

Although students who score 55 or lower on IQ tests require "special" education, Time said students with IQs that have IQs of 145 or higher often have trouble interacting with average kids and learning at an average pace.

Of 62 million U.S. school-age children, about 62,000 have IQs above 145, while roughly the same number of children have IQs below 55.

A recent report showed students in six countries, including Japan, Hungary and Singapore, scored significantly higher in math than their highest-achieving U.S. counterparts, suggesting the U.S. education system isn't helping them achieve their potential.