Optimism is a positive psychological trait which may help individuals to cope with stressful and adverse situations. This study examined the associations of dispositional optimism, academic self-efficacy, self-esteem, and gender on high-ability students' stress perception of academic expectations. 298 high-ability senior high school students in Singapore participated in this study by completing a self-report questionnaire. Results revealed a significant negative association between optimism and academic stress perception among students. There were significant variations among variables, gender, self-esteem, academic self-efficacy and dispositional optimism, in predicting the two dimensions of academic expectations stress among high-ability adolescents. Possible explanations for the results were suggested and implications of the findings were discussed.