The purpose of this study was to investigate the achievement of south Texas public school fifth grade students participating in gifted and talented programs compared to the achievement of fifth grade students not participating in gifted and talented programs in the areas of reading and math to determine if any differences exist. The study also investigated student achievement of males and females and students identified for free/reduced or full price lunch who were also participating in gifted and talented programs to determine if any differences are present in achievement levels. The researcher collected achievement data from fifth grade students' State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness math and reading exams. Data analysis results indicate that there are significant differences between students who participate in gifted education programs and those who do not; however, there were not significant differences when percentile scores were analyzed for the gifted education program participants when gender and socioeconomic status were examined. For all results, a negligible effect size was present; indicating the gifted education program had a minimal effect on the scores for the students participating in the program. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]