This guide to residential state academies for academically gifted high school students discusses the history of this movement, student characteristics, curricula, faculty, outreach programs, and evaluation. The establishment of the nine existing state institutions is traced from the prototype, the North Carolina School for Science and Mathematics, to the most recent, established in Alabama in 1991. Reasons for such schools are given, ranging from the specialized curricula needed by such students to their need for peer support. The question of elitism is addressed, suggesting that such schools actually are egalitarian in that they provide an opportunity for all students from both poor and wealthy regions of the state to go as far as they can. The various selection processes are described and compared, noting that the use of holistic methods (rather than standardized tests) results in enrollments more consistent with the demographic profiles of the state's population. Curricula are discussed, with special focus on the Indiana Academy Curriculum. Criteria for selecting faculty are then briefly considered as are state academy outreach programs. The lack of comprehensive and systematic evaluation of these new institutions is noted. (Contains 21 references.) (DB)