The Department of Gifted Students in the Ministry of Education in Israel aims to enable gifted students in different regions of the county to engage in high quality studies in the sciences. One of the most notable efforts of the department to achieve this goal is promoting distance learning of science. In this paper, we will explore the nature of distance learning, its advantages and limitations and whether it is appropriate for gifted students. We will describe four distance learning courses in the sciences that were piloted in the virtual school established by the Department of Gifted Students in the years 2002‐2004 and present results of evaluation of these courses. Finally, we will discuss the implications of distance learning for the education of gifted students in the future.