A.N.T. Program

The A.N.T. (Advanced Natural Talents) program is an educational program that allows gifted middle school-aged children (aka, "Child Prodigies") to start high school (or skip to a specific grade within high school) at a much younger-than-average age. For example, Chyna Parks (a music prodigy) and her two best friends, Olive (who has an extreme photographic memory) and Fletcher (an art prodigy), wound up starting at the age of 11 (which, at least in America, is the age when most kids are just starting middle school -- American-kids usually don't start high school until they're 14).

The program exists at schools all over the United States as well in countries all over the world (such as France, Italy, Japan, Sweden and the United Kingdom).

History
In the A.N.T. program, students are given all of the equipment and opportunities that they need in order to fully develop their talents, while still attending rudimentary classes at the high school. They are allowed to stay in the central room of the A.N.T. program in between classes, at lunch, and after school.

The A.N.T.s are usually disliked by the other students, especially Lexi and the cheerleaders. Cameron usually dislikes them, too, but has grown to accept them. Paisley, however, has no problems with the A.N.T.s and encourages Chyna to join cheerleaders because the latter is talented.

Some students are possibly allowed to skip classes, as they do not pertain to the A.N.T.'s skills, or the A.N.T. in question may know more than the course material can provide.

In Episode 3, Principal Skidmore states that the whole point of the A.N.T. program is to allow her to exploit the A.N.T.s' advanced natural talents for her own benefit. In Episode 4, things seem as though she gives the A.N.T.s good grades that they do not deserve so that they can compete in Art Shows (Fletcher), Musical Recitals (Chyna), and Scholastic Decathlons and Spelling Bees (Olive). She says that she is planning to take a swimming champion from Japan to compete for their school in swim meets, even though he is unable to speak English.

It appears that each A.N.T. has a sort of "station" where they can hone their talents. Chyna has a place to play music, Olive has a place to read, Fletcher has an easel, Angus has a computer, Benny has a table to build robots, and Svetlana has a pommel horse to practice gymnastics on.

Apart from Chyna, Olive, Fletcher, Angus, Benny, and Svetlana, there are several unintroduced A.N.T.s, most notably a male A.N.T. who is often seen on his stationary bicycle, lifting weights, or doing lunges. There are several female A.N.T.s who are occasionally seen doing homework, especially a ballet A.N.T. who was dancing across the room when Chyna first arrived in the A.N.T. Farm.

At one point, there was an A.N.T. named Emma. What her talent was is a mystery. According to Olive, she went to retrieve her lunch from her locker during lunch period and was swept away by older and larger students and presumably suffered fatal injuries, much like Angus. Now, nobody (except for Olive, of course) can even remember her, or they have sworn never to speak of it. Though it's possible she just made that up so Chyna wouldn't get hurt.

As of Season 3, billionaire inventor Zoltan Grundy took all the A.N.T.s from Webster High and created a Z-Tech Prodigy School tailored to suit the A.N.T. Program, where they could get better facilities and treatment, much to the chagrin of Principal Skidmore. The school also takes the first student not to have been aged 11 - 14 into the program, Lexi Reed. Lexi was high school age when the school opens but had hidden her talent for mathematics for years and as such, was never inducted into the A.N.T. program at a younger age.

Known Students

 * Chyna Parks (Music Prodigy)
 * Olive Doyle (Academics Prodigy)
 * Fletcher Quimby (Art Prodigy)
 * Angus Chestnut (Computer Science Prodigy)
 * Svetlana (Gymnastics Prodigy)
 * Benny (Robotics Prodigy)
 * Naya
 * Megan
 * Charlie Brown (former)
 * Emma (former)
 * Nigel (Acting Prodigy) (Unknown if still apart)
 * Violet (Sports Prodigy)
 * Alex (Sports Prodigy)
 * Lexi Reed (Math Prodigy As of Season 3)
 * Kennedy Van Buren (Debate Prodigy As of Season 3)
 * Dixon Ticonderoga (Spy Prodigy As of Season 3)
 * Hudson (Rap Prodigy As of Season 3)
 * Seth Wiseman (Zoology Prodigy As of Season 3)

A.N.T.s From Other Countries

 * Berry Figgenbottom AKA Tazmanian Neville (Acting Prodigy acting as a Nature Prodigy)
 * British Etiquette Prodigy
 * American Culinary Prodigy
 * French Art Prodigy
 * Italian Culinary Prodigy
 * Japanese Music Prodigy
 * Two French Nature Prodigies
 * Swedish Engineering Prodigy
 * Australian Art Prodigy
 * Two Japanese Art Prodigies
 * Two British Music Prodigies
 * Australian Music Prodigy
 * British Art Prodigy