Based on the premises that for high ability to be expressed as outstanding performance, it requires attention to educational and socio-affective needs, that students with high ability have specific characteristics that make them vulnerable and that they have particular needs as they have giftedness as a particular quality; this study seeks to identify differences in socio-affective and attitudinal characteristics between students identified with and without high ability and, from this, it proposes special educational needs to be addressed. A battery of six instruments was applied to 371 students from 4th grade to 12th grade from different types of establishments according to their financing type and from different cities from the Biobío and Ñuble Regions. Descriptive statistics were analyzed, means were compared and the correlation between tests was studied using the statistical program SPSS, version 22. Significant differences were found in attitudinal and socio-affective variables between both groups, being possible to propose a set of special educational needs that require comprehensive educational opportunities. This study highlights the relevance of comprehensive education and attention to socio-affective needs in order to transform intellectual potential into outstanding performance and it seeks to inspire the creation of educational opportunities particularly aimed at this group.Desde las premisas de que para que la alta capacidad se exprese como desempeño sobresaliente requiere la atención de necesidades educativas y socioafectivas, de que estudiantes con alta capacidad tienen características particulares que les hacen vulnerables y que cuentan con necesidades particulares en tanto poseen alta capacidad como cualidad particular, este estudio busca identificar diferencias en características socioafectivas y actitudinales entre estudiantes identificados con y sin alta capacidad y, a partir de ello, proponer necesidades educativas especiales a ser atendidas. Se aplicó una batería de seis instrumentos a 371 estudiantes de cuarto básico a cuarto medio, provenientes de distintos tipos de establecimiento según su tipo de financiamiento y de distintas comunas de las regiones del Biobío y de Ñuble. Se analizaron estadísticos descriptivos, compararon medias y se estudió la correlación entre pruebas usando el programa estadístico SPSS, versión 22. Se encontraron diferencias significativas en variables actitudinales y socioafectivas entre ambos grupos, siendo posible proponer un conjunto de necesidades educativas especiales que requieren oportunidades educativas integrales. Este estudio releva la importancia de la formación integral y la atención a las necesidades socioafectivas para transformar el potencial intelectual en desempeño sobresaliente, y busca inspirar la creación de oportunidades educativas dirigidas a ello.