The sites of new gifted classrooms were announced Tuesday, part of an expansion pushed by Mayor Eric Adams and Chancellor David Banks.
Officials are adding more than 1,000 seats, most of them as new programs that start in third grade. Until now, the most common entry point for “gifted” programs has been in kindergarten, a practice long criticized for testing and sorting 4-year-olds.
Parents can begin applying for spots on May 31. Virtual information sessions will take place on May 24, May 26, and June 1. Live interpretation will be provided in Arabic, Bangla, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu. To register for a session, click here.
The city’s gifted programs have come under fire for being segregated, with Black and Latino students starkly underrepresented. The classrooms also enroll few students who have disabilities, who are learning English as a new language, or are in temporary housing.
