Overview

• The Democratic nominee’s campaign says current kindergarteners would remain in their Gifted & Talented classes, but no new kindergarten seats would be offered next fall.
• Details beyond kindergarten are unresolved, with questions about third‑grade entry points and citywide gifted schools still open.
• Education Department data show sharp racial imbalance in gifted programs, which enroll under 5% of kindergartners—about 2,100 students—with fewer than one quarter Black or Latino.
• The move revives Bill de Blasio’s shelved phaseout that Mayor Eric Adams later reversed and expanded, after shifting admissions from a 4‑year‑old test to teacher nominations and a lottery.
• Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa criticized the plan and urged expansion, while Mamdani says he would retain the SHSAT and pursue universal childcare funded by higher taxes that could require state approval.