Overview

• Mamdani said he would end kindergarten admissions to Gifted & Talented, keep third‑grade entry, and retain the specialized high‑school test; his campaign says current students would stay in place.
• Cuomo pledged to expand accelerated programs in every borough and to double specialized high schools to 18, while Sliwa vowed to increase Gifted & Talented offerings to more than 200 sites.
• Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education endorsed Cuomo, citing his expansion plans for advanced instruction.
• This fall about 2,500 kindergarten offers were made from roughly 10,100 applicants in a system where gifted cohorts skew about 70% white or Asian; under Adams, replacing the kindergarten test with teacher nominations more than doubled Black and Latino participation.
• Editorial boards and commentators, including the Washington Post, criticized Mamdani’s stance as limiting opportunities for high‑achieving students.