Overview

• Zohran Mamdani said he would end admissions to Gifted & Talented programs for kindergarteners, a stance disclosed in a New York Times questionnaire and reiterated Friday, while retaining the specialized high school entrance test.
• Andrew Cuomo responded with a pledge to expand gifted offerings in every borough and to double the number of specialized high schools from nine to eighteen.
• Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa vowed to double the number of Gifted & Talented programs citywide to more than 200.
• Parent group PLACE NYC criticized ending early gifted access and endorsed Cuomo days later, arguing elimination erodes merit-based education.
• This fall brought roughly 2,500 kindergarten offers from about 10,100 applicants, and gifted classes remain disproportionately white and Asian despite Adams-era changes that replaced the kindergarten test with teacher nominations.