Gifted Programs

All 32 community school districts offer programs for students identified as "gifted and talented" (G & T). Some of these are separate classes within neighborhood schools. Others are whole schools dedicated to the education of gifted children. Still others offer after-school enrichment programs or special classes for part of the day. Some offer accelerated programs in which children move through the curriculum at a faster pace, while others offer "enrichment," encouraging children to go into depth on a particular topic. Some gifted and talented programs begin in kindergarten. Others begin in first or second grade and up.

Is a gifted program right for your child? Some of the best schools in the city refuse to group children by ability and manage to bring all children to a high level of achievement. In these schools, teachers manage to give every child individual attention and offer challenging work to very bright children while giving struggling students the support they need. In a school like that, your child may do very well in a general education classroom, even if he or she is unusually capable. On the other hand, some parents of very bright children prefer to have them with their academic peers. In parts of the city where the overall quality of the neighborhood schools is poor, gifted programs may offer a refuge.

A new citywide procedure for assessing and placing students in gifted and talented classes or schools was introduced by the Department of Education in the fall of 2007. Below is an overview of current policies and programs as of April 2008.

The Department of Education offers free testing for admission to these programs. Beginning in the 2007-2008 school year, the assessments used were the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test or OLSAT (accounting for 75 percent of the score) and the Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BRSA) (accounting for 25 percent of the score). Students must achieve a combined score in the 90th percentile to be eligible for district gifted and talented programs and must reach the 97th percentile to gain admission to the one of the three citywide elementary school programs.

You are guaranteed a seat in a G&T program in the entry grade of that program if you score in the 90th percentile or above. (In a G&T program that begins in kindergarten, you are guaranteed a kindergarten seat; in one that begins in 1st grade, you are guaranteed a 1st grade seat.) Students who test for older grades are placed as seats become available. Students scoring in the 97th percentile and above are eligible for the citywide programs and are be placed according to a ranked list. They are guaranteed a seat in a district program. Siblings who qualify for the G&T program are guaranteed a seat in the same program as their sibling. If siblings do not qualify for the gifted program, an attempt will be made to place them in the general education program in the same school, depending on space.

Parents can get a "request for testing" form from the Department of Education website and at district offices and community organizations. In 2007-08, they were available from December 3 to January 3. Testing takes place in January and February. Children who are new to the city will be able to test in the summer.

There are seven highly selective elementary and middle schools that accept children from all five boroughs: Anderson, NEST+M, Philippa Schuyler, Mark Twain, Bay Academy, and the Talented and Gifted School. In addition, the Special Music School admits children with unusual musical ability. Students are asked to take additional screening tests to be accepted.

The citywide director of gifted and talented schools and programs is Anna Commitante, 52 Chambers Street, Room 208, New York, NY 10007, 212-374-5165 or 212-374-5972.

Applications and testing are administered by the Office of Student Enrollment and Planning Operations (OSEPO). For the latest information, call your district or the local enrollment office that serves your district. Below is a district by district description of gifted programs as of September 2006 including some that opened in September 2007.

District 1 (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
District office, 212-587-4094; local enrollment office, 917-339-1755
There is a gifted program at PS 110 that begins in kindergarten. NEST+M is a K-12 school that accepts children citywide.

District 2 (East Side, Midtown, Downtown, Manhattan)
District office, 212-356-3815; local enrollment office, 917-339-1755
There are gifted programs at PS 11, 116, 124, 130 and 77 (Lower Lab). Parents should choose the school closest to their home. If the child qualifies and there is no room at that school, efforts will be made to find space at another school, but the district makes no promises.

Hunter College Elementary School, located within the boundaries of District 2 but not administered by it, is a K-6 program for intellectually-gifted students in Manhattan. Applications for admission to Hunter, the most selective public school in the city, are accepted until Nov. 1. Getting a constant busy signal at the admissions office phone number - 212-860-1262 - can be frustrating. You may have better luck at the school's website.

The three selective middle schools in District 2 are: Lab School for Collaborative Studies, Manhattan Academy of Technology, and East Side Middle School. Other middle schools also have special progress or SP classes for high achievers. Check our reviews for details.

District 3 (Upper West Side, Manhattan)
District office, 212-678-5857; local enrollment office, 212-342-8300
Students from District 3 may apply to gifted programs at PS 9, 145, 163, 165, 166, 185, 191, and 208. The program at PS 165 is a dual language gifted program and PS 163 has a dual language program in addition to the monolingual program. For more information, call the local enrollment office.

The Anderson School (K-8) is open to children from throughout the city. Call the Anderson office at 212-595-7193, or visit the website.

The Special Music School of America, with its rigorous music-centered curriculum, puts children through a series of assessments to test their talent for music. Prior instruction is not required. The school asks that applications be returned as soon as possible. Call 212-501-3390 or visit their website for more information.

At the middle school level, the Delta Honors Program at MS 54 is limited to District 3 students. The program considers only students who select it as their first choice on their application. Parents should call the school on Tuesday or Wednesdays mornings from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 212-678-5855, for a tour appointment.

District 4 (East Harlem, Manhattan)
District office, 212-828-3590; local enrollment office, 212-339-1755
The Talented and Gifted School for Young Scholars (TAG), a K-8th grade in East Harlem, accepts children from all five boroughs. All classes are accelerated starting in kindergarten. Call the school directly at 212 860-6004.

Other selective middle schools in the district include: Manhattan East and The Young Women’s Leadership School. Call the schools in the fall for information and tour schedules.

District 5 (Central Harlem, Manhattan)
District office, 212-769-7500 ext. 236; local enrollment office, 212-342-8300
PS 129, 30, and 154 have gifted and talented programs starting in kindergarten. Check with the enrollment office for updated information.

District 6 (Washington Heights-Inwood, Manhattan)
District office, 917-521-3757; local enrollment office, 212-342-8300
Students from District 6 may apply to schools with gifted programs: PS 98, 152, 153, and 178.

At the middle school level, there is the Alpha Program at IS 52 (grades 5-8) and Mott Hall School (Grades 4-8). To learn more about The Alpha Program, contact Anne Pecunia at MS 52 at 212-567-9162 ext. 5220.

District 7 (South Bronx)
District office, 718-742-6500; local enrollment office, 718-741-8495
District-wide gifted programs at PS 5 and PS 31 begin in kindergarten. There is also a small gifted program in IS 162, which houses four academies, one of which is The Gifted & Talented Enrichment Academy.

District 8 (South Bronx-Throgs Neck)
District office, 718-329-8065; local enrollment office, 718-828-2975
The gifted program at PS 182 begins in kindergarten. MS 101/Maritime Academy holds a lottery every spring including the three highest scoring students from each elementary school in the district. IS 192 has a math and technology program for grades 6-8 for students who were not picked in the lottery for Maritime. MS 302 is a magnet program for grades 5 and 6 that is open to students district-wide. For more specific information about these programs, call the schools.

District 9 (Central Bronx)
District office, 718-842-0138; local enrollment office, 718-741-8495
District 9 was scheduled to add gifted programs at two elementary schools in fall 2007. Call the district or enrollment office for updated information.

For middle school programs, students are assessed by criteria including teacher recommendation and interviews for theme-based schools. Most programs accept students who have scored from level 2 through 4 on citywide exams.

There are a number of small theme-based schools with an accelerated curriculum that accept students through an application and interview process such as: Kappa III, Mott Hall III, & FDA III.

District 10 (Northwest Bronx)
District office, 718- 741-5852; local enrollment office, 718-741-8495
District 10's gifted programs began in the fall of 2007, at PS 54 and PS 24. The programs started with kindergarten and will add grades year by year. In addition, there are honors programs at PS 8, grades 2-5, PS 85 (performing arts) grades 4-5 and PS 94, grades 1-5.

All middle schools offer honors programs. Some gifted programs still accept students district-wide: Giordano Prep and the Aurora Program at MS 45, and Pace Academy and the Spectrum Program at MS 118.Giordano Prep and the Aurora Program require a school based test and interview. Pace and Spectrum also examine transcripts. There are a number of small theme based schools that accept students through an application, interview, and/or audition process including: Bronx Dance, TAPCo and PS/MS 315 (See our reviews for details).

District 11 (Northeast Bronx)
District office, 718-519-2620; local enrollment office, 718-828-2975
District-wide programs for gifted children begin in first-grade and are housed at PS 153 and PS 121. There is one gifted class per grade; children are bused to the school. The program continues at MS 181.

District 12 (South-central Bronx)
District office, 718-328-2310; local enrollment office, 718-828-2975
The gifted & talented program at CS 214 is open to grades 1-3.

District 13 (Bedford Stuyvesant-Fort Greene-Brooklyn Heights)
District office, 718-935-3978; local enrollment office, 917-696-5790
There are five self-contained gifted and talented programs in the district, located at PS 3 in Bedford Stuyvesant, PS 9 in Prospect Heights, PS 11 and PS 20 in Clinton Hill, and PS 282 in Park Slope. There are also many schools using the schoolwide enrichment model.

District 14 (Greenpoint-Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
District office, 718-302-7600; local enrollment office, 917-696-5790
There are currently no G&T programs in this district.

District 15 (Park Slope-Cobble Hill, Brooklyn)
District office, 718-935-4317; local enrollment office, 917-696-5790
There are three G&T programs located at PS 1 in Sunset Park, PS 38 in Boerum Hill and PS 230 in Kensington. There are also many schools using the enrichment model. For more information, contact Debbie McCabe, the district family advocate, at 718-935-4263 or dmccabe@schools.nyc.gov.

District 16 (Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn)
District office, 718-935-3692; local enrollment office, 917-696-5790
There are two G&T programs located at PS 40 and PS/MS 308, both in Bedford Stuyvesant. The program at PS 40 began in September 2006 with a kindergarten class.

District 17 (Crown Heights, Brooklyn)
District office, 718-221-4372; local enrollment office, 718-758-7687
PS 161, 189, and 375 offer the STELLAR program, open to out-of-district students as well as District 17 students. Gifted programs at PS 138 and PS 181 begin in kindergarten.

Middle schools offering gifted and talented programs are at PS 161 (Crown School for Law and Journalism), MS 2 (Apex Academy), MS 340 (North Star Academy), and MS 394 (Mary McLeod Bethune Academy). Grade 4 ELA and math scores determine eligibility for testing.

District 18 (Canarsie, Brooklyn)
District Office, 718-566-6008; local enrollment office,718-758-7687
There are several different gifted programs in this district: ASTRAL at PS 114, 115, 208, 276 and 279; the Javits program at PS 135, 219, 233, and 268; the Soar program at PS 235; the Excel program at PS 244; and the ACE program at PS 272. Out of district students have been accepted in the past. ASTRAL continues in middle school at IS 68, 211, 232, 285 and the Lenox Academy at PS 235.

District 19 (East New York, Brooklyn)
District office, 718-240-2700/2794; local enrollment office, 718-348-2929
Gifted and talented programs called Challenge Classes are located at PS 159, 202, 273, and 346.

District 20 (Bay Ridge-Bensonhurst, Brooklyn)
District office, 718-759-4844; local enrollment office, 718-759-4914
The Delta Program, at PS 102, 104, 176, 180, 185, 204, and 229, is the district-wide gifted and talented program. The Globe Program is open to bilingual gifted and talented students in Spanish, at PS 503, in Chinese at PS 105, and in Russian at PS 200.

In the middle schools, the Superintendent's Program is open to gifted and talented learners based on standardized test scores and/or a scientifically based assessment offered through the district .

District 21 (Coney Island-Midwood, Brooklyn)
District office, 718-714-2502; local enrollment office, 718-759-4194
The Sigma Program is a district-wide program for gifted and talented students located at six elementary schools, PS 95, 99, 188, 212, 215, 329.

In the middle schools, magnet programs are open to students with special talents in the arts and/or academics. Entrance to middle school programs is based on an exam and talent audition in grade 5.

District 22 (Midwood-Mill Basin, Brooklyn)
District office, 718-768-6116; local enrollment office, (718) 758-7687
There is a gifted and talented program called EAGLE II at every District 22 elementary school. There are six schools in the district that have pre-K EAGLE programs as well. Even if a child is enrolled in an EAGLE Pre-K, parents must request that their children be tested again to continue in the program beginning the winter before a child starts kindergarten. After entering EAGLE in kindergarten, children can remain in the program as long as their teacher confirms that they are on pace with the workload. Children are tested until 2nd grade. The program is open to students outside of the district, but their placement is contingent upon seat availability. There is a highly selective district-wide gifted program called the Center for Intellectually Gifted (CIG). Invitation to take the elementary CIG exam is based upon a student's performance on the gifted and talented test in kindergarten and upon teacher recommendation (in grades 1-4). The elementary CIG program is located at PS 193.

Children from outside the district may apply to the middle school CIG program. Admission is determined by an exam given by the district office to students who qualify based on their report cards and standardized test scores. Schools administer exams for other gifted programs including "magnet" and "Nova." There are several magnet programs within each of the District 22 middle schools. Admission is based upon standardized test scores, attendance, and 4th and 5th grade report cards.

District 23 (Ocean Hill-Brownsville, Brooklyn)
District office, 718-922-4794 ext. 240; local enrollment office, 718- 348-2929
Gifted programs begin in kindergarten at PS 41 and PS 156. A program at IS 392 begins in 5th grade.

District 24 (Glendale-Middle Village, Queens)
District office, 718-592-3357; local enrollment office, 718-391-8386
District 24's gifted and talented programs, called Beacon programs, are located at PS 153, PS 16, and PS 91.

Middle school gifted programs started in 2007 at IS 61 and IS 119. Sixth graders from the PS 153 gifted program moved into 7th grade at 119.

District 25 (Whitestone, Queens)
District office, 718-281-7605/7625; local enrollment office, 718-281-3791
District 25's magnet program for gifted children is called ALPHA. It is located at PS 165 and PS 209. District 25 middle schools offer honors classes.

District 26 (Bayside, Queens)
District office, 718-631-6900; local enrollment office, 718-281-3791
District 26 has two district-wide elementary school gifted programs located at PS 18 and PS 188.

PS/MS 266 selects students by lottery, and separates gifted students at grades 7-8. MS 158 has an SP class and a gifted magnet for kids from the PS 188 gifted program. MS 67 has the same for those who were in the PS 18 gifted program. MS 172 has honors program.

District 27 (Richmond Hill-Howard Beach, Queens)
District office, 718-642-5861/577; local enrollment office, 718-348-2929
District 27's gifted program is called Astre. Assignment is based on the child's address, with priority given to students zoned for a school, but the program is open district-wide. The program begins in kindergarten at PS 106, 108, 124, 183, 223, and 232. It begins in 2nd grade at PS 56.

For middle school, Scholars Academy in Rockaway, serves all District 27 students that meet criteria. Students are interviewed and asked to produce a writing and math sample.

District 28 (Forest Hills-Jamaica, Queens)
District office, 718-557-2662/2618; local enrollment office, 718-557-2774
In the fall of 2007, two schools in District 28 started gifted programs. PS 50 and PS 99 will add one grade each year until they serve students in grades 1 through 5.

District 29 (Southeast Queens)
District office, 718-341-8280 xt 1121; local enrollment office, 718-557-2774
In the fall of 2007, two schools, PS 176 and PS 195, started gifted programs. They will add one grade each year until they serve students in grades 1 through 5. All middle schools have an honors class in each grade.

District 30 (Astoria, Queens)
District office, 718-391-8261; local enrollment office, 718- 391-8386
There are two district-wide gifted programs in the elementary schools. The program at PS 122 begins in 2nd grade and the TAG program at PS 150 begins in 1st grade. Graduates of the gifted programs are automatically admitted to The Academy Program, a selective middle school at PS 122.

District 31 (Staten Island)
District office, 718-420-5645; local enrollment office,718-420-5629
The Sage program for gifted students is located at PS 31, PS 50 and PS 69.

District 32 (Bushwick, Brooklyn)
District office, 718-574-7100 ext. 367; local enrollment office, 718-391-8386
A district-wide program at PS 376 begins in 1st grade. A highly selective middle school, Philippa Schuyler, is open to students citywide. (See our review for more information) Entrance exams are given on several Saturdays from January to March.


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