New York City Mayor Zorah Mamdani, who took office in January 2026, has announced his intention to eliminate the city's Gifted and Talented program for kindergarten students, a move that is sparking fierce pushback from education advocates and experts who argue it will harm low-income and high-achieving students.
Under Mamdani's proposal, kindergarteners would no longer be able to enter the city's accelerated learning program beginning in the upcoming school year. Students currently enrolled in kindergarten gifted classes would remain in the program through the 2025-2026 school year.
The plan would allow students to begin the gifted program starting in third grade instead. Mamdani has stated that his administration aims to ensure all children receive high-quality early education that nurtures their curiosity and learning, according to Fox News.
Education Experts Raise Concerns
The mayor's plan revives the education agenda of former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who proposed phasing out the kindergarten gifted program in 2021. That initiative was reversed when Mayor Eric Adams took office and expanded gifted programs citywide.
Education experts and advocacy groups are sharply criticizing the proposal. Sarah Parshall Perry, vice president and legal fellow at Defending Education, a national education watchdog group, told Fox News Digital that Mamdani's plan contradicts what courts have upheld.
Read more: Universal Child Care: New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani's Plans for Taking Care of Kids
"The Court of Appeals rightly concluded that the role of the judiciary is not to make education policy," Perry said, noting the program complies with state education law and equal protection requirements.
Perry also called the plan hypocritical, pointing out that Mamdani attended expensive private schools while proposing to remove opportunities from working-class and middle-class families. "Depriving kids of much-needed advanced learning opportunities is not only foolhardy, but it's also the height of hypocrisy," she said.
Concerns About Equity and School Enrollment
GiftedNYS, an organization advocating for gifted education, argues that eliminating the program would worsen disparities rather than address them. The group points to data showing that Black, Latino, and Native American students remain underrepresented in gifted programs even as they comprise a significant portion of the city's public school population, Gifted NYS reported.
Opponents of Mamdani's plan worry it could trigger an exodus of families from the city's public school system, particularly middle-class parents seeking advanced academic opportunities for their children. They contend that gifted programs have historically provided pathways for bright students from low-income backgrounds to access accelerated education.
Supporters of the plan argue that kindergarten testing contributes to segregation within schools, as gifted classes often enroll disproportionately high numbers of white and Asian students compared to the broader student population, as per the New York Times.
