How to choose a gifted and talented program in New York City

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - April 16th, 2012

There’s a great article in DNAinfo.com written by Julie Shapiro where she outlines in-depth area by area in New York City and what to expect from the gifted and talented programs. Here are the schools that are mentioned

• Staten Island gifted and talented schools – Their options for kindergarten included gifted programs at P.S. 3 in Pleasant Plains, P.S. 29 in West Brighton, P.S. 50 in Oakwood and P.S. 69 in New Springville.

• Bronx gifted and talented schools – District 8’s P.S. 182, District 10’s P.S. 7 and P.S. 24 and District 11’s P.S. 121 and P.S. 153.
• Queens gifted and talented schools – STEM Academy in Astoria, one of five citywide gifted and talented schools.
• Brooklyn gifted and talented schools – The sought-after Brooklyn School of Inquiry, in Bensonhurst, a citywide gifted and talented program. District 15’s P.S. 230in Kensington, which has a rich progressive curriculum and a devoted group of parents, Szuflita said. Other popular programs include the gifted classes at District 13’s P.S. 9 in Prospect Heights and the brand-new gifted program at District 15’s P.S. 32 near Carroll Gardens.
• Harlem and Washington Heights gifted and talented schools –TAG Young Scholars in East Harlem is one of the most diverse of the five citywide gifted schools, drawing many of its students from the surrounding neighborhood and The Bronx.
  Harlem’s District 4 also has a new district gifted program at P.S. 102 on East 113th Street, which started with just kindergartners last year. The neighboring District 5 has a gifted program at P.S. 129 on West 130th Street. District 6 has a gifted program at P.S. 153 at Amsterdam Avenue and West 147th Street. Washington Heights and Inwood no longer have any gifted and talented programs, now that the one at P.S. 98 on West 212th Street has phased out, but Upper Manhattan residents can still apply to the District 6 program at P.S. 153.
• Upper East Side P.S./I.S. 217 on Roosevelt Island also has a District 2 gifted and talented program. P.S. 198, a local zoned elementary school that started offering its own gifted program in 2010. Lower Lab School is one of the most highly regarded gifted and talented programs in District 2.
• Upper West Side – Anderson School, one of the most competitive gifted and talented programs in the city.  District 3 also has several district gifted and talented programs, at P.S. 163 on West 97th Street, P.S. 165 on West 109th Street and P.S. 166 on West 89th Street.
• Murray Hill and Gramercy gifted and talented schools – The city is phasing out the formerly popular gifted and talented program at P.S. 116 in Kips Bay, leaving neighborhoods from Gramercy up through Midtown East without any local options for gifted kids.
• Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen gifted and talented schools –P.S. 11 on West 21st Street and another at  P.S. 33 at Ninth Avenue and West 26th Street.
• Lower East Side and East Village gifted and talented schools P.S. 124, 40 Division St., also offers a traditional gifted and talented curriculum, P.S. 130, 143 Baxter St., is known for having uniforms and a traditional curriculum that pushes both gifted and talented, District 1, at  P.S. 110/Florence Nightingale, which is on the east end of Delancey Street under the Williamsburg Bridge. New Explorations Into Science, Technology and Math, one of the most sought-after of the five citywide gifted programs.
• Downtown, Greenwich Village and Soho gifted and talented schools – there are no G&T schools but the most popular and sought after general eduation schools are P.S. 89 in Battery Park City, P.S. 234 in Tribeca and P.S. 41 in the West Village (which has the longest wait list for kindergarten in New York City).