New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has proposed ending kindergarten Gifted and Talented admissions and delaying entry until third grade, sparking pushback from education advocates. Defending Education warns the change could strip advanced learning opportunities from high‑achieving, low‑income students and undo prior legal victories. The mayor’s office says it opposes testing five‑year‑olds but plans to pursue rigorous instruction for all students instead of early separation. Supporters and critics disagree on whether the proposal will reduce inequities or harm top performers.
Experts Say Mamdani Proposal To End K Gifted Program Could Harm High‑Achieving, Low‑Income Students
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to end the city’s Gifted and Talented program for kindergarten students and delay entry until third grade.(Getty Images)
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has proposed ending kindergarten admissions to the city’s Gifted and Talented (G&T) program and delaying entry until third grade, a change that education advocates warn could remove important accelerated learning opportunities for high‑achieving students — particularly those from low‑income families.
Critics say the shift would substantially reduce early differentiated instruction in the nation’s largest school district. Supporters of preserving G&T programs point to previous legal victories that upheld the programs’ compliance with state law and equal‑protection requirements.
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Legal Backdrop and Reactions
Defending Education, a national education advocacy organization that previously litigated to preserve New York’s gifted programs, has been a leading voice opposing the mayor’s plan. Sarah Parshall Perry, Vice President and Legal Fellow at Defending Education, said the Court of Appeals “rightly concluded that the role of the judiciary is not to make education policy,” and argued the G&T program complied with state education law.
“Depriving kids of much‑needed advanced learning opportunities is not only foolhardy, but it is also the height of hypocrisy coming from someone who was born into affluence and attended costly private schools,” Perry told Fox News Digital, asserting that the mayor’s proposal could reverse gains made by talented students from modest backgrounds.
Paul Runko, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives for K‑12 Programs at Defending Education, emphasized the potential impact on working‑class families and warned that years of legal efforts to preserve accelerated learning could be undone if the policy moves forward.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was elected in November 2025 and sworn in as the city's first socialist mayor on Jan. 1, 2026.
Mayor’s Office Response
Mamdani’s office pushed back on the characterization that the administration is eliminating advanced learning opportunities across all grades. Officials told reporters they oppose administering gifted testing to five‑year‑olds but intend to focus on providing rigorous instruction to every student rather than separating children at an early age.
Supporters of the mayor’s approach argue that early selection can entrench inequities, while opponents contend that removing selective options does little to improve outcomes for struggling students and instead harms high performers who benefit from acceleration.
Political Context
The proposal drew criticism during Mamdani’s mayoral campaign and from editorial voices such as The Washington Post, which questioned how parents of bright children would have their needs met if early gifted programs are phased out in the name of equity.
As the debate continues, stakeholders on both sides say they want the public school system to deliver excellent outcomes — the disagreement centers on whether early selective programs or districtwide instructional reforms best serve that goal.
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