Gifted & Talented programs offer accelerated instruction to eligible elementary school students in New York City.
Program Application Deadlines
For Children Interested in Kindergarten G&T Programs in Fall 2026
Here are some key dates:
- Tuesday, December 9, 2025: Kindergarten Application Opens
- Friday, January 23, 2026: Kindergarten Application Closes
- Tuesday, March 31, 2026: Kindergarten Offer Release
If you applied for Fall 2025 admissions and were eligible you can add yourself to additional G&T waitlist, otherwise you will not be able to apply late via the waitlist. Waitlist close September 19, that is the last day to receive a waitlist offer for Fall 2025.
For Children Interested in Grades 1, 2, 3, or 4 G&T Programs in Fall 2026
Here are some key dates:
- Tuesday, April 21, 2026: G&T Upper Grade Application Opens
- Friday, May 8, 2026: G&T Upper Grade Application Closes
- Thursday, June 11, 2026: G&T Upper Grade Offer Release
For families who applied for Fall 2025 admissions, you can view your results using MySchools.nyc. Waitlist are also available for eligible families. If you are eligible you will be able to add yourself to additional G&T waitlist.
Families of students attending private, charter, or home school who missed the deadline may email ESEnrollment@schools.nyc.gov with their child's report card grade by September 12th if they are interested in being added to the waitlist of grade 1-4 G&T programs. The report card will be reviewed and evaluated and if eligible, the family may add their child to waitlists of programs of interest.
Waitlist for Fall 2025 admissions close September 19th, that is the last day to receive a waitlist offer for Fall 2025.
Sign up for updates about the 2026 Gifted and Talented admissions process.
G&T Admissions for Children Entering Kindergarten in Fall 2026
This process is for kindergarten G&T programs. If you list G&T programs on your application, eligibility will be determined after you apply. Students will be considered for eligibility based on behaviors that may indicate readiness for accelerated learning.
Eligibility Process
This varies a bit depending on where (and whether) a child currently attends pre-K.
- For current pre-K students at DOE/district schools, Pre-K Centers, NYC Early Education Centers (NYCEECs), or charter schools:
- Anyone who adds a G&T program to their kindergarten application will be evaluated by their current pre-K teachers.
- For current pre-K students at private or parochial school programs, or for children who are not yet in school:
- Interested families apply by listing a G&T program on their kindergarten application.
- After the application closes, DOE's Division of Early Childhood Education contacts applicants to set up interviews.
- Then, interviews take place.
- Based on these interviews, early childhood education experts nominate eligible applicants for G&T admissions.
As teachers consider a student's readiness for accelerated learning, they are asked to consider how learning behaviors might be demonstrated and/or be presented based on each child’s unique developmental trajectory by thinking about:
- the entire year’s learning experience with each individual child;
- each individual child holistically;
- each child from a strengths-based perspective;
- observed behaviors that may occur more than once (consider a wide range of observations and not a minimum/maximum number);
- the various and many ways children express what they know and are able to do;
- The end-of-year expectations as outlined in The New York State PreKindergarten Learning standards.
In addition, teachers are asked to consider the DOE’s policy of ensuring equal education for all students without regard to their actual or perceived race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship/immigration status, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or weight.
Teacher/Program Nomination Form contains three sections. Teachers are asked to use authentic assessment data collected throughout the 2023-24 school year, to check the behaviors a child demonstrates. Children do not need to display behaviors in each category to demonstrate readiness for accelerated learning.
Section One: Curiosity and Initiative
What is developmentally appropriate?
Young children naturally seek meaning. A child’s curiosity is driven by their need to understand their experiences and interests. Young children’s intent to make sense of what they observe and experience is typically evidenced by their questioning and communicating with us about their observations. Young children find ways to understand their experiences and explain the phenomena they notice. Their curiosity helps them to explore their thinking about the world around them.
Throughout the early years, children’s curiosity prompts exploration and experimentation. Children who are highly curious take it upon themselves to learn more – by mimicking, questioning – about whatever has piqued their interest. Research shows, in fact, that self-initiated activity “makes it possible for young children to be involved in intrinsically interesting experiences that help them to construct understandings of their world, remain focused during activity, and develop a love for learning.”
Behaviors teachers are looking for:
- Is curious about new experiences, information, activities, and/or people
- Asks questions and communicates about the environment, people, events, and/or everyday experiences in and out of the classroom
- Creatively expresses ideas verbally and non-verbally
- Enjoys expressive language - plays with words and asks about the meaning of words
- Investigates areas of interest
- Knows or remembers a lot of information about a particular topic, usually one of interest
- Pays attention to specific details
- Offers unique responses, ideas or solutions
- Asks questions that promote further inquiry
- Seeks opportunities to challenge and extend learning
Section Two: Approaches to Learning
What is developmentally appropriate?
Young children love to express themselves and engage in creative activities such as dance, music, as well as imaginative and creative play. Play is child’s approach to learning. It is through the act of play that children explore, discover, and develop their sense of self and others. Play is the vehicle for children’s sense-making, inquiry, experimentation, and self-initiated acquisition of knowledge.
Behaviors teachers are looking for:
- Communicates stories and/or events with detail in home language and/or non-verbally
- Exhibits a sense of accomplishment when solving a problem or completion of a task
- Manipulate objects and materials in novel ways
- Identifies problems easily and finds creative ways to solve
- Figures out why and how things work
- Willing to take risks and experiments
- Shows persistence and interest in working through a problem or challenge
- Experiments with a variety of materials to demonstrate artistic expression e.g. music, dance, drawing, painting, creating
- Becomes absorbed in topics, tasks, and activities
- Learns and connects new information and skills easily and with little practice
Section Three: Perceptiveness and Self Direction
What is developmentally appropriate?
For young children, learning is a social event. While children can play and engage in solitary learning experiences, all children benefit from positive social interactions that support their growth and learning. Positive relationships and interactions with adults and peers impact children’s overall development and progress.
Behaviors teachers are looking for:
- Goal orientated and is self-directed
- Communicates in a variety of ways about how to do things with other children and/or adults
- Demonstrates pro-social problem-solving skills
- Helps others & shows a sense of empathy
- Refuses to do something when the purpose behind the task is unclear or not explained
- Understands and communicates about their unique self, e.g. interests, favorites, identities
- Holds high expectations for self and/or others
- Displays strong sense of justice
- Displays leadership and guides others
- Follows through with plans and decisions
How Kindergarten G&T Offers Are Made
- After all applications are submitted and eligibility is determined, all eligible applicants are considered for offers.
- Offers are determined based on families' application choices, seat availability, and admissions priorities. All G&T programs give an admissions priority to siblings of current students. Some programs also give a priority to applicants who live in a specific district
- Due to limited seats, not all eligible applicants will be made offers.
- Eligible applicants may be placed on programs waitlists if seats are not available.
- All kindergarten applicants who apply by the deadline will receive a results letter in spring 2026. This offer may be to a Gifted and Talented program or another kindergarten program.
Eligibility
- For current Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders in NYC public schools
- Students are considered eligible if they satisfy the following grade requirements on their most recently available report card. Once a child is deemed eligible, there is no ranking within eligible students based on differences in course grades.
- Have course grades of a 3 or 4, or the equivalent, on their report card in Math, Reading and Writing.
- Cannot have had a 1 in any marking period in Math, Reading, Writing, Social Studies and Science in the current school year. Eligible students will receive notification either by email or mail.
- Current students in district G&T programs can only apply to Citywide G&T programs, not other district programs. Current students in citywide G&T programs are not eligible to apply to any other programs and DO NOT have to reapply to remain at their current program for the upcoming school year.
- For current Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders in charter, private or parochial schools
- In order to determine your child's eligibility, you must:
- Submit your child's report card grades to a Family Welcome Center.
- After review of your child's report grades, you will be notified of the eligibility determination within 2 business days. If your child is eligible, you will be provided with instructions about how to apply.
- NYC Public Schools will determine eligibility based on converting your child's grades to a 4-point scale.
| Original Grade | Conversion to a 1-4 G&T eligibility grading scale* |
|---|
| 1 to 64 | 1 |
| 65 to 79 | 2 |
| 80-89 | 3 |
| 90-100 | 4 |
| 1-, 1, 1+ | 1 |
| 2-, 2, 2+ | 2 |
| 3-, 3, 3+ | 3 |
| 4-, 4, 4+ | 4 |
| A-, A, A+ | 4 |
| B-, B, B+ | 3 |
| C, C-, C+ | 2 |
| D-, D, D+ | 2 |
| F | 1 |
| E-, E, E+ | 4 |
| G-, G, G+, S+ | 3 |
| N, N+, S-, S | 2 |
| N-, U | 1 |
| NS | 1 |
| MA, ME | 4 |
| MT | 3 |
| MP | 2 |
| MB | 1 |
*Updated 4/26/2024
- For current Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders in Homeschool
- Email ESenrollment@schools.nyc.gov with your child's name, date of birth, current grade, and phone number in the spring.
- Our team will contact you directly to discuss your child's academics in Math, Reading, Writing, Social Studies and Science to determine eligibility.
- You will be notified of the eligibility determination. If your child is eligible, you will be provided with instructions about how to apply.
How Grade 1-4 G&T Offers Are Made
- Eligibility to apply to G&T programs does not guarantee a G&T seat. Offers for eligible applicants will be determined based on families' application choices, programs' seat availability, and admissions priorities.
- All G&T programs give priority to siblings of current students enrolled or pre-registered for Fall 2026. Some programs also give priority to children who live in a specific district; however, G&T programs do not give priority to zoned families. Some programs also offer Diversity In Admissions initiatives. Individual program priorities are listed in the MySchools directory.
- All applicants will receive a results letter, but due to limited seats, not all eligible applicants will receive an offer to a G&T program. Families who receive offers will have the opportunity to accept or decline any offer that they receive.
- Families with eligible students will be able to add themselves to additional waitlists of G&T programs if desired
Appeals Process for G&T Eligibility Determination
New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) works hard to ensure that the G&T eligibility process is administered in a fair, consistent manner to all students.
If, however, you dispute the results of your child’s eligibility determination, you must raise that concern as an appeal to us. You may submit your appeal in one of the following ways:
- Email us at DECEGT@schools.nyc.gov (rising kindergarteners); ESEnrollment@schools.nyc.gov (rising students in grades 1-4)
- Send a letter to: Gifted & Talented Admissions Room 414 52 Chambers Street New York, NY 10007
This email or letter must be sent to us no later than five school days after receiving your child’s eligibility notification in your offer letter, and should include your child’s name and date of birth, as well as the following:
- A description of the circumstance that led you to appeal the eligibility determination.
- Your preferred method for return communication (such as your phone number and/or email address)
After we receive your appeal:
- NYCPS will review the documentation and investigate the concerns raised in the appeal.
- NYCPS will contact you if further information is needed.
- NYCPS will make our best attempts to notify you of the result of the appeal within three weeks. You will get notification of the result via the email or phone number you provide in your initial appeal. If your appeal is upheld, you may be notified of additional next steps or that your child's eligibility status has changed.
If you have any questions regarding the G&T eligibility process, email us at DECEGT@schools.nyc.gov (rising kindergarteners); ESEnrollment@schools.nyc.gov (rising students in grades 1-4) or call us at 718-935-2009
Additional Remedy: If you are unsatisfied with our response to your appeal, you may appeal the New York City Public Schools’ decision to the Commissioner of the New York State Education Department as stated in New York Education Law Section 310. Learn how to pursue such an appeal on the Commissioner’s website at: counsel.nysed.gov/appeals.