(The Lion)–Parents in New York City are increasingly turning to private education after Mayor Zohran Mamdani backed plans to eliminate the city’s gifted program for kindergarten students in public schools.
The proposal has already increased competition at elite private schools across Manhattan as families search for alternatives to the changing public school system. Admissions consultants say demand has spiked as parents worry about the direction of city education policy.
Brooke Parker, a consultant who works with families applying to kindergarten and nursery schools, said applications “across the board were up 25%” this year, adding that political concerns about the future of public schools have contributed to the surge.
“People who were considering public school were very nervous about Mamdani winning,” Parker said.
Mamdani campaigned on eliminating the gifted and talented program for kindergarten students. The plan follows a policy first introduced by former Mayor Bill de Blasio that would phase out the program in early grades. Students already enrolled may remain in the program, but incoming kindergarten students will lose access starting this fall.
The program has long offered accelerated instruction to a small group of students in the country’s largest public school system.
Critics argue the policy eliminates an important pathway for academically advanced students. Danyela Souza, vice president of Community Education Council 2 in Manhattan, said the change could drive families away from the public school system.
“Mamdani is eliminating opportunities for low- and middle-income students to access an advanced education,” Souza said. “He’s taking away opportunities from families who are not as fortunate as his family. It’s going to accelerate families leaving the city public school system.”
Alina Adams, an admissions consultant who helps families during the private school process, said recent policy changes have increased the rush toward private education.
“Public school policies added to the application glut,” Adams said, adding that new class-size mandates could cause students to attend schools outside their neighborhoods.
“You used to be able to buy your way into a good school by buying a home in a good school zone,” Adams said. “Now people are really concerned that they will be zoned out even of their zoned schools.”
When government-run schools narrow academic pathways, many parents seek alternatives where their children can still receive rigorous instruction. As public school policies shift, many parents appear unwilling to wait and see how the changes impact their children’s education.
