UPDATE 12/10/2012: The information on this page will be updated in July or August of 2013, after the Department of Education releases its criteria, timeline and application for 4th and 5th grade admissions.

The Anderson School (P.S. 334) serves students living in any of the five boroughs of New York City. We are deeply committed to ethnic, economic, and social diversity.

Overview

Admissions for all New York City Gifted & Talented (G&T) programs and schools, including Anderson’s elementary grades, are coordinated by the New York City Department of Education (DOE). Individual G&T programs and schools do not have any involvement in the admissions process. 

Available seats in 4th and 5th grade G&T classes are usually very limited and the DOE gives preference to qualified siblings of current students. Placements for grade 5 will be made only in schools where 5th grade is not the terminating grade. In other words, the DOE will only place a 5th grader into a K-8 school such as Anderson, or a K-12 school.

If your child will be applying to a G&T program or school for grades 4 or 5, the process is different than it is for Kindergarten – 3rd grade. Since most students this age have already taken standardized tests, there is no need for the DOE to administer the OLSAT/BSRA standardized tests. Instead, the DOE uses the results of the New York State ELA and Math tests, or, if the student has not taken the New York State tests, they will accept the results of whatever standardized tests the student has taken, to determine placement.

If you are new to the NYC public schools (moving to NYC or switching from a NYC private school) please read this page before you continue!

• For students currently enrolled in a NYC public school:  The DOE has stipulated that applications may be submitted for a possible placement to a G&T program or school only by students who achieved a Level 4 on both the NYS ELA and Math tests, to demonstrate they perform at advanced levels and are exceeding standards.
  
• For students not currently enrolled in a NYC public school: Eligibility for upper elementary grades placement is established through a comprehensive review of student test scores that are comparable to New York State math and reading assessments. In the absence of state tests, parents must request from their child’s current school objective data that demonstrates advanced performance in reading and mathematics. The DOE does not accept recommendations from teachers or school staff.

Placements: The DOE will place any qualified siblings of current students in that school first. Eligible non-sibling applicants will be placed by lottery. The DOE will mail placement notifications in late September. To be clear, your child will begin the school year at their current school, and if he or she is offered a seat in a G&T classroom and you decide to accept that seat, he or she will have to move to the new classroom/school in late September or early October.

Transportation is available to students in accordance with the eligibility guidelines of the Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT) (see: Transportation to The Anderson School).