Admissions

Please join us for the virtual  Anderson Open House  on January 16, 2025 from 6-7 pm . See box below for Zoom link.

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*The Anderson School does not enroll new students into grades 4 or 5.

All admissions decisions are made by the Department of Education. Anderson does not have a direct role in this process.

For questions other than waitlist position, please contact the Community Coordinator, Donna Smiley,  dsmiley@schools.nyc.gov.

FAQs: (updated January 2025)

1. What is the Anderson School? Anderson is a citywide accelerated school and students living in all five boroughs may apply through the NYC Public Schools (NYCPS) Gifted & Talented admissions application in MySchools. The school’s curriculum is guided by New York State and City standards but is accelerated and enriched by one year by the Anderson team. It is co-located in the O’Shea Complex with Dual Language Middle School and The Computer School.
2. What is the difference between Anderson and local district Gifted & Talented Programs? District G&T programs offer a curriculum that is academically enriched and draw students from the local district only. Anderson’s program is accelerated as well as enriched for all students.
3. How large is Anderson? In Fall 2025, we expect to have 520 students in grades K-8, with two classes per grade. Kindergarten classes are capped at 25 students. In addition to the main teacher, there is an assistant teacher in Kindergarten classrooms.
4. What are the school’s hours? The school’s hours are 8:15 AM - 2:35 PM. Students may arrive for a free breakfast between 7:45 - 7:55 AM.
5. What are the specials? Specials offered are Art, Music, P.E., Science, Spanish (K-4, exposure program; 5-8, core subject), Enrichment electives (K-8), advisory/health (5-8), Library. Also: Artist-in-residence (1-2), Chess (K-3), STEM/Lego Robotics Lab (1-4), Law (5), Advisory (4-8), field trips (K-8), student council (6-8). Music specifics: Music/dance (K-1); singing, theory; composition; recorder (2-3); guitar (7-8); band (4-8, clarinet, flute, sax, trumpet, trombone, piano, percussion); chorus (6-8); rock band (6-8).
6. What are some enrichments? We visit or have affiliations with: MOMA, Met Museum, AMNH, Symphony Space, MoMath, Metropolitan Debate League, NY Math League, Clearwater, El Museo del Barrio, N-Y Historical, Van Cortlandt Manor, Theaterworks, and Museum of the City of New York. Students participate in national competitions including: Wordmasters, MathCounts, Noetic Math, National Geographic Bee, Scripps Spelling Bee, Quiz Bowl, the international AMC 8, and Math Kangaroo competitions.
7. Any other unique features? Cardiovascular fitness/wellness classroom, mindfulness classroom, large schoolyard, playground climbing structure, library media center, art studio, SmartBoard in each classroom, laptop/iPad carts for classrooms, lateral climbing wall, recycling/composting program, STEM room, new cafeteria.
8. Are there any after-school programs? Arts and Athletics is our K-5 afterschool provider, with academic, athletic, and arts classes. They have a moderate fee structure and offer some scholarships. The program begins when school ends and runs until 5:45 PM. NY Scholastic Chess Club provides afterschool chess instruction and team coaching for tournaments, also for a moderate fee. Anderson offers for free: academic support (3-8), seasonal elementary track programs (3-5), annual musical (6-8), 15 sports teams (6-8, boy, girl, co-ed, JV) and clubs (6-8, math, debate, and FLL robotics).
9. Is busing provided? It depends. The NYCPS arranges yellow bus service to Anderson only in certain areas of Manhattan. Students’ grade, distance eligibility, and route length limitations apply for bus service, or parents may opt for their child to receive an OMNY card. Students living beyond yellow bus service receive OMNY cards automatically.
10. What role do parents play? Our parents are an integral part of Anderson’s success. They serve on the School Leadership Team (SLT), on the PTA, as Lunchtime Leaders and in many other roles. They volunteer at open houses for prospective parents and help organize community-building events. They also hold fundraisers – an auction, movie nights and more.
11. Are gender, diversity, or home address considerations in the admissions process? The NYCPS determines who is offered seats. Siblings of current students are given first priority in kindergarten – 3^rd grade. In kindergarten there is also a priority for students in areas of northern Manhattan and the South Bronx.
12. What happens after 5^th grade? All Anderson 5^th graders who are in good academic standing may choose to continue at Anderson Middle School through 8^th grade. We are proud that the vast majority of our 8^th graders have consistently received offers from their top choice high schools, including specialized public high schools (Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, LaGuardia Arts, American Studies at Lehman College, and MSE at City College) and desirable, high performing local schools including Beacon, Bard Early College HS, Eleanor Roosevelt, Millennium, Nest + M, Townsend Harris and Upper Lab. In addition, students have been accepted at private schools such as Trinity, Brearley, Dalton, Fieldston, Horace Mann, Nightingale, Regis, Spence, and boarding schools.  We have a full-time guidance counselor who helps families with high school articulation.

Questions?  Donna Smiley, Admissions: DSmiley@schools.nyc.gov or Ana Crenovich, Parent Coordinator: ACrenovich@schools.nyc.gov   1/7/25