The Bronx needs a citywide Kindergarten through 8th grade school for accelerated learners now.  Hundreds of children are underserved in the Bronx each year; they qualify for a gifted and talented citywide school but do not have one in their borough. 

This situation is unfair to Bronx children for many reasons:

• A citywide school offers a focused and enriched curriculum to meet the needs of accelerated students.
  
  
• In order to get the education their K – 8th grade children need, Bronx parents are forced to send their children to another borough.  As the DOE does not provide cross-borough transportation, this often means parents pay thousands of dollars for private busing. 
  
  
• Bronx children deserve equity with other boroughs. Currently, Manhattan has three citywide K – 8 Gifted and Talented schools and Queens and Brooklyn each have one.
  
  
• Children from all backgrounds deserve the best education possible.  The Bronx has the highest poverty rate in the five boroughs. Currently, 13% of students at Bronx Science are from the Bronx.   A Bronx citywide school could help more Bronx children feed into Specialized High Schools.