The S.T.E.M. Citywide Gifted Academy at PS 85 serves students living in any of the five boroughs of New York City (Click here for our brochure).

Open Houses: For parents/guardians of eligible students who scored on or above the 97th %ile.  Proof will be required to attend the Open Houses.

Application Process: Admissions for all New York City Gifted & Talented (G&T) programs and schools, including STEM, are coordinated by the New York City Department of Education (DOE). Each fall, the DOE announces what the timeline and procedures will be that year for testing, deadlines, applications and placement notification. The DOE administers the Otis-Lennon School-Age Ability Test (OLSAT) and Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA) free of charge to determine G&T placement for Kindergarten - 3rd grades. Please visit this page on the DOE's website to view their G&T application timeline.

Applications: The DOE will notify you of your child's test result. If your child achieves a total percentile score in the 90th percentile or higher, then the DOE will send you an letter listing your local school district's G&T programs and schools, you will rank your choices and return it to the DOE. If your child achieves a total percentile score in the 97th percentile or higher, then the letter the DOE sends you will include all district's G&T programs and all the city-wide programs including the STEM program at PS85Q for grades K-2.  You will rank all your choices, district and city-wide, in your order of preference and return it to the DOE. Please rank only the schools to which you would actually send your child! You are not penalized in any way for ranking one school above another.

Transportation is available to students in accordance with the eligibility guidelines of the OPT

Please Note: Admission to a gifted and talented program or school does not guarantee a student yellow bus transportation. Eligibility for yellow bus transportation for general education students attending gifted and talented schools and programs is based on the same criteria that apply to public school general education students as indicated above. Students attending a citywide gifted and talented school  are eligible for busing if they live in the same borough, and the route, as measured by bus stops, is no longer than five miles.