Boost for Catholic ed..

Enrollment at Catholic elementary schools in Brooklyn and Queens grew for the first time in a decade as parents seek alternatives to remote learning and the city scraps its Gifted and Talented program.

Enrollment for the current school year increased by 2.4 percent after a decade of decline, according to the Diocese of Brooklyn.

New York’s parochial schools fully reopened more or less a full year ahead of schools run by the city Department of Education, which have seen a steep enrollment and attendance drop.

“The families that came to us last year, stayed with us,” Dr. Thomas Chadzutko, superintendent of the Diocese of Brooklyn’s

Parents gather at City Hall on Thursday to protest Mayor de Blasio’s dismantling of the city’s Gifted and Talented programs — a boon for parochial schools. schools, told The Post in an interview. “This is a positive time for Catholic education within the diocese . . . It is an alternative for families.”

Most notably, the diocese reported a 20 percent increase in prekindergarten enrollment. Chadzutko said he’s aiming to retain 50 percent to 70 percent of those new pre-K kids.

Asked about Gifted and Talented, Chadzutko said: “We’re not going to go out there and bash. But we do have these options,” referring to accelerated classes, after-school enrichment, and similar programs.

The larger Archdiocese of New York also reported a spike in interest, though the exact growth rate wasn’t available.