Fort Monroe’s rising third- through eighth-grade students may pass through the doors of a different school to begin the 2010-11 school year.

In February, the Hampton School Board approved consolidating and housing two existing gifted programs under one roof by reconfiguring two middle schools and closing an elementary-age gifted center.

Fort Monroe students that attend the Mary Peake Center gifted program for grades three through five, or Jones Magnet Middle School for grades six through eight, will attend C. Spratley next year.

Spratley, currently the zoned middle school for Fort Monroe, will be repurposed as a gifted center.

Combining the gifted programs and closing the Mary Peake Center was a response to financial cutbacks, said Charlie French, Fort Monroe school liaison officer. He considers it a win-win for both Hampton and Fort Monroe.

“It’s a positive move because it provides a greater opportunity for Fort Monroe students to attend desired schools.”

Benjamin Syms will become Fort Monroe’s zoned middle school next year.

The Excel Art Program and the Gifted Parent Resource Center will also be moved to Spratley.

For more information regarding the new school zonings, call Fort Monroe’s school liaison officer, Charlie French, at 788-4673.