The Colonial School District announced Friday that it will redesign its three middle schools around special themes.
George Read will offer instruction in Agriculture, Culinary and Business, McCullough will focus on STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Art and Math) courses, and Gunning Bedford will be the home of the visual arts and media program.
Students interested in a specific program will be able to attend the corresponding school, rather than automatically go the school in the feeder pattern based on their residence.
Superintendent Dr. Dusty Blakey says part of the motivation for the change is to stay competitive with charter schools, which are luring some kids from the district.
"It’s about really kind of reinvigorating the educational system in our community, and really kind of linking our educational system to job opportunities and educational opportunities in our area," said Blakey.
He added that the change is also about giving incoming middle school kids more options.
"So then they would decide, begin to decide, early on what their career pathways may be, and then they align directly to the high school."
The middle school redesign was inspired by the success of restructuring William Penn High School in 2011 to include 19 college and career degree programs.