Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Alabama K–12 District Breaks Ground on New High School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/30/24

Gulf Shores City Schools in Gulf Shores, Ala., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Gulf Shores High School, according to a news release. The facility will cover 287,000 square feet and has a scheduled opening date of fall 2026. The district and the City of Gulf Shores partnered with Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC) and DLR Group for the project’s design, Rabren General Contractors for construction, and Volkert, Inc. as program manager.

The new school will offer specialized lab spaces for biomedical research, marine biology, finance, and culinary arts; as well as spaces for the arts, music, and broadcasting. Other features will include collaboration spaces, a media center with a maker space and video production studio, and an outdoor learning courtyard.

On the athletics side, the school will get competition-sized gymnasiums, training rooms and locker rooms, a weight room, and a full-length covered practice facility.

“The new Gulf Shores High School is more than just a building; it’s a testament to our community’s commitment to excellence in education,” said Gulf Shores City Schools Superintendent Matt Akin. “This state-of-the-art facility will provide our students with unparalleled opportunities to learn, grow, and discover their potential.”

The facility’s design evokes its coastal backdrop, featuring blue tones and detailing that resembles the Gulf shoreline. Large glass panels and tall windows add natural daylight to as much of the facility as possible.

“The collective dedication of our educators, passionate community members, and forward-thinking leaders has shaped the vision for our new Gulf Shores High School,” said Gulf Shores City Schools Board of Education President Kevin Corcoran. “This school will be a hub of innovation, a center for excellence, and shape the future for generations to come.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Cleveland High School Breaks Ground on Modernization

    Portland Public Schools in Portland, Ore., recently announced that construction has begun on a modernization project for Cleveland High School, according to a news release. The existing building will be replaced with a new, 300,000-square-foot facility at the same site.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • Minnesota District Opens New PreK–12 School

    Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Schools in Gibbon, Minn., recently announced that construction is complete on a new, $68.9-million school for students in grades PreK–12, according to a news release.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.