Ground broken on multi-million-dollar state-of-the-art high school in Gulf Shores

GULF SHORES, Ala. (WKRG) — Corn and soybean used to be grown in a field just off the Foley Beach Express near the intersection of Coastal Gateway Boulevard. Nine years ago the city of Gulf Shores started planning for something bigger and in a couple of years the futures of Gulf Shores High School students will be cultivated here.

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They are calling it the dawn of a new era in education in Gulf Shores

“It’s going to be amazing,” said 6th grader Liam Walker. “It looks like a college.”

“The school kind of reminds me of an airport,” added Lewis Kakish.

Sixth grader Luna Collum can’t wait to attend class in the new facility. “This school is going to be very cool and it is so interesting how modern it is.”

The site work has been underway for about a year. The official groundbreaking on Friday was more of a celebration of what’s to come. “It’s got me kind of emotional,” said Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft. “It’s been such a dream and such an opportunity for us to do something for our families and our kids.”

“The bio-medical center I think is going to be something new and it’s going to be quite cool,” said 6th grader Madison Young who attended the groundbreaking.

“There’s going to be something for everybody for sure,” added her classmate Jocelyn Plash.

Education officials toured the country to find the best of the best ideas including more collaborative space rather than classrooms, state of the art athletic and fine arts facilities. “This facility is going to set the tone for everything we do because it’s not just designed to hold a certain number of students it’s designed to be able to teach and learn in the ways we think are important,” said Superintendent Matt Akin.

The land that once grew soybeans will soon help create scholars starting in Fall 2026.

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