$170 million Gulf Shores High School opens in Alabama

The 287,000-square-foot campus serves a growing Gulf Shores City Schools district with specialized career labs, flexible learning spaces, a 753-seat performing arts center, and outdoor learning integrated into its coastal setting.
Aug. 25, 2026
2 min read
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Key Highlights

  • Gulf Shores City Schools has opened its new $170 million, 287,000-square-foot Gulf Shores High School in Gulf Shores, Ala.
  • The two-story school sits on a 200-acre site with natural wetlands and is designed to accommodate up to 1,800 students.
  • Specialized spaces include biotech, aviation, engineering, culinary, marine biology, and other career-focused learning environments.
  • The campus includes 28 classrooms, 11 collaborative learning areas, five science labs, two art studios, and dedicated choir and band spaces.
  • A 753-seat performing arts center, athletics facilities, and outdoor learning areas extend the campus beyond its core academic spaces.
Courtesy of Rabren General Contractors and Hanssen Glas
Rendering of exterior of new Gulf Shores High School.

This August, Gulf Shores City Schools welcomed its first group of students to its new $170 million high school, which was built to accommodate growth while connecting academic and career-focused learning to the Alabama Gulf Coast.

Designed by DLR Group in partnership with Goodwyn Mills Cawood, the two-story, 287,000-square-foot facility can accommodate up to 1,800 students. The new high school opened its doors this month following a planning and design process that dates to the district’s creation in 2019 when it began operating independently after separating from Baldwin County Public Schools. The new campus grew out of a community planning effort that began several years earlier.

Situated on a 200-acre site that includes natural wetlands, the design incorporates coastal materials, blue hues, broad overhangs, curved forms, and extensive glazing intended to bring daylight into learning spaces.

The academic program includes 28 traditional classrooms, 11 collaborative learning areas, five science labs, two art studios, and dedicated spaces for choir and band. Specialized programs extend into biomedical science, marine biology, engineering, culinary arts, finance, aviation, and other career-focused fields.

Specialized spaces support hands-on learning

Why it matters

Gulf Shores used the new-school project to address more than enrollment growth; it tied facility planning to career education, flexible instruction, arts and athletics, and the surrounding coastal environment. For other districts planning large replacement or expansion projects, the campus demonstrates how specialized programs and local resources can influence the building program from the outset rather than being added later.

The district’s current description of the campus emphasizes hands-on career and technical education. In addition to biotech and aviation labs, the school includes a 4,250-square-foot engineering lab, an industry-grade music production lab, and a culinary laboratory designed for applied learning.

Outdoor learning areas are integrated into the wetland property and support the school’s connection to Gulf Coast ecology. Marine biology is among the advanced programs offered on campus, allowing the site itself to become part of the educational environment.

The campus also includes a 753-seat performing arts center for school and community events. Athletics facilities include competition-size gymnasiums, training spaces, an 18,000-square-foot field house, and a covered 110-yard practice pavilion.

The district says the school’s design was developed through more than two years of planning that included visits to schools around the country and input from teachers, students, parents, city officials, and other community stakeholders.

Goodwyn Mills Cawood Regional Vice President Gary Owen said in a press release:

“Building communities is at the heart of everything we do, and exceptional schools are essential to creating places where people thrive. We are honored to celebrate the opening of a campus that will inspire learning, foster opportunity, and empower generations of students to find their passions and shape their futures.”

This piece was created with the help of generative AI tools and edited by our content team for clarity and accuracy.
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