The Baldwin County school board was set to consider a $15 million funding package covering an Eastern Shore transportation facility and the first phase of site work for a new school along Highway 181 in the fast-growing Belforest area.
The proposed school would sit on roughly 106 acres the district bought in early 2023 for $3.1 million — about $30,000 per acre. The property is bordered by Corte Road on its southern edge and by the Bellaton neighborhood. At the time of the purchase, school system officials described the land as a forward-looking investment rather than a project with firm plans, citing extraordinary growth across Baldwin County.
Growth Pressures on the Eastern Shore
Any new campus would relieve pressure on nearby Belforest Elementary School, which opened in 2020 with a capacity of 2,000 students at an estimated bid cost of $19.8 million. State education figures list Belforest Elementary’s 2023-24 enrollment at 1,072 students, and the new site lies just 2.5 miles from that campus.
The Baldwin County school system has not yet released detailed plans or a timeline for the new school. The funding under consideration also includes money for a transportation facility serving the Eastern Shore, where rapid residential development has strained school infrastructure in communities such as Daphne and the surrounding county.