LOXLEY, Ala. — Baldwin Preparatory Academy has won an international economic development award for the second year in a row, this time for its partnership with Coastal Alabama Community College that lets high school students earn free college credit and industry credentials before they graduate. The International Economic Development Council named the Loxley career-technical high school a Silver Award winner in its 2026 Excellence in Economic Development Awards.
The school, working with the Baldwin Alliance, Baldwin County’s economic development organization, was honored in the Postsecondary Education Partnership category for communities with populations between 200,000 and 500,000.
What the award recognizes
The award highlights the collaboration between Baldwin Prep and Coastal Alabama Community College, known as CACC, which gives teenagers direct access to college coursework, industry-recognized credentials and hands-on career training while they are still in high school. School leaders say the arrangement is intended to prepare the next generation of skilled workers and to strengthen Baldwin County’s workforce pipeline.
Under the partnership, the college provides:
- Dual-enrollment courses in both academic subjects and career-technical programs
- Instructional materials
- Laboratory resources
- Support for students working toward certifications
- Workforce engagement opportunities, including industry tours, field trips, networking and employer partnerships
Students do not pay for the college credit they earn, and the training they receive is designed to match the needs of employers in Baldwin County.
Results behind the recognition
The partnership operates at a significant scale. During the 2025-26 school year, 564 Baldwin Prep students took dual-enrollment courses through Coastal Alabama, and together they earned 106 industry credentials, according to figures the school released at the start of this year. That same year, the academy graduated its first class of students who had spent all three years of high school at Baldwin Prep.
This fall the school added a dual-enrollment Nursing 112 course that carries college credit, along with a pharmacy technician program, as it welcomed 233 new 10th-graders. Earlier this school year, Baldwin Prep was also chosen as one of four Alabama sites for the Alabama Road Builders Association’s new Next Gen Heavy Equipment Operator Program.
How dual enrollment works
Dual enrollment lets a high school student take a college-level course and receive credit on both a high school and a college transcript. In academic subjects, that can mean finishing general education requirements such as English or math before arriving on a college campus. In career-technical fields, it can mean completing courses that lead to a certificate, a license or an industry credential.
For families, the practical benefits are time and money. A student who graduates with college credit already earned may be able to finish a degree or certificate sooner and spend less on tuition. A student who earns an industry credential can go to work right after graduation, often in a field with openings close to home, while keeping the option of further education.
Industry-recognized credentials are certifications that employers use to verify that a worker has specific skills. They can cover areas such as welding, health care support roles, information technology and skilled trades, and many require passing a standardized exam.
A second straight IEDC honor
The 2026 award follows a Silver Award Baldwin Prep received from the same organization in 2025, when the school was recognized in the Talent Development and Retention category, also among communities of 200,000 to 500,000. In 2025, the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance, now known as the Baldwin Alliance, also earned two Silver Awards for promotional materials, and Baldwin Prep and Baldwin County Public Schools received the Site Selectors Guild’s 2025 Project with a Purpose Award, which recognizes projects that deliver community benefits beyond job creation.
The repeat recognition reflects how closely the county’s school system and its economic developers have worked together on the academy. The Baldwin Alliance markets the county to employers considering expansion or relocation, and a trained local workforce is one of the factors those companies weigh most heavily.
About the International Economic Development Council
The International Economic Development Council, based in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that describes itself as the world’s largest association for economic developers. Its members include professionals from local, state, provincial and federal governments, along with nonprofits, public-private partnerships, chambers of commerce, utilities and universities. The organization marks its 100th anniversary in 2026.
Its Excellence in Economic Development Awards recognize projects, programs, organizations and individuals in the field. Winners are chosen by a panel of judges and grouped by community population size, so organizations compete against peers of similar scale. The council announced 226 awards in 26 categories for 2026 and is scheduled to celebrate winners at its annual conference in New Orleans, Oct. 25-28.
About Baldwin Preparatory Academy
Baldwin Preparatory Academy opened in 2024 on State Highway 59 in Loxley as Baldwin County Public Schools’ dedicated career-technical high school. The roughly 200,000-square-foot campus cost a little more than $100 million, according to Superintendent Eddie Tyler, and was billed at its launch as the state’s first dedicated career-tech high school.
The academy serves students from across the county, who ride buses from designated pickup points, and demand has been high enough that admission is decided by lottery. Students enter in 10th grade and attend full time, combining academic classes with a chosen career program.
Programs include construction, welding, HVAC, automotive technology, aviation, mechatronics, health science, cybersecurity, culinary arts, graphic design, cosmetology and a teacher cadet program. Students follow workplace routines, such as clocking in and out and wearing industry-specific uniforms. Local employers including Austal, Airbus, Infirmary Health and USA Health helped shape the school’s design and curriculum.
Principal Adam Sealy has described the school’s goal as giving students the education, skills and real-world experience to succeed whether they choose college, a career or the workforce. The school’s motto is “Today’s Classroom! Tomorrow’s Workforce! Career – College – Choice.”
About Coastal Alabama Community College
Coastal Alabama Community College is part of the Alabama Community College System. It was formed in 2017 through the consolidation of Faulkner State Community College, Jefferson Davis Community College and Alabama Southern Community College, and its campuses and instructional sites serve Baldwin County and a wide area of southwest Alabama. The college offers university transfer programs, technical and career programs, and workforce training, and partners with school systems to deliver dual enrollment to high school students.
Why it matters for Baldwin County
Baldwin County is among the fastest-growing counties in Alabama, and that growth has created demand for workers in health care, construction, hospitality, aviation and advanced manufacturing. Employers in those fields have reported difficulty filling skilled positions, and local leaders have pointed to career-technical education as one way to train residents for jobs that already exist in the county.
Programs like the Baldwin Prep and Coastal Alabama partnership aim to shorten the path from a classroom to a paycheck. A student who leaves the academy with a credential, college credit and contacts with local employers is positioned to stay and work in the community, which in turn helps the county attract and keep businesses.
What families should know
- Who can attend: Baldwin Prep is open to Baldwin County Public Schools students, who apply and are selected by lottery.
- When students start: Students begin in 10th grade and can spend three years in a career program.
- College credit: Dual-enrollment coursework through Coastal Alabama Community College is offered at no cost to students.
- Credentials: Many programs prepare students for industry certification exams before graduation.
- More information: Families can contact Baldwin Preparatory Academy or the Baldwin County Public Schools career and technical education office for application details.
