GULF SHORES, Ala. — The new Gulf Shores High School is now open, welcoming its roughly 1,000 students to a sprawling campus built with state-of-the-art academic and athletic facilities, innovative learning spaces, advanced technology and a performing arts complex. The building has room for nearly twice as many students if needed.
The 287,000-square-foot facility sits at the intersection of the Foley Beach Express and Coastal Gateway Boulevard, on land donated by the family foundation of Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft. Its total cost topped $157 million.
A vision for the future
“This new high school represents our community’s commitment to creating a world-class educational environment for our students. It’s an investment in the future of Gulf Shores, and we are proud to open a facility that reflects the energy, ambition, and spirit of our city,” Craft said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“The purpose was to create the kind of education our children deserve and help them be all that they can be. We’re doing that, not just with this facility, but everything we offer within this program,” he added.
Matt Akin, superintendent of Gulf Shores City Schools, echoed the mayor. “Our teachers, staff, and students deserve the very best, and this new campus was designed with that vision in mind. We look forward to the incredible work and innovation that will take place within these walls,” he said.
Inside the campus
The school includes science and engineering labs and classrooms that can expand and compress. Its central hallway, which will serve as a gathering space and cafeteria, has already been named “The Sandbar.”
In addition to 28 standard classrooms, 11 collaborative flex spaces and six science labs equipped with integrated audio/video technology and retractable walls, the school features a kitchen for culinary classes, a robotics classroom, a wrestling gym that doubles as a tornado shelter, outdoor learning areas, a nursery, a hydroponic garden, and a broadcast and recording studio. The labs will also support marine biology, chemistry, finance and aerospace/aviation programs, and the engineering lab measures 4,250 square feet.
Akin said Gulf Shores students have already earned scuba certification through the school and will participate in underwater science research this semester. The school is also taking part in the Little Lagoon Preservation Society oyster harvesting program. “You just don’t see that everywhere,” he said.
Athletics and the arts
The campus includes two competition-size gymnasiums, tiered meeting rooms, multiple athletic training rooms and an 18,000-square-foot field house complete with an athletic performance center. It connects to a covered 110-yard practice pavilion that will provide year-round training for Dolphin athletes and the band.
Ground was broken on the facility in April 2024 with an anticipated $137 million price tag. Additions and upgrades, including the covered practice field, were later approved by the City Council.
The Performing Arts Center, Health Professions Center and Sports Concourse are named for Dr. Gaylon and Susan Nomberg McCollough in recognition of their gift to the school. The renowned plastic surgeon and former Alabama football All-American was also Bear Bryant’s personal physician. Susan McCollough is an accomplished painter who has exhibited on four continents and was named 1818 Artist of the Year.
The design took more than two years, with school officials visiting schools across the country to incorporate cutting-edge educational trends, including the numerous collaborative spaces and outdoor learning areas.
“When Gulf Shores City Schools opened in August of 2019, we asked our stakeholders to imagine the future of learning in our school system. The new Gulf Shores High School is our pathway to the future,” Akin said.