State and local officials, including Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey, Alabama State School Board Member Jackie Zeigler and Baldwin County School Superintendent Eddie Tyler, took a tour of Baldwin County Preparatory Academy on Monday, Aug. 12.

The new, approximately $100 million career and technical school opened its doors to students Thursday, Aug. 8, to 772 students, offering programs such as automotive engine repair, diesel repair, construction, welding, aviation, HVAC/plumbing and electrical, mechatronics engineering, health sciences, cybersecurity, graphic design, teacher cadet academy, culinary arts and cosmetology and barbering.

According to previous reporting from Gulf Coast Media in 2023, the district received over 1,000 applications from students within a week of opening the application process. Every high school will be represented at Baldwin Prep.

"I have already told about half a dozen people in the last three weeks. They say, 'What's the most creative, exciting thing happening in the state?' I say, 'You have to go to Baldwin County and see Baldwin Prep'… Everybody's excited about what you're doing," the state superintendent said to Baldwin County superintendent. "I appreciate you stepping out on vision and faith, the board stepping out on faith and doing something that's different. It's going to be good for young people."

Students in grades 10-11 are at the school all day, while seniors show up for the afternoon before going back to their base high school for extracurricular activities.

Unique features of Baldwin Prep include wearing industry-recognized uniforms based on their program pathway, participating in weekly team meetings, using multiple collaboration and pod learning spaces, attending meetings and demonstrations with industry stakeholders on campus and taking core classes that apply subject material to industry and career contexts.

"I told the students, 'If you were a freshman last year, you're a 10th grader, but we're all freshman now,'" Baldwin Prep Principal Adam Sealy said. "The teachers, the principals, this building is new to everybody. But it ran very good the first day and high hopes to continue throughout the semester."

"It's kind of surreal," said Tyler, the county district's superintendent. "We started talking this about seven years ago…and about seven years later, here we are…a little over $100 million investment."