In December, the board overseeing the creation of Alabama’s first residential high school focused on healthcare met to prepare the curriculum. The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, located in Demopolis, is scheduled to enroll its inaugural ninth-grade class in 2026.

The school aims to address Alabama’s healthcare staffing crisis, particularly in rural parts of the state, by training students for roles across the medical field. The course work will include partnerships with community colleges and regional hospitals where students can get clinical hours. The school will offer certification levels beyond what’s currently available in Alabama high schools for students looking to become healthcare professionals.

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ initiative to establish high schools focused on health care is providing $26 million of the estimated $80 million needed to build the dormitory and campus facilities with a groundbreaking expected by mid-2025. The five-story dorm will be the tallest building in Demopolis. Pearson said that the school is the only rural residential school funded by Bloomberg.