Early History

Fairhope High School first became accredited in 1924, a step necessary to allow students in the area to enter college without examinations.  Plans were immediately put in place for a new building to house high school students; construction was begun in early 1925.  Teachers' Institute was held in Bay Minette on September 7 and 8; opening day was September 9.  The building was not yet ready at this point; the actual move occurred on December 10, 1925. The building featured physics and chemistry laboratory equipment and was spacious enough for a faculty of five and a student body of 105.  They fielded teams in boys' and girls' basketball and tennis during the year.  A senior class of nine students, six girls and three boys, graduated on May 28, 1926.  All are prominently featured in the first "annual" Bay Breeze, which is still the name of our yearbook.

Continuing Growth

The school continued to flourish throughout the remainder of the Roaring Twenties and through the Great Depression and World War II.  By 1953, a larger building was needed. The initial building, however, is still in existence and currently serves as the Fairhope K-1 Center, the first of five schools students living in Fairhope attend.  It is located at 110 Church Street in downtown Fairhope.

The 1953 school year found area students moving to a new site on Section Street to attend high school.  This became the new academic home to approximately 245 tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students and ten teachers.  At the end of the first year, sixty seniors received diplomas.  This facility is now home to Fairhope Middle School, serving grades 6-8.  It is one of two feeder schools in the Fairhope attendance zone.  The other is J. Larry Newton School, which is on Hwy 32 in the southeast quadrant of the Fairhope area.

During its proud history, the school has undergone numerous grade level organizational changes.  Initially, finances limited construction to a facility for tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades only.  The school gradually absorbed the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades from the elementary-junior high school, relieving their overcrowded condition.  In 1970, with the construction of a new middle school for grades six, seven, and eight, our school narrowed its attention to serve senior high school students more effectively. 

Present Day

In 1989, the student population had grown so much that a new high school was built in neighboring Daphne to serve students who resided in that area, thus ending Fairhope's 64-year-reign as being the only high school on the eastern shore.

After thirty-eight years at the Section Street campus and with no additional room for expansion, a new high school built outside of town on Highway 98 was opened at the beginning of the 1993 school year. 

Changes have also taken place in the school’s curriculum.  Some courses have been modified to meet the changing needs and interests of students; others, such as computer education, have been added to prepare students for technological challenges.

The school meets the students’ varying academic requirements through regular, advanced, academic resource, and special education classes.  Health and the revised home economics program address problems that confront students today.  Art not only adds a new dimension to the curriculum, but also satisfies a long-standing community demand.  The inclusion of marine science demonstrates continuing efforts to offer subjects of contemporary concern.  Humanities is an integration of art, philosophy, music, and literature, all of which add diversity to the curriculum.

Currently enrolled at Fairhope High School are approximately 1300 students, 250 of whom are seniors.

The Fairhope High School staff and administration respect the community’s proud heritage and strong traditions and are resolved to meet the educational needs of the progressive community the school serves.