Alabama’s new cyber technology magnet school got another $250,000 in donations Thursday from technology companies including Facebook.

Facebook, which is building a large data center in Huntsville, is contributing $100,000 to the new state school, and so is local technology company Sentar. DESE Research, also of Huntsville, is giving $50,000.

Officially named the Alabama School of Cyber Technology & Engineering, the school will open in Huntsville in August with approximately 100 students. Oakwood University will host it for two years while the permanent location is completed at the intersection of Bradford Drive and Wynn Drive in Cummings Research Park.

“This is a school for the whole state,” school President Matt Massey said. Applications opened last week and recruiting for students will begin this weekend at middle school scholars bowl competitions around the state. Eventual enrollment will be 300 in grades 9-12 with half of those living in on-site dormitories.

“The Chamber of Commerce received a call a few weeks ago from a resident in California wanting to enroll their daughter in our school,” Massey said. “We basically politely said, ‘Come on and move to Alabama and we will consider your child for enrollment.’”

“Our mission at Facebook is to give people the power to build community and to bring people closer together,” Facebook Community Development Manager Katie Comer said. “Huntsville is just a wonderful community.”

Comer said Facebook likes to make “strategic investments” in the next generation of workers and in STEM and technology education. “We’ve very proud to partner with you at Facebook,” she said, “and we thank you to everyone in Huntsville for allowing us to call this place home.”

DESE Research President Michael Kirkpatrick said his company is a leader in cyber work and believes in the future demand for cyber technical and professional workers. “This is going to be a beautiful school and it’s going to have a draw throughout the state and across the nation,” Kirkpatrick said. “I expect there will be families that are very interested in their children’s education that will move to Huntsville and be a part of our community so their children can be a part of this school.”

Peter Kiss, owner of the Huntsville cyber intelligence company Sentar, said the problem of finding cyber workers has gotten worse. “Now, there are about a million open positions that are not being filled for cyber security in the United States.”

Colleges have started teaching subjects in the field, Kiss said, and that is good. But starting earlier is better. “This school is perfect for what the country needs,” Kiss said.