Bible in the Schools

What Bible in the Schools does

Bible in the Schools is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (legal name: Public School Bible Study Committee) founded in 1922 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It funds and supports academic Bible elective courses in Hamilton County public schools (grades 6-12), currently operating across 35 middle and high schools with 35 licensed, certified teachers employed by the school district. The program offers five sequential courses—Genesis (6th grade), Exodus (7th grade), Life of Jesus (8th grade), Old Testament (9th-12th), and New Testament (9th-12th)—all aligned with Tennessee State Board of Education Bible Standards and taught from a viewpoint-neutral, nonsectarian academic perspective. The Old Testament and New Testament courses also offer Local Dual Credit through Chattanooga State Community College, enabling students to earn up to six hours of college credit.

The organization operates on a community-funded donation model. It raises private charitable contributions from individuals, households, businesses, foundations, and faith-based partners across 15 Hamilton County ZIP codes, then presents an annual community gift to Hamilton County Schools that fully reimburses program costs—teacher salaries, benefits, textbooks (Bibles), classroom resources, professional development, and dual credit assessments (approximately $840 per student annually). FY2024-2025 Annual Fund Contributions totaled $3,511,899, with a $2,750,833 community gift to the district and a $3.4 million projected investment for 2025-2026. No government or taxpayer funding is involved.

The organization's leadership is a 15-person staff headed by President Cathy Scott (since January 2016) and a Board of Directors chaired by Rob Huffaker, Jr. (10th Chairman, since 2023), with historic involvement of prominent Chattanooga civic families including the McCallie, Maclellan, and Brock lineages. The program is constitutionally protected by a 1980 federal court ruling affirming the legality of for-credit elective Bible classes in Hamilton County schools and the 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Abington v. Schempp. In 2024-2025, 5,089 students completed an academic Bible course, and 91% of Hamilton County middle and high school students have access to the elective—the largest concentration of public school students electively studying the Bible in any single U.S. school district.

Name

Bible in the Schools

Legal name

Public School Bible Study Committee

Website

https://bibleintheschools.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Bible in the Schools is a Chattanooga-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds academic Bible elective courses in 35 Hamilton County public schools, serving 5,089 students in grades 6-12 through private community donations and reimbursing the school district for all program costs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Religious Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

Keywords

• Bible education curriculum
• K-12 religious education
• Public school electives
• Community-funded education
• Dual credit Bible courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Chattanooga

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Charitable Donations: Bible in the Schools raises funds entirely through private charitable contributions from individuals, households, businesses, foundations, and faith-based partners. These donations are pooled and presented annually as a community gift to Hamilton County Schools to fully fund the Bible elective program. The organization does not receive government or taxpayer funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bible in the Schools funds and delivers a five-course academic Bible elective curriculum (Genesis, Exodus, Life of Jesus, Old Testament, New Testament) to students in grades 6-12 across 35 Hamilton County public schools. The program is provided free to students, families, and taxpayers, and is fully reimbursed through private community donations presented annually as a community gift to Hamilton County Schools, including an optional Local Dual Credit program offering up to six hours of college credit.

Product overview

Bible in the Schools operates as a nonprofit organization offering a five-course Bible education curriculum (Genesis, Exodus, Life of Jesus, Old Testament, and New Testament) for Hamilton County public school students in grades 6-12. The five elective courses are structured sequentially: Genesis for 6th grade, Exodus for 7th grade, Life of Jesus for 8th grade, and Old Testament and New Testament for grades 9-12. The program is supplemented by an optional Local Dual Credit Program offering college credit through Chattanooga State Community College. All courses are taught in compliance with Tennessee State Board of Education Bible Standards from a viewpoint-neutral, nonsectarian academic perspective.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Genesis Course Academic study of the book of Genesis designed for 6th grade students in Hamilton County public schools, covering creation and flood narratives, the formation of early civilizations, and the founding of early Abrahamic and Israelite traditions from a viewpoint-neutral, nonsectarian perspective.
• Exodus Course Academic study of the book of Exodus designed for 7th grade students in Hamilton County public schools, covering the Israelite experience in Egypt, enslavement and exodus, and the life and leadership of Moses from a viewpoint-neutral, nonsectarian perspective.
• Life of Jesus Course Academic survey of Jesus' life designed for 8th grade students in Hamilton County public schools, using the Book of Luke as the primary text and covering Jesus' early life, work, teachings, arrest, and execution from a viewpoint-neutral, nonsectarian perspective.
• Old Testament Course Academic overview of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible designed for high school students (grades 9-12) in Hamilton County public schools, covering formation of the biblical canon through the Babylonian exile and Second Temple Period, with emphasis on understanding ancient Israelite thought and culture from a viewpoint-neutral, nonsectarian perspective.
• New Testament Course Academic overview of the entire New Testament designed for high school students (grades 9-12) in Hamilton County public schools, including comparative study of four Gospels, the development of the early Christian church, the life and teachings of Jesus, and the writings of Paul from a viewpoint-neutral, nonsectarian perspective.
• Local Dual Credit Program College Local Dual Credit option offered for Old Testament and New Testament courses in partnership with Chattanooga State Community College, enabling students to earn up to six hours of college credit while in high school. Over 1,000 students are currently enrolled in Local Dual Credit courses through this arrangement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,089 students completed an academic Bible course in 2024-2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hamilton County SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1922Bible in the Schools has maintained an unbroken partnership with Hamilton County Schools since 1922, making it the school district's oldest community partner. The organization raises private charitable donations and presents an annual community gift to reimburse the entire cost of the countywide Bible elective program, including teacher salaries, benefits, textbooks, supplies, professional development, and dual credit assessments. In 2024-2025, this gift was $2,750,833; the 2025-2026 projected investment is $3.4 million. The program operates in 35 schools serving grades 6-12.
• Chattanooga State Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership enables Local Dual Credit options for Old Testament and New Testament courses, offering students the opportunity to earn up to 6 hours of college credit. Over 1,000 students are currently enrolled in Local Dual Credit courses through this arrangement.
• Tekwell ServicesminorOthersMr. Marshall Harvey serves as Chief Financial Officer and Accountant for Bible in the Schools, providing accounting services through Tekwell Services.
• Tennessee Department of EducationcoreOthersAll Bible courses are approved by the Tennessee Department of Education and align with Tennessee State Board of Education Bible Standards. The program follows state academic standards for Bible education.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools: Advocates for and provides Bible curriculum resources to U.S. public schools, sharing Bible in the Schools' mission of placing academic Bible electives in public school settings. Most direct functional peer given its curriculum-development and public-school-deployment focus.

Emerging players

• Fellowship of Christian Athletes: Faith-based organization that places programming in U.S. public schools, similar in using public-school distribution to reach students with religious-content programming. Comparable as a faith-based nonprofit funded by donations that operates inside public schools.
• Child Evangelism Fellowship: Runs Good News Club and other school-based faith programs for students, paralleling Bible in the Schools' model of delivering faith content inside public schools under constitutional guardrails. Operates with similar donation-funded, public-school-distributed structure.
• Young Life: Faith-based youth nonprofit with presence in U.S. public schools and communities; comparable as a donor-funded religious organization reaching middle and high school students through school-based programming.
• Youth for Christ: Faith-based nonprofit running school-oriented youth programs in communities across the U.S. Comparable in mission (reaching public school students with faith content) and donor-funded nonprofit structure.

Others

• Museum of the Bible: Nonprofit dedicated to Bible education and literacy, adjacent in mission to Bible in the Schools' focus on cultural literacy around the Bible. Not a direct competitor but operates in the same faith-based education space.
• American Bible Society: Nonprofit organization supporting Bible engagement and literacy in the U.S. and globally. Adjacent to Bible in the Schools' mission of advancing Bible education and cultural literacy.
• Bible Study Fellowship: International, donation-supported organization offering structured Bible study classes. Comparable as a faith-based educational nonprofit, though its delivery model (community classes) differs from public-school electives.
• Bible League International: Faith-based nonprofit focused on Bible distribution and Scripture engagement globally. Adjacent in mission to advance Bible literacy, though its distribution channel (physical Bibles, global programs) differs from Bible in the Schools' U.S. public-school curriculum model.

Broad incumbents

• Association of Christian Schools International: Largest faith-based K-12 education association in the U.S., representing Christian schools broadly. Adjacent as the incumbent ecosystem of faith-based K-12 education, though it focuses on private schools rather than public-school electives.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bibleinschools
• Instagraminstagram.com/bibleintheschools

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bible in the Schools