What Mars Hill Bible School does

Mars Hill Bible School is a private, nonprofit, Christ-centered K-12 school located in Florence, Alabama. Founded in 1871 as Mars Hill Academy and re-established in 1947 under its current name, the institution serves over 750 students across three divisions: Preschool (6 weeks to 4 years), Elementary (TK through 5), and Middle/High School (6 through 12), with an average class size of 14. Academic offerings integrate a biblical worldview across all disciplines and have been STEM-certified by Cognia since October 2019, when the school became the first private school in Alabama to receive that designation.

Core academic products include Cognia STEM-certified curricula, 30+ hours of dual enrollment college credit, and a robotics program built on LEGO WeDo 2.0, Dash, and VEX platforms. Enrichment offerings span band, chorus, show choir (with a Today Show appearance), theater, nationally recognized debate, and athletics. Technology infrastructure relies on student iPads, SMARTBoards, the FACTS student information system with Family Portal, and the recently launched Panthers mobile app, with SeatYourself used for ticketing.

The business model is tuition-driven, with recurring annual family tuition forming the primary revenue stream, supplemented by charitable donations and event-based fundraising such as the annual Benefit Celebration that offers tiered sponsorships up to $10,000 Gold. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through the admissions process, partnerships with Churches of Christ-affiliated congregations, community events, and word-of-mouth referrals within the Shoals region. The institution is governed by a Board of Directors with Pat Moon serving as Interim President and CFO.

Name

Mars Hill Bible School

Legal name

Mars Hill Bible School

Website

https://mhbs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mars Hill Bible School is a private, nonprofit Christ-centered K-12 school in Florence, Alabama, serving over 750 students from preschool through 12th grade with Cognia STEM-certified academics, 30+ hours of dual enrollment credit, and an average class size of 14.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Christian Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Preschools (EDACABAF), Faith-Based Early Learning Academies (EDACADAH)

Keywords

• Private K-12 education
• Christ-centered schooling
• STEM-certified curriculum
• Early childhood education
• College preparatory programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Florence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Primary revenue from tuition payments for students in preschool through grade 12. School works to keep costs lower than average private school tuition while providing extraordinary education. Additional fees for specific programs and materials.
2. Event Fundraising: Annual Benefit Celebration generates revenue through ticket sales and sponsorships. Kirk Cameron event featured sponsorship tiers: Gold $10,000, Silver $3,500, Bronze $2,000, Individual tickets $250.
3. Donations and Charitable Giving: School depends on sacrificial generosity of board, faculty, staff, parents, grandparents, alumni, and friends to fill gap not covered by tuition. Giving programs including Giving Tuesday campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mars Hill Bible School provides Christ-centered K-12 education to over 750 students in Florence, Alabama, spanning preschool (6 weeks to 4 years), elementary (TK-5), and middle/high school (6-12). The school blends biblical worldview integration with STEM-certified academics, dual enrollment college credit, fine arts, athletics, and a broad extracurricular program in a small-class environment (average 14 students).

Product overview

Mars Hill Bible School is a Christ-centered private school offering a comprehensive PK-12 educational program with a platform-plus-enrichment architecture. The core educational product spans three main levels: Preschool (6 weeks to 4 years), Elementary (TK-5), and Middle/High School (6-12), all grounded in biblical worldview and STEM-certified academics. Supporting the core curriculum is an extensive enrichment platform including athletics, fine arts (Band, Chorus, Show Choir, Theater, Robotics, Debate), and diverse clubs and organizations. The school also offers a Dual Enrollment Program for college credit and operates the Panthers mobile app for athletic communications. All programs emphasize spiritual formation with daily Bible classes and chapel services, achieving over 2800 hours of dedicated Bible study from TK through 12th grade.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Preschool Program Early childhood education program serving children 6 weeks to four years, offering full-time, three-day, and two-day enrollment options with operating hours from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Recognized as TimesDaily Reader's Choice #1 Private Preschool for 17 consecutive years.
• Elementary Program (TK-5) Comprehensive elementary education program for Transitional Kindergarten through 5th grade, featuring one-to-one iPad technology, weekly encore classes in Technology, Spanish, Music, Art, and Library, and daily P.E.
• Middle/High School Program (6-12) Rigorous academic program for grades 6-12 with STEM certification, dual enrollment college credit opportunities (30+ hours), modified block scheduling, and comprehensive elective offerings.
• Dual Enrollment Program College credit program allowing students to earn 30+ hours of dual enrollment credit in Chemistry, English, Math, History, and Computer Science taught by Mars Hill teachers on campus.
• Celebration Show Choir Annual show choir featuring nearly one-third of all 9th-12th graders performing Broadway-style shows in August at Norton Auditorium. Has performed on The Today Show's Show Choir Showdown final four.
• Band Program Band program for 5th-12th grade with all middle school students required to choose band or chorus. Features Rhythm in Blue Marching Band for grades 7-12, with performances at Carnegie Hall and music festivals across the country.
• Chorus Program Choral program for 5th-12th grade students that has captured superior ratings in district and state competition, performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and participates in church programs throughout the Shoals area.
• Theater Program Theater program with elementary annual plays and middle/high school productions including musicals, dinner theatre, classical and modern plays, with opportunities both onstage and backstage.
• Robotics Program Robotics offerings including Kindergarten Coding Club, Elementary Robotics Club (grades 1-4), middle school Robotics (grades 5-8), and summer robotics camp. Uses BeeBots, LEGO WeDo 2.0, Dash robots, and VEX Robots.
• Debate Program Nationally-known debate program for grades 9-12 competing in Public Forum Debate at local, regional, and national tournaments. Emphasizes public speaking, organization, logic, research, and persuasive argumentation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% graduation rate and 95%+ college acceptance rate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Churches of ChristcoreOthersMHBS maintains a rich heritage within the churches of Christ. Leadership and faculty are active members of local congregations. The school continues to be supported by churches, families, and individuals who share commitment to Christ-centered education. School originated from T.B. Larimore's ministry and Mars Hill Academy connected to church communities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• FACTS (FACTS Management): Third-party student information and tuition management platform used by MHBS for the Family Portal, grade reporting, and online giving. Comparable as an enabling technology vendor serving similar faith-based private schools.
• Cognia: Accrediting body that has accredited MHBS since 1971 and certified its STEM program in 2019. Comparable as the credentialing infrastructure that validates MHBS's quality positioning to prospective families.

Direct peers

• Heritage Christian School: Independent Christian K-12 institution with college-prep curriculum and broad extracurricular offerings. Comparable as a private faith-based school dependent on tuition and community philanthropy.
• Faith Academy: Private Christian school serving PK-12 with college-preparatory academics and extracurricular programming. Comparable in structure, faith-based mission, and tuition-dependent funding model.
• Providence Christian School: Faith-based private school with rigorous academics, fine arts, athletics, and STEM programming. Operates with a similar Christ-centered, college-prep identity and tuition-plus-donation revenue model.
• Trinity Christian School: Independent faith-based K-12 school offering college-preparatory academics integrated with biblical worldview. Operates with a similar mission, tuition-driven model, and parent-donor support ecosystem.
• The King's Academy: Christ-centered PK-12 private school emphasizing spiritual formation, academic excellence, and fine arts. Comparable in mission, structure, and target customer (faith-oriented families seeking integrated education).
• Covenant Christian School: Private Christian PK-12 school with college-preparatory emphasis and integrated biblical instruction across disciplines. Comparable in mission, accreditation profile, and extracurricular breadth to MHBS.
• Briarwood Christian School: Faith-based private K-12 school in Hoover, Alabama serving a similar Christ-centered college preparatory mission. Comparable as a private Christian PK-12 institution in the same Alabama market with overlapping extracurricular and academic programming.
• Westminster School at Oak Mountain: Private Christian PK-12 school in Alabama with rigorous college-prep academics and broad extracurricular offerings. Comparable mission and structure to MHBS as a faith-based independent school in the Southeast.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/marshillbible
• YouTubevimeo.com/user156518649
• Facebookfacebook.com/marshillbibleschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/marshillbibleschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/mars-hill-bible-school

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Mars Hill Bible School