Bethlehem High School, Bonifay FL

Original Research by School Decision on Bethlehem High School

Bethlehem High School sits on Highway 160 outside Bonifay, the small county-seat city that anchors Holmes County in Florida's rural Panhandle. The school is part of the Holmes district, a single-district county, so families here have no alternate public option within the county. The school spans prekindergarten through twelfth grade, making it one of those unusual campuses where a child can enter as a preschooler and graduate twelve years later without ever switching buildings.

The enrollment is small relative to the full PK-12 grade span it covers, and each grade cohort is quite thin. The student body is predominantly white, with Hispanic students making up the next largest group and other racial and ethnic groups present in very small numbers. Roughly half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economically modest character of Holmes County more broadly. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available in what we reviewed.

State assessment results from Florida's FAST and Statewide Science assessments give a mixed picture. Third-grade ELA and math results are the school's clearest bright spots, with most students in both subjects reaching proficiency. Sixth-grade math is also a standout. But the picture shifts meaningfully in fourth and fifth grade, where proficiency in both ELA and math falls well below what the third-grade results might lead a parent to expect. Eighth-grade math and eighth-grade science both come in low. ELA proficiency across the middle grades sits in the low-to-mid range. These are not one or two grades with thin cohorts pulling an otherwise strong trend; the pattern is broad enough that a parent thinking about the school's academic trajectory from elementary through middle grades should ask the school directly what supports are in place and how students are prepared for high school coursework.

Speaking of high school: the data we received does not include graduation rate information for this school, and the comparison framework flagged that figure as missing. We also found no information on AP courses, dual enrollment, career pathways, or other program offerings. Those gaps matter for a school serving through twelfth grade, and families with high-school-age students or younger children looking ahead to those years should ask the school specifically what academic and postsecondary pathways are available.

One concrete recent change is worth knowing. The Holmes district publicly reported in early 2025 that it expanded free, on-campus telehealth services to all of its schools through a partnership with PanCare of Florida. Students can see a licensed provider at school during the day, with no cost to families regardless of insurance status. In a rural county where healthcare access is limited, that is a real practical benefit for families.

The housing market in the Bonifay area sits well below Florida state norms. Home values have edged down slightly over the past year, which is consistent with a broader softening, though they remain affordable relative to the state as a whole. Rental data was not available for Holmes County specifically. The area is on the edge of a development push tied to the State Road 79 corridor south of Interstate 10, where publicly reported plans call for infrastructure investment, new commercial activity, and what local sources describe as a critical housing shortage. Whether that growth materially changes the local economy or school enrollment in the near term is an open question.

Bonifay itself is a low-key, community-oriented small city where the school system, the county hospital, and state agencies are the primary employers. There is no public transit. Life here is auto-dependent and rural in texture, surrounded by farmland, pine woods, and creek country. Falling Waters State Park is nearby. The downtown has local shops, restaurants, and a public library, with periodic events like the Down Home Street Festival drawing the community together.

For a family already in Holmes County, Bethlehem High School is the local public option for this zone of the district. The telehealth access is a genuine practical gain. The academic results, particularly in the middle elementary and middle school grades, are an area worth pressing the school on before enrolling.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=80%Cohort of 27 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

867 schools plotted. 183 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 376%

School 76% · District 66% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 55% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 48% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median

Grade 679%

School 79% · District 49% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median

Grade 765%

School 65% · District 54% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 32% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 379%

School 79% · District 57% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 43% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 40% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 653%

School 53% · District 53%

▼ 7 pts below state median

Grade 755%

School 55% · District 56% · ▼ 1 pts below district

even with state median

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 55% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median

Science

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 47% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 47% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median

This schoolHOLMES, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income73%Higher-income86%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income38%Higher-income46%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income67%Higher-income39%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income27%Higher-income59%32 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income60%Higher-income93%33 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income43%Higher-income62%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income67%Higher-income62%5 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income40%Higher-income50%10 pp gap