The history of Rocky Bayou Christian school began in 1973 when God revealed to Harold and Joyce Thomas and Bob and Katherine Grete that they were to establish a Christian school in Northwest Florida that would teach that parents are responsible for the education of their children, and that God commands Christian parents to provide their children with an education based upon biblical principles.
That first year in, 22 students from three year old Kindergarten through sixth grade had a Christ-centered education at Rocky Bayou Christian School. By 1983, RBCS had grown to 44 faculty and 365 students. Buildings became operational, athletic opportunities developed, and fine arts programs took shape. The beginning of the RBCS Special Services program, which would eventually flourish into a full service National Institute of Learning Development model program for grades K-12, started to grow. In 1988, four local churches took control of the school’s assets and formed the Northwest Florida Christian Education Association (NFCEA), which is still doing business as RBCS today.