Florence Bernd School was organized in the fall of 1947 by Dr. Mark Smith who was superintendent of Bibb County schools at that time. Mrs. Little who was teaching the sixth grade at the time at Whittle School was asked to serve as principal. There were nine 
teachers: two first grades, two second grades, and one each of the other grades.
Old Hopewell Hospital was used to house the school. The building was white stucco, built in two sections which were connected by a long corridor. Off from the center of the corridor, there was a small room which was used as a kitchen. The corridor was also used as a lunchroom. However, no part of this original building is now standing.
In the spring of 1949, the front wing was added to this old structure. What is now the lunchroom was then an auditorium. The old kitchen was extended into a lunchroom which joined the new section to the old one.
In 1955, one section of the old hospital was torn down and the primary hall was built in its place. In 1958 the other section of Hopewell Hospital was replaced with the upper grades hall, the auditorium, and the new kitchen. The school was organized and entirely constructed under the leadership of Dr. Smith.
Bernd has changed over time, but the staff remains dedicated to the teaching of children. We have grown from nine homerooms to twenty homerooms and from 247 students to approximately 450 students.