Summary:
Zip code 80915 is served by a single middle school: Horizon Middle School, which enrolls 773 students in grades 6 through 8 as part of El Paso County Colorado School District 49. With a student-teacher ratio of 16.2 and 54% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, the school serves a high-need population in a relatively large setting. Horizon ranks 246th among 469 Colorado middle schools (48th percentile), placing it near the state median, while its district earns a 4-star rating and ranks in the top 29% of districts statewide.
Academically, Horizon trails both district and state averages in all core subjects. English Language Arts proficiency is 37.8%, compared to 45.5% for the district and 44.7% for the state; math proficiency is 28.9%, versus 35.9% and 37.3%, respectively; and 8th grade science proficiency is 30.3%, below the state's 35.4%. Grade-level data, however, shows meaningful bright spots. 7th grade ELA proficiency (46.2%) nearly matches the state average of 46.6% and outpaces the district, while both 6th and 7th grade math exceed district averages. The most notable weaknesses are 8th grade ELA (34.4%), which sits far below district and state levels, and an overall science decline of 9.1 points in a single year.
The school's biggest red flag is chronic absenteeism: 35.9% of students are chronically absent, nearly 10 points above the state rate of 28.4%, which likely depresses test performance. State rankings have remained flat across three years (47th to 51st percentile), indicating a plateau rather than a turnaround. District dropout data adds a broader concern, with D49's rate of 6.7% more than four times the state average, although Horizon's own reported dropout rate was a very low 0.2%. As the sole middle school option in 80915, Horizon faces clear challenges in attendance and science achievement, but its grade-level successes in 7th grade ELA and early middle school math show that targeted supports can yield results.
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