Summary:
In zip code 34746, there is one middle school, Horizon Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 in Kissimmee, Florida, within the Osceola school district.
Horizon Middle School presents a striking contrast in academic performance. The school excels in advanced, high school-level coursework, achieving 100% proficiency in Geometry and 93% in Biology 1 on End-of-Course exams—far exceeding state averages. However, it struggles significantly in standard grade-level subjects, with only 19% of 7th graders proficient in math and 32% proficient in 8th-grade science, both well below state benchmarks. This "two schools" phenomenon suggests a strong program for advanced students while the general curriculum is failing many others. The school has a total enrollment of 1,008 students, a student-teacher ratio of 18.6:1, and spends $10,315 per student. Despite this investment, its state ranking has remained in the bottom 25% (1-star rating) for three consecutive years.
A major concern is the chronic absenteeism rate of 33.5%, meaning nearly one in three students misses significant school time—higher than the state average and likely a key driver of low proficiency in core subjects. English Language Arts scores are also volatile and declining, with 6th-grade proficiency dropping from above the district average to below it in one year. The math program is the most extreme example of the school's split performance: while 92% of students taking Algebra 1 are proficient, only 19% of 7th graders master grade-level math. This indicates the school may be channeling its best math students into advanced tracks while the general math curriculum needs urgent improvement.
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