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Horizon Middle School

Q: Is Horizon Middle School a good school?

Horizon Middle School ranks 17 th of 59 North Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

17^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 59 North Dakota Middle Schools

Better than 71% of North Dakota middle schools

Summary

Horizon Middle School is a public middle school in Bismarck, North Dakota, serving 1,059 students in grades 6-8. As part of the Bismarck 1 School District, which is ranked 9th out of 23 districts in the state, Horizon Middle School has consistently ranked among the top middle schools in North Dakota, currently ranking 5th out of 26 schools for the 2024-2025 school year.

Horizon Middle School's academic performance is particularly impressive, with students consistently outperforming the Bismarck 1 district and the state of North Dakota in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. In the 2024-2025 school year, 55% of Horizon Middle School students were proficient or better in Math, compared to 47% for Bismarck 1 and 41% for the state. In Reading, 48% of Horizon Middle School students were proficient or better, compared to 42% for Bismarck 1 and 40% for the state. The school also ranks highly for its performance among different student subgroups, including female, male, and White students, as well as its top ranking for military-connected students.

While Horizon Middle School excels in many areas, the school's higher chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 16% to 20% in recent years, is an area that could benefit from further investigation and targeted interventions. However, the school's higher per-student spending, ranging from $9,575 to $11,591 over the past few years, and its relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 13.8 to 15.6 students per teacher, suggest that the school is operating efficiently and investing in its students' success.

1,124

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,084

Per pupil spending ?

15.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

500 Ash Coulee Dr
Bismarck, ND 58503

(701) 323-4550

District: Bismarck 1

Students who attend Horizon Middle School usually attend:

High:

Century High School

Feeder schools for Horizon Middle School:

Elementary:	Centennial Elementary School
	Elk Ridge Elementary School
	Grimsrud Elementary School
	Highland Acres Elementary School
	More...
	Liberty Elementary School
	Northridge Elementary School
	Roosevelt Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.3%

Two or more races:

6.0%

Hispanic:

4.9%

See top rated North Dakota middle schools

Compare Horizon Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 85th percentile in 2016 → 71st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Dakota average (51% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Dakota median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school51%

District avg44%

North Dakota avg40%

17^th of 59

North Dakota public middle schools ?

Top 29%▼ down 23 pts since 2015

From top 6% (2015) to top 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Dakota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Middle Schools in the Bismarck 1

67^th of 134Bismarck 1 among North Dakota districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	61.8	17 of 59	71.2%	★★★★☆
2024	61.8	15 of 57	73.7%	★★★★☆
2023	62.8	13 of 61	78.7%	★★★★☆
2022	62.5	18 of 61	70.5%	★★★★☆
2021	53.8	25 of 60	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2020	59.2	16 of 55	70.9%	★★★★☆
2019	59.0	16 of 55	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	69.4	6 of 55	89.1%	★★★★★
2017	68.5	10 of 52	80.8%	★★★★☆
2016	76.4	8 of 53	84.9%	★★★★☆
2015	74.6	3 of 52	94.2%	★★★★★
2014	71.6	26 of 136	80.9%	★★★★☆
2013	75.4	18 of 135	86.7%	★★★★☆
2012	74.9	14 of 124	88.7%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	77.1	1 of 15	93.3%	★★★★★
2024	47.1	10 of 17	41.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.3	4 of 15	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	57.2	4 of 14	71.4%	★★★★☆
2021	46.3	6 of 13	53.8%	★★★★☆
2020	56.5	4 of 11	63.6%	★★★★☆
2019	62.2	2 of 9	77.8%	★★★★☆
2018	60.9	4 of 12	66.7%	★★★★☆
2017	71.1	1 of 10	90.0%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2020	86.1	1 of 5	80.0%	★★★★★
2019	85.0	1 of 5	80.0%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	55.7	5 of 12	58.3%	★★★★☆
2024	64.6	5 of 11	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.2	6 of 9	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	65.2	8 of 37	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	57.2	13 of 36	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.5	8 of 39	79.5%	★★★★☆
2022	62.2	7 of 37	81.1%	★★★★☆
2021	64.1	12 of 37	67.6%	★★★★☆
2020	60.0	12 of 34	64.7%	★★★★☆
2019	59.6	12 of 34	64.7%	★★★★☆
2018	69.7	2 of 31	93.5%	★★★★★
2017	64.0	8 of 34	76.5%	★★★★☆
2016	71.8	5 of 32	84.4%	★★★★☆
2015	61.7	9 of 30	70.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	48.2	8 of 14	42.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	85.2	1 of 14	92.9%	★★★★★
2022	46.7	8 of 13	38.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	66.1	2 of 8	75.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	37.7	19 of 31	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.5	17 of 28	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.9	16 of 28	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.9	6 of 24	75.0%	★★★★☆
2021	31.9	17 of 24	29.2%	★★☆☆☆
2020	32.7	19 of 26	26.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.3	19 of 26	26.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.4	13 of 25	48.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	43.6	12 of 25	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	60.4	6 of 23	73.9%	★★★★☆
2015	62.2	4 of 23	82.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	58.8	13 of 37	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.7	12 of 36	66.7%	★★★★☆
2023	57.7	10 of 39	74.4%	★★★★☆
2022	64.5	8 of 37	78.4%	★★★★☆
2021	57.3	16 of 37	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2020	57.9	13 of 34	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.5	13 of 34	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.8	4 of 31	87.1%	★★★★★
2017	72.0	5 of 34	85.3%	★★★★☆
2016	77.6	4 of 32	87.5%	★★★★★
2015	82.4	1 of 30	96.7%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2023	73.7	1 of 5	80.0%	★★★★★
2022	51.0	2 of 4	50.0%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	59.3	5 of 10	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.1	3 of 12	75.0%	★★★★☆
2023	69.3	2 of 10	80.0%	★★★★☆
2022	67.0	1 of 10	90.0%	★★★★★
2021	57.8	5 of 9	44.4%	★★★☆☆
2020	50.7	6 of 10	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.4	4 of 9	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.4	3 of 8	62.5%	★★★★☆
2017	88.7	2 of 7	71.4%	★★★★☆
2015	41.0	4 of 6	33.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	69.1	5 of 23	78.3%	★★★★☆
2024	67.9	7 of 24	70.8%	★★★★☆
2023	68.0	6 of 22	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	73.0	4 of 24	83.3%	★★★★☆
2021	58.2	11 of 22	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2020	55.7	10 of 21	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.7	10 of 21	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.3	4 of 20	80.0%	★★★★☆
2017	73.7	5 of 19	73.7%	★★★★☆
2016	79.6	4 of 19	78.9%	★★★★☆
2015	79.1	3 of 18	83.3%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2025)93rd percentile+22 vs school

Military Connected (2023)80th percentile~ school

Asian (2020)80th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)78th percentile+7 vs school

White (2025)78th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)65th percentile-6 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)58th percentile-13 vs school

Native American (2025)50th percentile-21 vs school

Hispanic (2025)43rd percentile-28 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)39th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs North Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Math55%+14 vs state

Science49%+11 vs state

Reading48%+8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Horizon Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				A-Plus Math (2025)				A-Plus Reading (2025)				A-Plus Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	A-Plus Math 6th Grade	A-Plus Math 7th Grade	A-Plus Math 8th Grade	A-Plus Math All Grades	A-Plus Reading 6th Grade	A-Plus Reading 7th Grade	A-Plus Reading 8th Grade	A-Plus Reading All Grades	A-Plus Science 8th Grade	A-Plus Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Horizon Middle School	Public	6-8	500 Ash Coulee Dr	Bismarck	58503	Burleigh County	Bismarck 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 323-4550	1,124	74	15.2	15.8%	891 (79.3%)	28 (2.5%)	55 (4.9%)	28 (2.5%)	38 (3.4%)	16 (1.4%)	68 (6.0%)	61.8	17^th of 59 public middle schools	71.2%		61.8	15^th of 57 public middle schools	73.7%	2	60.0	54.0	48.0	55.0	44.0	49.0	51.0	48.0	49.0	49.0	$12,084	$604	$11,480
Simle Middle School	Public	6-8	1218 Simle Dr	Bismarck	58501	Burleigh County	Bismarck 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 323-4600	1,053	73	14.4	22.5%	809 (76.8%)	25 (2.4%)	39 (3.7%)	11 (1.0%)	91 (8.6%)	8 (0.8%)	70 (6.6%)	51	31^st of 59 public middle schools	47.5%		43.9	30^th of 57 public middle schools	47.4%	1	53.0	54.0	52.0	54.0	42.0	43.0	40.0	41.0	43.0	43.0	$12,596	$671	$11,926
Wachter Middle School	Public	6-8	1107 S 7th St	Bismarck	58504	Burleigh County	Bismarck 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 323-4650	1,012	69	14.6	30.7%	687 (67.9%)	23 (2.3%)	78 (7.7%)	6 (0.6%)	117 (11.6%)	12 (1.2%)	89 (8.8%)	62.3	15^th of 59 public middle schools	74.6%		61.4	16^th of 57 public middle schools	71.9%	1	52.0	47.0	58.0	52.0	43.0	46.0	52.0	47.0	62.0	62.0	$13,318	$630	$12,688
Bismarck Middle Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	6-8	128 Soo Line Dr	Bismarck	58501	Burleigh County	Bismarck 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	No	(701) 323-4101	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)											$2,972	$598	$2,373
Mandan Middle School	Public	6-8	2901 12th Ave NW	Mandan	58554	Morton County	Mandan 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(701) 751-6502	1,003	61	16.4	32.0%	759 (75.7%)	48 (4.8%)	67 (6.7%)	6 (0.6%)	85 (8.5%)	8 (0.8%)	30 (3.0%)	51.6	28^th of 59 public middle schools	52.5%		50.5	24^th of 57 public middle schools	57.9%	4	46.0	48.0	49.0	47.0	39.0	45.0	48.0	44.0	49.0	49.0	$13,252	$705	$12,548

IMPORTANT NOTE: North Dakota does not publish exact assessment percentages; instead, results are reported as ranges (e.g., 20-29%) to protect student privacy in smaller groups. The proficiency rates displayed on SchoolDigger are calculated using midpoint imputation—the center value of each reported range. Actual values may differ by up to 5 percentage points from the figures shown.

Frequently Asked Questions about Horizon Middle School

What high school do graduates of Horizon Middle School attend?

Students who attend Horizon Middle School usually go on to attend Century High School

Is Horizon Middle School a good school?

Horizon Middle School ranks 17^th of 59 North Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Horizon Middle School in?

Bismarck 1

What is the racial makeup of Horizon Middle School?

Students at Horizon Middle School are 79% White, 6% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 3% American Indian, 2% African American, 2% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend Horizon Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,124 students attended Horizon Middle School.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

About North Dakota Assessment Data: To protect student privacy, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction reports assessment results as percentage ranges rather than exact values. SchoolDigger calculates proficiency rates using midpoint imputation, which uses the center value of each reported range. For example, a reported range of 20-29% is represented as 24.5%. As a result, the proficiency rates shown may vary by approximately ±5 percentage points from actual values. This variance is most significant for individual grade/subject combinations and diminishes when data is aggregated across multiple grades or subjects.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.