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Horizon Middle School

Q: Is Horizon Middle School a good school?

Horizon Middle School ranks 318 th of 534 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

318^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 534 Washington Middle Schools

Better than 40% of Washington middle schools

Summary

Horizon Middle School is a public school serving 433 students in grades 6-8 within the Ferndale School District in Washington, a district ranked in the lower half statewide.

Academically, the school's test scores in English, math, and science are below state averages, with math being a particular area of concern as proficiency tends to drop from 6th to 8th grade. The school serves a population with significant economic need, with over half of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. A notable finding is that despite spending more per student ($20,342) than many nearby schools, these resources have not translated into higher academic performance compared to peers. For example, Fairhaven Middle School and Kulshan Middle School in the higher-ranked Bellingham School District spend less per student but achieve significantly higher results.

Within its own district, Horizon's performance lags behind its sister school, Vista Middle School, despite both schools having very similar class sizes and student demographics, suggesting factors like teaching methods or leadership may influence outcomes. The school faces a significant challenge in effectively serving its special education students, where it ranks very low compared to other Washington schools. Parents may want to inquire about the school's specific plans for improving math instruction and special education support, as these are identified areas for growth.

433

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,342

Per pupil spending ?

55.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2671 Thornton Road
Ferndale, WA 98248

(360) 383-9850

District: Ferndale School District

Students who attend Horizon Middle School usually attend:

High:

Ferndale High School

Feeder schools for Horizon Middle School:

Elementary:	Custer Elementary
	Eagleridge Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.8%

Hispanic:

23.3%

American Indian:

9.9%

See top rated Washington middle schools

Compare Horizon Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 68th percentile in 2013 → 40th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (39% vs 48% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 28 percentile points since 2013

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg43%

Washington avg48%

318^th of 534

Washington public middle schools ?

Bottom 40%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 34% (2015) to bottom 40% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Ferndale School District

168^th of 247Ferndale School District among Washington 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	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	38.0	318 of 534	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.3	375 of 535	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.5	364 of 539	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.4	328 of 541	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.0	349 of 529	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.7	320 of 512	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	36.2	285 of 435	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	40.8	261 of 443	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.6	292 of 445	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	66.0	160 of 498	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	60.2	182 of 497	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	63.1	158 of 492	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	54.2	220 of 483	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	59.7	172 of 476	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	53.2	211 of 466	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	47.0	251 of 463	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	63.5	144 of 449	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	77.1	80 of 425	81.2%	★★★★☆
2004	51.7	210 of 421	50.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2018	48.4	48 of 135	64.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	35.2	310 of 471	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.0	337 of 464	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.8	295 of 464	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.0	277 of 479	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.9	296 of 469	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.2	256 of 452	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.7	261 of 376	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	42.4	187 of 347	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.2	215 of 344	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.0	213 of 336	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.4	142 of 360	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.3	180 of 353	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.4	258 of 344	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.0	236 of 259	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	45.0	242 of 457	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.0	283 of 455	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.0	309 of 463	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.2	330 of 475	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.3	338 of 458	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.5	258 of 448	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.8	248 of 349	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	38.8	289 of 472	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.1	327 of 466	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.5	349 of 470	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.1	320 of 480	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.9	314 of 476	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.1	306 of 453	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	254 of 371	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	52.6	106 of 246	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.8	142 of 244	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.4	140 of 257	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.3	127 of 246	48.4%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2019	35.8	9 of 15	40.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.3	3 of 12	75.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	19.0	154 of 179	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.4	114 of 210	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.5	192 of 231	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.0	198 of 268	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	45.0	259 of 488	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.6	345 of 486	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.8	347 of 488	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.6	306 of 488	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.5	309 of 480	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.9	253 of 470	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.1	198 of 325	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2018)64th percentile

Multi-racial (2025)57th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)47th percentile+7 vs school

White (2025)47th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)46th percentile+6 vs school

Native American (2019)40th percentile~ school

Male (2025)39th percentile~ school

Female (2025)34th percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2024)14th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts44%-9 vs state

Science40%-9 vs state

Math33%-9 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)				WCAS Science (2025)		SBAC English Language Arts (2025)				SBAC Math (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	WCAS Science 8th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 6th Grade	SBAC Math 7th Grade	SBAC Math 8th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Horizon Middle School	Public	6-8	2671 Thornton Road	Ferndale	98248	Whatcom County	Ferndale School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 383-9850	433	25	17.1	55.4%	233 (53.8%)	6 (1.4%)	101 (23.3%)	13 (3.0%)	43 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (8.5%)	38	318^th of 534 public middle schools	40.4%		29.3	375^th of 535 public middle schools	29.9%	57	40.6	40.3	41.9	39.7	51.8	44.4	40.6	28.3	29.5	33.3	$20,342	$1,599	$18,743
Vista Middle School	Public	6-8	6051 Vista Drive	Ferndale	98248	Whatcom County	Ferndale School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 383-9370	550	32	17.1	55.6%	277 (50.4%)	12 (2.2%)	136 (24.7%)	32 (5.8%)	34 (6.2%)	8 (1.5%)	51 (9.3%)	45.4	274^th of 534 public middle schools	48.7%		55.2	216^th of 535 public middle schools	59.6%	58	40.9	40.9	47.0	52.4	50.3	49.8	34.8	38.0	33.7	35.5	$19,184	$1,383	$17,801
Shuksan Middle School	Public	6-8	2717 Alderwood Ave	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6454	606	36	16.7	52.1%	318 (52.5%)	12 (2.0%)	186 (30.7%)	25 (4.1%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	57 (9.4%)	38	320^th of 534 public middle schools	40.1%		32.2	358^th of 535 public middle schools	33.1%	38	48.5	48.5	45.0	42.9	46.4	44.7	28.7	30.1	31.1	29.9	$19,715	$1,712	$18,003
Meridian Middle School	Public	6-8	861 Ten Mile Road	Lynden	98264	Whatcom County	Meridian School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 398-2291	350	22	16.2	53.1%	208 (59.4%)	2 (0.6%)	88 (25.1%)	25 (7.1%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.6%)	58.8	199^th of 534 public middle schools	62.7%		44.5	280^th of 535 public middle schools	47.7%	81	52.5	52.5	58.5	55.3	53.3	55.6	45.3	36.5	38.7	40.2	$18,417	$364	$18,052
Whatcom Middle School	Public	6-8	810 Halleck St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6460	637	34	18.5	42.4%	375 (58.9%)	6 (0.9%)	133 (20.9%)	48 (7.5%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (9.6%)	72.7	119^th of 534 public middle schools	77.7%		65.7	165^th of 535 public middle schools	69.2%	46	52.3	52.3	49.5	63.9	63.7	59.1	51.8	55.9	52.4	53.4	$17,842	$320	$17,522
Blaine Middle School	Public	6-8	975 H Street	Blaine	98230	Whatcom County	Blaine School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 332-8226	471	23	20.3	46.1%	298 (63.3%)	6 (1.3%)	104 (22.1%)	26 (5.5%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	31 (6.6%)	40.1	307^th of 534 public middle schools	42.5%		37	321^st of 535 public middle schools	40.0%	14	40.3	40.3	35.4	45.8	49.7	43.2	30.1	38.6	39.7	35.9	$17,958	$615	$17,342
Fairhaven Middle School	Public	6-8	110 Park Ridge Rd	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6450	588	32	18.1	40.8%	393 (66.8%)	8 (1.4%)	91 (15.5%)	33 (5.6%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	55 (9.4%)	80.2	93^rd of 534 public middle schools	82.6%		86.5	65^th of 535 public middle schools	87.9%	28	69.2	69.2	59.9	64.6	64.2	63.0	46.7	59.1	59.4	55.3	$17,779	$314	$17,465
Lynden Middle School	Public	6-8	8750 Line Rd	Lynden	98264	Whatcom County	Lynden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 354-2952	705	37	18.9	47.5%	419 (59.4%)	6 (0.9%)	210 (29.8%)	41 (5.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.8%)	45	276^th of 534 public middle schools	48.3%		45.9	270^th of 535 public middle schools	49.5%	6	41.4	41.4	56.1	47.4	45.1	49.6	42.3	32.8	30.8	35.3	$15,117	$657	$14,461
Kulshan Middle School	Public	6-8	1250 Kenoyer Dr	Bellingham	98229	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-4886	575	33	17.6	28.7%	422 (73.4%)	4 (0.7%)	73 (12.7%)	13 (2.3%)	4 (0.7%)	3 (0.5%)	54 (9.4%)	81.5	90^th of 534 public middle schools	83.1%		87	62^nd of 535 public middle schools	88.4%	28	66.0	66.0	62.4	75.6	65.4	67.5	42.9	65.9	53.2	53.5	$18,256	$607	$17,649
Nooksack Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	404 W. Columbia St.	Everson	98247	Whatcom County	Nooksack Valley School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 966-7561	469	25	18.7	58.4%	248 (52.9%)	1 (0.2%)	175 (37.3%)	4 (0.9%)	18 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.7%)	44.2	280^th of 534 public middle schools	47.6%		43	292^nd of 535 public middle schools	45.4%	12	42.0	42.0	36.8	37.5	49.3	41.0	50.3	30.6	46.4	42.0	$16,808	$696	$16,112

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 Ferndale High School

Is Horizon Middle School a good school?

Horizon Middle School ranks 318^th of 534 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Horizon Middle School?

Students at Horizon Middle School are 54% White, 23% Hispanic, 10% American Indian, 9% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% African American.

What district is Horizon Middle School in?

Ferndale School District

How many students attend Horizon Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 433 students attended Horizon Middle School.

Rate Horizon Middle School!

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Schools in Ferndale, WA

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction.

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.