Is Horizon Middle School a good school?

Horizon Middle School ranks 4 th of 24 North Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Horizon Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,044 students attended Horizon Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Horizon Middle School?

Students at Horizon Middle School are 82% White, 5% Two or more races, 5% American Indian, 3% Hispanic, 2% African American, 2% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

What high school do graduates of Horizon Middle School attend?

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

Horizon Middle School

Summary:

Horizon Middle School is a public middle school located in Bismarck, North Dakota, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 1,044 students. The school is part of the Bismarck 1 School District, which is ranked 9th out of 20 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Horizon Middle School consistently outperforms the state and district averages in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas, with 46% of students proficient or better in mathematics and 58% proficient or better in reading, compared to 41% and 45% for the state, respectively. The school has a strong statewide ranking, placing 4th out of 24 middle schools in North Dakota and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. Horizon also excels in the performance of specific student groups, ranking 2nd out of 19 ND middle schools for female students and 3rd out of 19 for male students, both earning 4- or 5-star ratings. Additionally, Horizon Middle School ranks 1st out of 2 ND middle schools for military-connected students, earning a 5-star rating.

While Horizon Middle School has a relatively low dropout rate, its chronic absenteeism rate has increased from 5% in 2019-2020 to 12% in 2022-2023, which is an area the school may want to address. Nonetheless, Horizon outperforms the nearby Wachter Middle School and Simle Middle School, both of which are also part of the Bismarck 1 School District, in terms of academic performance and statewide rankings. This suggests that Horizon Middle School may have more effective teaching and learning practices in place, which may be attributed to the school's steady increase in per-student spending, from $9,575 in 2018-2019 to $11,434 in 2021-2022.

Detail:

Public 6-8

500 Ash Coulee Dr
Bismarck, ND 58503

(701) 323-4550

District: Bismarck 1

SchoolDigger Rank:
4^th of 24 North Dakota Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,434

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

Student/teacher ratio: 13.8

Number of students: 1,044

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.7%

Two or more races:

5.5%

American Indian:

4.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 14.2%

See top rated North Dakota middle schools

Compare Horizon Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Horizon Middle School ranks better than 83.3% of middle schools in North Dakota. It also ranks first among 3 ranked middle schools in the Bismarck 1 School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 78.17. (See more...)

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Horizon Middle School has the largest middle school student body size in the Bismarck 1 School District. Racial makeup is: White (81.7%), two or more races (5.5%), American Indian (4.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 14.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Horizon Middle School is 13.8, which is the lowest among 4 middle schools in the Bismarck 1 School District! (See more...)

Compare Horizon Middle School employs 75.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Horizon Middle School is $11,434. 2 middle schools in the Bismarck 1 School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Horizon Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Horizon Middle School 4^th of 24 North Dakota public middle schools. (See Horizon Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Bismarck 1:

SchoolDigger ranks Bismarck 1 9^th of 20 North Dakota school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Horizon Middle School?

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Rank History for Horizon Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Horizon Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ND State Percentile
2012	74.91	14^th	124	88.7%
2013	75.43	18^th	135	86.7%
2014	71.64	26^th	136	80.9%
2015	74.72	15^th	109	86.2%
2016	76.68	17^th	116	85.3%
2017	71.65	7^th	32	78.1%
2018	79.98	2^nd	21	90.5%
2019	67.28	6^th	23	73.9%
2021	64.43	10^th	24	58.3%
2022	80.65	2^nd	28	92.9%
2023	78.36	4^th	27	85.2%
2024	78.17	4^th	24	83.3%

See the entire list of North Dakota Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Female students at Horizon Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ND State Percentile
2018	85.90	4^th	17	76.5%
2019	69.78	6^th	17	64.7%
2021	76.45	4^th	17	76.5%
2022	91.25	1^st	19	94.7%
2023	91.44	1^st	20	95.0%
2024	84.93	2^nd	19	89.5%

See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Horizon Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ND State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	62.83	1^st	2	50.0%

See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Horizon Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ND State Percentile
2018	85.00	2^nd	17	88.2%
2019	58.58	9^th	18	50.0%
2021	65.74	8^th	18	55.6%
2022	87.41	2^nd	20	90.0%
2023	82.87	3^rd	20	85.0%
2024	79.83	3^rd	19	84.2%

See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Horizon Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ND State Percentile
2018	72.65	5^th	18	72.2%
2019	53.26	11^th	21	47.6%
2021	59.87	10^th	22	54.5%
2022	70.33	3^rd	25	88.0%
2023	69.78	5^th	25	80.0%
2024	67.23	6^th	23	73.9%

See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: North Dakota Department of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Horizon Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	792	0	7	1	11	n/a	n/a	811
1989	776	2	11	2	12	n/a	n/a	803
1990	745	0	12	1	14	n/a	n/a	772
1991	749	0	12	2	18	n/a	n/a	781
1992	823	1	10	2	15	n/a	n/a	851
1993	837	2	8	2	26	n/a	n/a	875
1994	828	3	4	3	19	n/a	n/a	857
1995	811	2	5	5	16	n/a	n/a	839
1996	811	2	5	5	16	n/a	n/a	839
1997	814	4	8	8	18	n/a	n/a	852
1998	820	1	13	8	21	n/a	n/a	863
1999	790	3	9	7	25	n/a	n/a	834
2000	762	4	7	6	26	n/a	n/a	805
2001	712	3	6	1	26	n/a	n/a	748
2002	786	3	10	0	17	n/a	n/a	816
2003	786	3	10	0	17	n/a	n/a	816
2004	795	0	10	3	25	n/a	n/a	833
2005	766	10	9	2	19	n/a	n/a	806
2006	761	11	10	3	21	n/a	n/a	806
2007	757	5	9	4	23	n/a	n/a	798
2008	783	2	9	9	26	n/a	n/a	829
2009	821	5	14	10	32	n/a	n/a	882
2010	808	3	15	11	33	n/a	n/a	870
2011	845	1	10	0	31	6	11	904
2012	801	6	8	6	27	2	5	855
2013	832	6	9	7	27	2	4	887
2014	809	7	20	13	30	2	6	887
2015	826	8	23	21	27	3	9	917
2016	824	24	20	22	26	2	16	934
2017	841	26	23	34	28	5	29	986
2018	852	33	28	36	37	1	47	1034
2019	896	38	26	32	42	0	50	1084
2020	929	37	19	33	46	1	52	1117
2021	875	42	14	28	50	4	45	1058
2022	869	34	14	30	54	10	54	1065
2023	853	26	18	28	49	13	57	1044

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Horizon Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	811	32.4	25.0	n/a
1989	803	32.4	24.7	n/a
1990	772	30.9	24.9	n/a
1991	781	28.6	27.3	n/a
1992	851	37.0	23.0	7.3
1993	875	41.8	20.9	8.3
1994	857	42.9	20.0	8.9
1995	839	39.1	21.5	6.7
1996	839	39.1	21.5	6.7
1997	852	43.8	19.5	6
1998	863	48.3	17.9	6.6
1999	834	49.2	17.0	5.5
2000	805	49.7	16.2	10.1
2001	748	50.1	14.9	11
2002	816	54.1	15.1	9.3
2003	816	54.1	15.1	9.3
2004	833	56.2	14.8	9.4
2005	806	53.7	15.0	12.2
2006	806	53.2	15.2	11
2007	798	54.1	14.8	9.3
2008	829	52.6	15.8	10.6
2009	882	57.1	15.4	10.9
2010	870	64.3	13.5	12.6
2011	904	66.9	13.4	10.6
2012	855	65.3	13.0	12.6
2013	887	67.3	13.1	10.7
2014	887	62.6	14.1	10.8
2015	917	64.0	14.3	11.6
2016	934	68.0	13.7	12.6
2017	986	68.0	14.5	15.2
2018	1034	62.4	16.5	14.3
2019	1084	66.7	16.2	14
2020	1117	70.4	15.8	14.6
2021	1058	65.2	16.2	12.1
2022	1065	68.0	15.6	8.9
2023	1044	75.2	13.8	14.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Horizon Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	811	32.4	25.0	n/a
1989	803	32.4	24.7	n/a
1990	772	30.9	24.9	n/a
1991	781	28.6	27.3	n/a
1992	851	37.0	23.0	7.3
1993	875	41.8	20.9	8.3
1994	857	42.9	20.0	8.9
1995	839	39.1	21.5	6.7
1996	839	39.1	21.5	6.7
1997	852	43.8	19.5	6
1998	863	48.3	17.9	6.6
1999	834	49.2	17.0	5.5
2000	805	49.7	16.2	10.1
2001	748	50.1	14.9	11
2002	816	54.1	15.1	9.3
2003	816	54.1	15.1	9.3
2004	833	56.2	14.8	9.4
2005	806	53.7	15.0	12.2
2006	806	53.2	15.2	11
2007	798	54.1	14.8	9.3
2008	829	52.6	15.8	10.6
2009	882	57.1	15.4	10.9
2010	870	64.3	13.5	12.6
2011	904	66.9	13.4	10.6
2012	855	65.3	13.0	12.6
2013	887	67.3	13.1	10.7
2014	887	62.6	14.1	10.8
2015	917	64.0	14.3	11.6
2016	934	68.0	13.7	12.6
2017	986	68.0	14.5	15.2
2018	1034	62.4	16.5	14.3
2019	1084	66.7	16.2	14
2020	1117	70.4	15.8	14.6
2021	1058	65.2	16.2	12.1
2022	1065	68.0	15.6	8.9
2023	1044	75.2	13.8	14.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Horizon Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$438 (4.6%)	$9,137 (95.4%)	$9,575
2020	$407 (4.0%)	$9,850 (96.0%)	$10,257
2021	$1,184 (10.2%)	$10,407 (89.8%)	$11,591
2022	$1,344 (11.8%)	$10,090 (88.2%)	$11,434

Data source: North Dakota Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Horizon Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 6^th of 23 Middle schools	Ranks 4^th of 27 Middle schools	11.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade Mathematics (Horizon Middle School)	49	50	1%
6th Grade Mathematics (Bismarck 1)	47	43	4%
6th Grade Mathematics (North Dakota)	47	41	6%
6th Grade Reading (Horizon Middle School)	59	58	1%
6th Grade Reading (Bismarck 1)	51	55	4%
6th Grade Reading (North Dakota)	49	50	1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Horizon Middle School)	41	45	4%
7th Grade Mathematics (Bismarck 1)	39	46	7%
7th Grade Mathematics (North Dakota)	40	38	2%
7th Grade Reading (Horizon Middle School)	56	55	1%
7th Grade Reading (Bismarck 1)	49	50	1%
7th Grade Reading (North Dakota)	46	42	4%
8th Grade Mathematics (Horizon Middle School)	47	41	6%
8th Grade Mathematics (Bismarck 1)	45	35	10%
8th Grade Mathematics (North Dakota)	47	35	12%
8th Grade Reading (Horizon Middle School)	55	50	5%
8th Grade Reading (Bismarck 1)	48	48
8th Grade Reading (North Dakota)	51	48	3%
8th Grade Science (Horizon Middle School)	73	53	20%
8th Grade Science (Bismarck 1)	63	48	15%
8th Grade Science (North Dakota)	63	48	15%
All Grades Mathematics (Horizon Middle School)	45	46	1%
All Grades Mathematics (Bismarck 1)	47	45	2%
All Grades Mathematics (North Dakota)	45	39	6%
All Grades Reading (Horizon Middle School)	56	54	2%
All Grades Reading (Bismarck 1)	48	49	1%
All Grades Reading (North Dakota)	47	44	3%
All Grades Science (Horizon Middle School)	73	53	20%
All Grades Science (Bismarck 1)	63	47	16%
All Grades Science (North Dakota)	62	45	17%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	1084	1044	3.7%
African American	38	26	31.6%
American Indian	42	49	16.7%
Asian	26	18	30.8%
Hispanic	32	28	12.5%
Pacific Islander	0	13
White	896	853	4.8%
Two or More Races	50	57	14%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	14%	14.2%	0.2%

Schools Near Horizon Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				NDSA Mathematics (2024)				NDSA Reading (2024)				NDSA Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NDSA Mathematics 6th Grade	NDSA Mathematics 7th Grade	NDSA Mathematics 8th Grade	NDSA Mathematics All Grades	NDSA Reading 6th Grade	NDSA Reading 7th Grade	NDSA Reading 8th Grade	NDSA Reading All Grades	NDSA Science 8th Grade	NDSA 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	1,044	75	13.8	14.2%	853 (81.7%)	26 (2.5%)	28 (2.7%)	18 (1.7%)	49 (4.7%)	13 (1.2%)	57 (5.5%)	78.2	4^th of 24 public middle schools	83.3%		78.4	4^th of 27 public middle schools	85.2%		47.0	45.0	44.0	46.0	62.0	58.0	53.0	58.0	54.0	54.0	$11,434	$1,344	$10,090
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)											$3,576	$1,544	$2,031
Simle Middle School	Public	6-8	1218 Simle Dr	Bismarck	58501	Burleigh County	Bismarck 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 323-4600	1,040	74	14.1	19.9%	836 (80.4%)	22 (2.1%)	36 (3.5%)	6 (0.6%)	65 (6.3%)	6 (0.6%)	69 (6.6%)	46.5	14^th of 24 public middle schools	41.7%		40.4	15^th of 27 public middle schools	44.4%	1	43.0	47.0	30.0	41.0	55.0	48.0	49.0	51.0	31.0	31.0	$11,895	$1,330	$10,565
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	1,000	71	14.1	30.3%	725 (72.5%)	26 (2.6%)	52 (5.2%)	4 (0.4%)	117 (11.7%)	5 (0.5%)	71 (7.1%)	75	6^th of 24 public middle schools	75.0%		71.8	7^th of 27 public middle schools	74.1%	1	34.0	52.0	49.0	45.0	48.0	61.0	59.0	56.0	62.0	62.0	$11,840	$1,247	$10,593
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	928	61	15.2	30.2%	701 (75.5%)	33 (3.6%)	59 (6.4%)	6 (0.6%)	86 (9.3%)	5 (0.5%)	38 (4.1%)	61.3	8^th of 24 public middle schools	66.7%		36.1	18^th of 27 public middle schools	33.3%	10	42.0	37.0	38.0	39.0	52.0	49.0	56.0	53.0	55.0	55.0	$11,464	$485	$10,978

Horizon Middle School

Horizon Middle School:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Bismarck 1:

What do you think?

Rank History for Horizon Middle School

Rank History for all students at Horizon Middle School

Rank History for Female students at Horizon Middle School

Rank History for Military Connected students at Horizon Middle School

Rank History for Male students at Horizon Middle School

Rank History for White students at Horizon Middle School

Enrollment information for Horizon Middle School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Horizon Middle School

Student/Teacher Ratio Horizon Middle School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Horizon Middle School

Impact of COVID-19 on Horizon Middle School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Horizon Middle School