Horizon Elementary

As a mid-tier elementary-level community in McFarland, California, Horizon Elementary hosts 542 students from grades K through 6, part of McFarland Unified.

Horizon Elementary is one of 7 schools operated by McFarland Unified, a district that hosts 3,282 students overall.

On the student-mix side, Horizon Elementary records that nearly all students (97%) are Hispanic; the rest consists of 2% Asian. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 57%.

On the income-and-resources front, Horizon Elementary shows 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 26.4:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 22.3:1 average. About 88% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is higher than Kern County's rate of about 76%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Horizon Elementary performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 27.2%, the actual is 37.3%, a residual of +10.1 points.

In the area at large, Kern County reports that median household income runs about $70,210, roughly 19% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 15%. Across Kern County's 279 public schools (combined enrollment of about 197,431 students), Horizon Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is McFarland Junior High, roughly 0.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 6 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Horizon Elementary at 2nd of 7; the average score across the group is 28.2%.

Horizon Elementary operates from a town-center location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged up 4%: 521 students in 2018 compared to 542 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.