HORIZON ACADEMY AT MARION OAKS

HORIZON ACADEMY AT MARION OAKS is one of the large intermediate schools in OCALA, Florida, run under MARION, with 1,260 students on its rolls from grades 6 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 59% above the state mean of about 794.

HORIZON ACADEMY AT MARION OAKS is one of 62 schools operated by MARION, a district that teaches 46,349 students overall.

On demographics, HORIZON ACADEMY AT MARION OAKS lists that the largest single group is Hispanic at 51%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 24% Black, 19% White, 5% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 17% Hispanic, putting the school's mix noticeably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, HORIZON ACADEMY AT MARION OAKS has 63 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 20.0:1. The state averages about 19.6:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. An estimated 60% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), HORIZON ACADEMY AT MARION OAKS performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 51.0%, the actual is 40.6%, a residual of -10.4 points.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Marion County put median household income runs about $61,010, about 23% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. HORIZON ACADEMY AT MARION OAKS is one of 68 public schools in Marion County (combined enrollment of about 46,349 students).

The closest other public school is SUNRISE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, roughly 0.4 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around HORIZON ACADEMY AT MARION OAKS. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), HORIZON ACADEMY AT MARION OAKS ranks 6th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 45.6%.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Trend over the last 7 years. HORIZON ACADEMY AT MARION OAKS's enrollment has climbed 58% since 2018, when it stood at 796 (now 1,260). Over the same period, the Hispanic share climbed from 38% to 51%. Class-load math has widened: from 18.1:1 in 2018 to 20.0:1 in 2025.

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