Horizon Science Academy Des Moines

As a cozy primary school in Des Moines, Iowa, Horizon Science Academy Des Moines serves 150 students from grades pre-K through 4, part of Charter Organization: Concept Schools. Compared to the state average of about 325 students per school, that is 54% leaner than typical.

Horizon Science Academy Des Moines sits inside Charter Organization: Concept Schools, the local public-school operator responsible for the campus.

Demographically, Horizon Science Academy Des Moines reports that the largest single group is White at 45%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 27% Black, 14% Hispanic, 13% multiracial. By comparison, Polk County as a whole is about 76% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, Horizon Science Academy Des Moines lists 8 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 18.7:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.7:1, putting Horizon Science Academy Des Moines higher than the state norm the norm. About 79% 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 Polk County's rate of about 49%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Horizon Science Academy Des Moines tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 52.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 54.7%.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Polk County indicate the typical household earns roughly $83,576 per year, roughly 40% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Polk County's 137 public schools (combined enrollment of about 77,436 students), Horizon Science Academy Des Moines is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Perkins Elementary School, roughly 0.5 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Horizon Science Academy Des Moines ranks 6th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 57.9%.

Horizon Science Academy Des Moines operates from an inner-city location. As a public charter, Horizon Science Academy Des Moines runs on public funding but with greater curricular and operational autonomy than a typical district school.

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