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Schools›Nebraska›KEARNEY
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 317239001104

HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL

915 W 35TH ST, KEARNEY, NE 68845 · (308) 698-8120 · Buffalo County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE32-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL648 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 57% of Nebraska public middle schools
  • BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • C+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.

Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Nebraska public middle schools

Enrollment
648
Middle
DISTRICT 592 · STATE 411
Student : Teacher
15.0:1
43 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.6:1 · STATE 14.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
29%
188 students
DISTRICT 32% · STATE 37%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 621834%
Grade 721934%
Grade 821133%
Student demographics
36%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 39% · STATE 57% · US 70%
White
50979%
DISTRICT 76% · STATE 61% · US 43%
Hispanic
10416%
DISTRICT 17% · STATE 23% · US 30%
Black
81%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 7% · US 15%
Asian
51%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 3% · US 6%
Two+
132%
DISTRICT 3% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Native American
51%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 1% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
41%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
34253%
Female
30647%

School pathway

Students here typically continue to
HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL→KEARNEY HIGH SCHOOL
Based on grade levels within KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.

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Test scores

NSCAS 2024-25 . % On Track + Advanced
English Language Arts
63.2%
NE avg 57.6%
Math
66.0%
NE avg 60.6%

What this means: On the NSCAS, Nebraska's statewide test, about 63 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 66 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Nebraska schools, those numbers are about 58 and 61.

Source: NSCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
62.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
66.2%
based on NE schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.9pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 62% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 66% typical for Nebraska schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Nebraska's top nor bottom 10%.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Schools most like HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL

HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL's state test result (62.3% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL this school64829.0%62.3%
PLATTSMOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL
PLATTSMOUTH
38634.7%55.2%
PAPILLION MIDDLE SCHOOL
PAPILLION
63525.0%61.0%
C L JONES MIDDLE SCHOOL
MINDEN
28329.3%58.4%
GERALD OTTE BLAIR MIDDLE SCH
BLAIR
48122.0%65.9%
AURORA MIDDLE SCHOOL
AURORA
25630.5%60.0%
Matched among Nebraska middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL ranks

Among middle schools
MeasureThis schoolIn Nebraska
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
62.3%#36 of 86
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
66.0%#36 of 108
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
63.2%#38 of 109
Enrollment
ranked largest first
648#44 of 143
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
15.0:1#58 of 88
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
35.7%#61 of 88
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
29.0%#56 of 88
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+5.7%#21 of 32
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

4-year change

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
648
+23 (+4%) vs 2020
+6% since 1990-91, when it was 610
Student : Teacher
15.0:1
was 15.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2564843.115.0:129% (188)
2023-2463141.115.3:136% (225)
2022-2361941.215.0:135% (216)
2020-216254015.6:135% (221)
2017-1861340.215.3:138% (236)
2015-165784014.4:140% (230)
2010-115494013.7:135% (193)
2000-014833812.7:135% (171)
1990-916104114.9:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL.

Since 2017-18: students up 6% (613 to 648); teachers up 7% (40.2 to 43.1).

About HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL

HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL is the name of a high-enrollment middle school in KEARNEY, Nebraska. The school offers grades 6 through 8 and enrolls 648 students. The school is 58% above the average for middle schools in Nebraska.

HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL is part of a district of 15 schools: KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, with 6,066 students.

White students are 79% of those enrolled at HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL. Other reported shares: 16% Hispanic and 2% multiracial. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 36%.

The school's 43.1 full-time-equivalent teachers translate to a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.0:1. It is about the same as the 14.5:1 average for middle schools in Nebraska. At HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL, 29% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25.

HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL earns a B on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 57% of Nebraska public middle schools.

After adjusting for student poverty, HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL lands between the top and bottom 10% of Nebraska schools. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 62.3%; the prediction is 66.2%.

For Buffalo County, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $75,911 a year, 34% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Buffalo County number 28, with about 8,449 students.

HANNY ARRAM CENTER is about 0.4 miles from HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL, the shortest distance to any other public school. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL places 3rd of 6 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.

NCES describes the area around HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL as Town: Distant, meaning in a town some distance from an urbanized area.

Enrollment rose 4% over 4 years, reaching 648 in 2024-25.

The allk12 page for HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL lets the school community talk about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. You can also rate the school on this page.

Buffalo County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
50,579
Census ACS
Median income
$75,911
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
28
8,449 students

Quick facts

School name
HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL
District
KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Address
915 W 35TH ST, KEARNEY, NE 68845
Phone
(308) 698-8120
County
Buffalo County
Level
Middle
Grade range
06–08
Total enrollment
648
Teachers (FTE)
43
Student–teacher ratio
15.0:1
Free and reduced lunch
188 (29%)
Locale
32-Town: Distant
NCES ID
317239001104
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Other schools in KEARNEY
Other Horizon Middle schools

8 other US public schools in 7 states are named Horizon Middle. HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL is the 7th largest of the 9.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL
How large is HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL?
HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL enrolls approximately 648 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL serve?
HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL?
Approximately 15.0:1 students per teacher at HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL.
How diverse is HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL?
HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL reports a student body of 79% White, 16% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Who oversees HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL?
HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL is overseen by KEARNEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS in Buffalo County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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