Horizons Elementary

Located at 4601 67th Ave SE, in Lacey, Washington, Horizons Elementary is a sizable elementary school that teaches 580 students (grades K through 5), part of North Thurston Public Schools. That puts it 53% larger than the typical public school in Washington, which averages around 380 students.

Within North Thurston Public Schools, which oversees 24 schools and 15,167 students, Horizons Elementary is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Horizons Elementary shows that the most-represented group is White (45%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school reports 22% Hispanic, 19% multiracial, 6% Black, 6% Asian. By comparison, Thurston County as a whole is about 72% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Horizons Elementary has 32 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 17.9:1. That tracks the state average closely. An estimated 39% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Horizons Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 54.2%; this one delivers 53.5%.

In the broader community, census data for Thurston County shows the typical household earns roughly $96,563 per year, roughly 39% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Thurston County runs 86 public schools (combined enrollment of about 44,412 students), of which Horizons Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Chambers Prairie Elementary School, roughly 0.9 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Horizons Elementary at 5th of 8; the average score across the group is 53.4%.

Geographically, the school is in a downtown area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count expanded 9%: 530 students in 2018 compared to 580 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 56% to 45% across the same window. Class-load math has rose: from 14.6:1 in 2018 to 17.9:1 in 2025.

On this page, the feed for Horizons Elementary typically covers fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.