Enrollment
542
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mcfarland, CA
Horizon Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Horizon Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062423013991
👥 S:T ratio 2
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Horizon Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Mcfarland · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 24.6:1
- large classes for California
- 74.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Horizon Elementary has class sizes larger than 76% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Horizon Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Mcfarland, CA.
School address
District: Mcfarland Unified · California
NCES ID 062423013991 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Horizon Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Horizon Elementary
Horizon Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Mcfarland, California, enrolling 542 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 24.6:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 542 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 2,207 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #866.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 542 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Mcfarland Unified also operates Mcfarland High School Early College (1,027 students) and Kern Avenue Elementary (700 students) alongside Horizon Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Horizon Elementary compares
Horizon Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 24.6:1 | ▲ 14% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.8% | ▲ 35% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 542 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24.6:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
542
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
24.6:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 76% in California - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
10.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$14,602
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 542 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 97.4%
Asian 2.0%
White 0.4%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.1, Horizon Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcfarland Unified, which includes Horizon Elementary.
$14,602
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.1%
State 63.9%
Federal 18.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Horizon Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mcfarland High School Early College | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kern Avenue Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mcfarland Junior High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Browning Road Steam Academy | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| San Joaquin High (Continuation) | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Horizon Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,027
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 700
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 494
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 453
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 43
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~542 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~24.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Horizon Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Horizon Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Mcfarland Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Horizon Elementary
How many students attend Horizon Elementary?
Horizon Elementary has 542 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mcfarland, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Horizon Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Horizon Elementary is 24.6:1, which is 14% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 57% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Horizon Elementary?
74.8% of students at Horizon Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Horizon Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Horizon Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 97.4% of enrollment, in Mcfarland, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Horizon Elementary?
Horizon Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Horizon Elementary rank among elementary schools in Mcfarland?
By Resource Investment Index, Horizon Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Mcfarland, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Mcfarland on the city page.
Is Horizon Elementary a good school?
Horizon Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Mcfarland Unified?
Besides Horizon Elementary, Mcfarland Unified also operates Mcfarland High School Early College (1,027 students), Kern Avenue Elementary (700 students), and Mcfarland Junior High (494 students). See the Mcfarland Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.