Enrollment
613
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Johnston, IA
Horizon Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Horizon Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 191545000653
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Horizon Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools.
- #3 of 4
- elementary schools in Johnston · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 30.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Horizon Elementary has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Horizon Elementary ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Johnston, IA.
School address
District: Johnston Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191545000653 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.4%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Horizon Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Horizon Elementary
Horizon Elementary is a large elementary school in Johnston, Iowa, enrolling 613 students.
At 14.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Iowa median, within a few percentage points of the 14.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 30.4% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 613 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 245 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #155.
Its student body is led by White (57%) and African American (16%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 613 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
17.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Johnston's elementary schools, it stands alongside Timber Ridge Elementary (667 students): Horizon Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.3:1 vs 14.5:1).
Johnston Comm School District also operates Johnston Senior High School (1,820 students) and Johnston Middle School (1,161 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 Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.3:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.4% | ▼ 16% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 613 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
613
Bigger than 74% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 56% in Iowa - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
17.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,756
per pupil, district-wide
- below Iowa avg of $12,854
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 613 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 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
White 56.8%
African American 15.5%
Hispanic or Latino 11.7%
Asian 10.0%
Two or More 5.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 56.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.7, Horizon Elementary is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Johnston Comm School District, which includes Horizon Elementary.
$11,756
Per student
-9%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.6%
State 45.8%
Federal 7.6%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnston Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Johnston Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Summit Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Henry a Wallace Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Timber Ridge Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar 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
- 1,820
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,161
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,118
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 840
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 667
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar elementary schools in Johnston
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Iowa, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~613 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Horizon Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Horizon Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Johnston Comm School District'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 613 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Johnston, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Horizon Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Horizon Elementary is 14.3:1, which is 3% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Horizon Elementary?
30.4% of students at Horizon Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Horizon Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Horizon Elementary is White at 56.8% of enrollment, in Johnston, IA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Horizon Elementary?
Horizon Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical 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 Johnston?
By Resource Investment Index, Horizon Elementary ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Johnston, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Johnston on the city page.
Is Horizon Elementary a good school?
Horizon Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa 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 Johnston Comm School District?
Besides Horizon Elementary, Johnston Comm School District also operates Johnston Senior High School (1,820 students), Johnston Middle School (1,161 students), and Summit Middle School (1,118 students). See the Johnston Comm School District 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.