Enrollment
2,158
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Moorhead, MN
Horizon Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Horizon Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 272142003512
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Horizon Middle School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota.
- #4 of 5
- elementary schools in Moorhead · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.1:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 42.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Horizon Middle School has class sizes larger than 75% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Horizon Middle School ranks #4 of 5 elementary schools in Moorhead, MN.
School address
District: Moorhead Area Public Schools · Minnesota
NCES ID 272142003512 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
119.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.1:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Horizon Middle School compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Horizon Middle School
Horizon Middle School is a large elementary school in Moorhead, Minnesota, enrolling 2,158 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 42.0% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 99% of state schools at 2,158 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 34 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #9.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and African American (13%) (diversity index 54/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 540 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 15.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Moorhead Area Public Schools also operates Moorhead High School (2,122 students) and S.G. Reinertsen Elementary (719 students) alongside Horizon Middle School.
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 Middle School compares
Horizon Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.1:1 | ▲ 15% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.0% | ▼ 2% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,158 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.1:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
2,158
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.1:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 75% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,257
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 540 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 65.2%
African American 12.9%
Hispanic or Latino 11.6%
Two or More 5.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.2%
Asian 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 65.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.0, Horizon Middle School is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Moorhead Area Public Schools, which includes Horizon Middle School.
$14,257
Per student
-7%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.3%
State 64.8%
Federal 15.9%
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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moorhead High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| S.G. Reinertsen Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dorothy Dodds Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ellen Hopkins Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Robert Asp Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Horizon Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,122
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 719
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 625
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 616
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 580
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~2,158 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Horizon Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Horizon Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Moorhead Area Public Schools'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 Middle School
How many students attend Horizon Middle School?
Horizon Middle School has 2,158 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Moorhead, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Horizon Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Horizon Middle School is 18.1:1, which is 15% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Horizon Middle School?
42.0% of students at Horizon Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Horizon Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Horizon Middle School is White at 65.2% of enrollment, in Moorhead, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Horizon Middle School?
Horizon Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Middle School rank among elementary schools in Moorhead?
By Resource Investment Index, Horizon Middle School ranks #4 of 5 elementary schools in Moorhead, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Moorhead on the city page.
Is Horizon Middle School a good school?
Horizon Middle School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota. 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 Moorhead Area Public Schools?
Besides Horizon Middle School, Moorhead Area Public Schools also operates Moorhead High School (2,122 students), S.G. Reinertsen Elementary (719 students), and Dorothy Dodds Elementary School (625 students). See the Moorhead Area Public Schools 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.