Enrollment
29
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Lenoir, NC
Horizons Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Horizons Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 70/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370058002571
👥 S:T ratio 91
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 88
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Horizons Elementary earns 70/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina.
- #1 of 13
- public schools in Lenoir · Resource Index
- 70
- Resource Index · Higher
- 2.2:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 86.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Horizons Elementary has class sizes smaller than 99% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Horizons Elementary ranks #1 of 13 public schools in Lenoir, NC.
School address
District: Caldwell County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370058002571 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
2.2:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-86% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Horizons Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Horizons Elementary
Horizons Elementary is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Lenoir, North Carolina, enrolling 29 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 2.2:1, Horizons Elementary is leaner than roughly 99% of North Carolina schools and 86% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 86.4% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 99% of North Carolina schools, with 29 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 19 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #6.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 58 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Its district draws 26.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Lenoir's elementary schools, it stands alongside Oak Hill Charter School (253 students): Horizons Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (2.2:1 vs 21.1:1).
Caldwell County Schools also operates South Caldwell High (1,272 students) and Hibriten High (818 students) alongside Horizons 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 Horizons Elementary compares
Horizons Elementary on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 2.2:1 | ▼ 86% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.4% | ▲ 31% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 29 | top 99% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
2.2:1
Leaner classes than 100% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
29
Bigger than 4% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% above the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
2.2:1
students per teacher
- 86% below state mean
Top 1% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 100% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$11,644
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.9 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 72.4%
Hispanic or Latino 13.8%
African American 10.3%
Two or More 3.4%
Largest group: White at 72.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.5, Horizons Elementary is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caldwell County Schools, which includes Horizons Elementary.
$11,644
Per student
-3%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.5%
State 57.4%
Federal 26.1%
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 Horizons Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Caldwell High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hibriten High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hudson Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Granite Falls Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Caldwell High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Horizons Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,272
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 818
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 665
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 647
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 634
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar elementary schools in Lenoir
1 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 North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~29 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Horizons Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Horizons Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Caldwell County 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 Horizons Elementary
How many students attend Horizons Elementary?
Horizons Elementary has 29 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Lenoir, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Horizons Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Horizons Elementary is 2.2:1, which is 86% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 86% 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 Horizons Elementary?
86.4% of students at Horizons Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Horizons Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Horizons Elementary is White at 72.4% of enrollment, in Lenoir, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Horizons Elementary?
Horizons Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 70/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Horizons Elementary rank among public schools in Lenoir?
By Resource Investment Index, Horizons Elementary ranks #1 of 13 public schools in Lenoir, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Lenoir on the city page.
Is Horizons Elementary a good school?
Horizons Elementary earns 70/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina. 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 Caldwell County Schools?
Besides Horizons Elementary, Caldwell County Schools also operates South Caldwell High (1,272 students), Hibriten High (818 students), and Hudson Elementary (665 students). See the Caldwell County 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.