Enrollment
182
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pleasant Hill, CA
Horizons School: Independent Study
Federal NCES profile for Horizons School: Independent Study, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 062637009946
👥 S:T ratio 57
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Horizons School: Independent Study earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #3 of 13
- public schools in Pleasant Hill · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.7:1
- small classes for California
- 42.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Horizons School: Independent Study has class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Horizons School: Independent Study ranks #3 of 13 public schools in Pleasant Hill, CA.
School address
District: Mt. Diablo Unified · California
NCES ID 062637009946 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Horizons School: Independent Study compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Horizons School: Independent Study
Horizons School: Independent Study is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Pleasant Hill, California, enrolling 182 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.7:1, Horizons School: Independent Study is leaner than roughly 95% of California schools and 50% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 42.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 182 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 362 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #57.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (45%) and White (32%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 260 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Mt. Diablo Unified also operates College Park High (1,948 students) and Northgate High (1,546 students) alongside Horizons School: Independent Study.
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 School: Independent Study compares
Horizons School: Independent Study on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.7:1 | ▼ 50% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.4% | ▼ 24% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 182 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.7:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
182
Bigger than 18% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.7:1
students per teacher
- 50% below state mean
Top 5% in California - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$13,649
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
Counselors0.7 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 44.5%
White 31.9%
Two or More 9.9%
Asian 8.8%
African American 4.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.1, Horizons School: Independent Study is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mt. Diablo Unified, which includes Horizons School: Independent Study.
$13,649
Per student
-17%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.6%
State 43.9%
Federal 9.4%
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 School: Independent Study Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| College Park High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northgate High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mt. Diablo High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Concord High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ygnacio Valley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Horizons School: Independent Study's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,948
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,546
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,397
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,137
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,059
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
Similar other 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 (~182 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Horizons School: Independent Study's federal record.
- Compare Horizons School: Independent Study against another school. Compare schools
- Mt. Diablo 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 Horizons School: Independent Study
How many students attend Horizons School: Independent Study?
Horizons School: Independent Study has 182 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Pleasant Hill, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Horizons School: Independent Study?
The student-teacher ratio at Horizons School: Independent Study is 10.7:1, which is 50% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 32% 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 School: Independent Study?
42.4% of students at Horizons School: Independent Study are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Horizons School: Independent Study?
The largest demographic group at Horizons School: Independent Study is Hispanic or Latino at 44.5% of enrollment, in Pleasant Hill, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Horizons School: Independent Study?
Horizons School: Independent Study has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical 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 School: Independent Study rank among public schools in Pleasant Hill?
By Resource Investment Index, Horizons School: Independent Study ranks #3 of 13 public schools in Pleasant Hill, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Pleasant Hill on the city page.
Is Horizons School: Independent Study a good school?
Horizons School: Independent Study earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools. It is also more 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 Mt. Diablo Unified?
Besides Horizons School: Independent Study, Mt. Diablo Unified also operates College Park High (1,948 students), Northgate High (1,546 students), and Mt. Diablo High (1,397 students). See the Mt. Diablo 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.