Horizon Charter, Lincoln CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Horizon Charter

Horizon Charter is a kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade charter school located in Lincoln, California, in Placer County. It is part of the Horizon Charter District, a state-authorized non-classroom-based charter that operates without reliance on local parcel taxes. The school's model centers on personalized learning: each student develops an individualized learning plan reflecting their interests, aptitudes, and abilities, and families receive instructional funds annually to purchase approved materials and services from district-approved curriculum options.

Recent district policy changes give shape to the school's academic pathway. In June 2024, the governing board adopted a Math Acceleration Policy, creating a formal pathway for students to work above grade level in mathematics. In May 2024, updated Graduation Requirements took effect; the school offers UC/CSU A-G courses, maintains an NCAA-approved course list, and holds WASC accreditation. Career and Technical Education pathways are available alongside traditional college-prep sequences. For families weighing this school as a fit for an advanced learner or a student seeking flexibility in pacing, these structures matter concretely.

The enrollment is substantial, spanning twelve grades. The school draws a diverse student body: roughly half the students are white, and a meaningful share identify as Hispanic, with smaller Asian, Black, two-or-more-race, and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander populations represented. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a community with considerable economic diversity and mixing of family incomes.

State testing data from 2024-25 shows proficiency across elementary and middle grades in English language arts and mathematics. In English language arts overall, proficiency sits in the low-to-mid range across the tested grades, with third-grade performing higher and proficiency declining in some later middle grades. Mathematics proficiency is lower than ELA across grades three through eight, with sixth grade showing notably lower performance and some grades in the low-to-mid range overall. Science results, measured in grades five and eight, fall at similar levels. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index is below the midpoint among the county's school districts, according to the comparison set for Placer County.

The school serves as an alternative to conventional classroom-based schooling. A parent may want to understand more directly how the personalized-learning model shapes day-to-day instruction and support, especially for younger students still building foundational skills in reading and mathematics, given that proficiency results show room for growth. The school does not report high school graduation rates or chronic absenteeism metrics in the available data, so families of high school students may want to ask the school directly about college-acceptance patterns and attendance practices.

Lincoln itself is a fast-growing, predominantly residential suburb about thirty miles northeast of Sacramento, characterized by family-oriented master-planned communities including the large age-restricted Sun City Lincoln Hills development. The housing market is more affordable than the state average, though property values have declined slightly year-over-year. Parks, a walkable historic downtown, and Placer County Transit service, including a local circulator and Sierra College route, anchor daily life. Thunder Valley Casino Resort is the area's largest single employer. The city's long-range vision aims to weave commercial centers into surrounding residential neighborhoods through a "village concept," reflecting a community identity centered on growth and family accessibility rather than density or urban walkability outside the downtown core.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

85-89%Cohort of 284 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

2,394 schools plotted. 142 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 353%

School 53% · district not reported

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · district not reported

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 547%

School 47% · district not reported

▲ 17 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 635%

School 35% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 744%

School 44% · district not reported

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 838%

School 38% · district not reported

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 357%

School 57% · district not reported

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 450%

School 50% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 655%

School 55% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 748%

School 48% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 847%

School 47% · district not reported

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Science

Grade 541%

School 41% · district not reported

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · district not reported

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

This schoolDistrict average, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income49%Higher-income68%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income39%Higher-income63%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income61%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income66%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income45%Higher-income51%6 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income34%Higher-income62%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income48%Higher-income61%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income58%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income59%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income28%Higher-income46%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income47%Higher-income40%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income29%Higher-income49%20 pp gap