Horizons School: Independent Study, Pleasant Hill CA

Original Research by School Decision on Horizons School: Independent Study

Horizons School: Independent Study is an alternative school serving kindergarten through grade 12 in Pleasant Hill. It operates within Mt. Diablo Unified District and enrolls a small school population, with the bulk of students in the high school grades.

The enrollment is mixed in character. Close to forty percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is roughly half Hispanic, with significant white enrollment, and smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. Specific counts for English learners and special education students were not available in the reporting provided.

Academic performance is decidedly uneven across grade levels and subjects, which is meaningful context for a family considering independent study. In math, proficiency rates vary sharply: one grade in the upper middle school tested shows strong results, while several elementary and middle grades fall into the low-to-modest range. In English language arts, performance is similarly variable, with some middle grades in the low range and one grade showing stronger proficiency. Science results are weak across the grades tested. When proficiency rates are averaged across all tested subjects and grades, the school sits below the midpoint among districts in Contra Costa County. Data for several grade levels in English language arts and one grade in math was suppressed, typically indicating small tested populations.

This variability in performance by grade and subject is not unusual for a small independent study program, where cohort sizes can fluctuate and pedagogical results may differ sharply depending on the students served and the structure of their learning plans in a given year. A parent considering this school may want to explore with school staff how the independent study model addresses individual student needs, what academic support is available for lower-performing grades, and how outcomes in recent years compare to current expectations.

The school's location in Pleasant Hill places it in a suburban setting anchored by downtown civic amenities, BART transit, and extensive parkland. Housing costs in the area are moderate to high for the Bay Area, with home values above the state benchmark. The local economy centers on healthcare, education, retail, and civil service, with Diablo Valley College and John Muir Health among the major employers.

Horizons operates as an alternative school within the district, a model that typically offers more individualized pacing and schedule flexibility than traditional classroom settings. For families seeking that structure, or for students who have struggled in conventional school environments, independent study can be a strong fit. The demographic composition and the wide spread in test results suggest this school serves a diverse population with varying academic readiness. What remains less clear from the data available is the school's specific support infrastructure, graduation outcomes, and how students transition from elementary to high school within the independent study framework.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

70-79%Cohort of 54 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 436%

School 36% · District 44% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 37% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 39% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 771%

School 71% · District 37% · ▲ 35 pts above district

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 37% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 47% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 618%

School 18% · District 50% · ▼ 32 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 49% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 48% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Science

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 34% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 36% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

This schoolMt. Diablo Unified, 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.