New Horizons Learning Center, Panama City FL

Original Research by School Decision on New Horizons Learning Center

New Horizons Learning Center sits on Minnesota Avenue in Panama City, classified by the state as an alternative school serving grades six through twelve. That designation matters enormously for how to read everything else about this school. Alternative schools in Florida typically serve students who have not found success in traditional settings, often because of academic, behavioral, or personal circumstances that require a different structure. The student body is small enough that any given grade-level cohort has only a handful of students, which shapes both the social environment and how statistical results should be read.

Enrollment is quite small for a school covering seven grade levels, and a large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that economic disadvantage is a defining characteristic of the student population here. Racial and ethnic composition data is reported and shows a mix of white, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students, though specific population data about IEP status or English learner enrollment was not available in the data.

State assessment results are reported for middle grades in math, ELA, and eighth-grade science. Across all tested grades and subjects, proficiency rates are very low relative to Florida statewide expectations. A parent looking at these numbers should hold them in a specific context: when a school serves students who have already experienced significant academic disruption, state proficiency rates reflect where those students are arriving, not necessarily what the school is doing with that starting point. Florida does not publish trend data here that would show whether students are gaining ground over time, and the data we have does not capture that trajectory. A parent who wants to understand whether students are progressing during their time at New Horizons would want to ask the school directly about its approach to measuring individual growth. No graduation rate data was available in the records we reviewed.

The school offers no AP or dual-enrollment course access that appears in the data, and program details were not reported. That is consistent with an alternative setting focused on reengagement and credit recovery rather than advanced academic pathways. Civil rights data was not available.

Panama City itself provides some context for understanding the community this school draws from. The city is in an active redevelopment phase, with a Community Redevelopment Agency working across four districts using tax increment financing for infrastructure and mixed-use development. The economy leans heavily on military installations, particularly Tyndall Air Force Base and Naval Support Activity Panama City, alongside healthcare and hospitality employers. The downtown core along Harrison Avenue completed a multi-year streetscape project in late 2025 and hosts a walkable cluster of restaurants, shops, and arts venues. The St. Andrews district adds another walkable neighborhood with its own waterfront character. Housing in the zip codes around the school is priced meaningfully below the Florida statewide median, and rents are moderate relative to national trends, with renters spending a manageable share of income on housing costs.

Comparison against other districts in Bay County was not possible because the county has only two districts in the comparison set and the cohort was too small to produce a meaningful index. Chronic absenteeism and graduation data were also not available for comparison.

What this school is, plainly, is a small alternative program for students in Panama City who need something different from a conventional school experience. The academic results as measured by state assessments are low, and any family considering this placement should talk with the school about how it defines progress for its students, what support structures are in place, and what pathways it opens toward a diploma or credential. The Bay district brief search did not surface parent-relevant changes or strategic priorities that we could confirm, so that context was left out rather than guessed at.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

Not publicly reportedCohort of 5 students · Class of 2021

The federal source does not publish a graduation rate for cohorts this small. The cohort size is shown for context.

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.

867 schools plotted. 183 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 613%

School 13% · District 60% · ▼ 47 pts below district

▼ 49 pts below state median · ▼ 48 pts below county median

Grade 710%

School 10% · District 50% · ▼ 40 pts below district

▼ 39 pts below state median · ▼ 46 pts below county median

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 58% · ▼ 44 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 43 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 67%

School 7% · District 61% · ▼ 53 pts below district

▼ 53 pts below state median · ▼ 56 pts below county median

Grade 715%

School 15% · District 57% · ▼ 42 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 45 pts below county median

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 55% · ▼ 40 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 43 pts below county median

Science

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 52% · ▼ 45 pts below district

▼ 39 pts below state median · ▼ 50 pts below county median

This schoolBAY, 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.