The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Science. The lowest is 33% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Horn Lake Intermediate School
Horn Lake Intermediate School sits in a suburban community just south of Memphis, serving grades three through five in the DeSoto County School District. The school draws from a working-class, predominantly residential area that grew rapidly over the past several decades from a small depot town into a commuter suburb, with commercial strips lining major roads rather than a traditional downtown center. Horn Lake is car-dependent by design, with no fixed-route transit in the county and most adults commuting toward Memphis for work. The city's identity as the "Doorway to Mississippi" reflects its position at the state's northern border, and its built environment is a patchwork of suburban subdivisions and strip retail rather than a walkable grid.
The school serves a student body that is predominantly Black, with smaller white, multiracial, and Hispanic populations. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which points to a community where economic pressure on families is the norm rather than the exception. Enrollment is spread fairly evenly across the three grade levels. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate or ACT data to consider, and that absence simply reflects the grade band rather than any gap in reporting.
On Mississippi's MAAP assessments, the most recent results show a mixed but uneven academic picture. In English language arts, proficiency rises steadily across the grade levels, with fifth graders showing the strongest performance, reaching a level where nearly half of tested students met or exceeded proficiency. Fourth grade sits lower, and third grade lower still. Math follows a less consistent pattern, with fourth grade the strongest of the three, third grade notably lower, and fifth grade the weakest, where fewer than a quarter of tested students reached proficiency. Fifth-grade science landed in the midrange, with a moderate share of students proficient. Participation rates were not available in the data provided, and IEP and English learner figures were missing as well, so the full picture of how special populations are faring is not something the available data can speak to.
The pattern across subjects and grades suggests a school where results vary widely depending on the cohort and subject, with no single clear trajectory. A parent looking at these numbers may want to ask the school how it supports students who arrive below grade level, particularly in third-grade math and reading, and what intervention strategies are in place for fifth-grade math, where the proficiency rate dips sharply. These are the kind of soft spots that warrant a direct conversation with school leadership rather than a conclusion drawn from a single year of results.
Housing in the school's zip code is relatively affordable compared with national figures, with typical home values sitting below both the state and national benchmarks. Estimated monthly mortgage costs run higher than typical rents, which may shape how families in the attendance zone access housing. The broader economic context includes a national unemployment rate that has held steady, and mortgage rates that remain elevated by recent historical standards. Horn Lake's retail and food manufacturing sectors provide some local employment, but the community's economic life is closely tied to the Memphis metro area.
The DeSoto County School District is a large district serving multiple communities across the county, and Horn Lake Intermediate is one of several schools clustered in the city, including elementary, middle, and high school campuses plus a career and technology center. We looked for recent district-level changes such as bond issues, construction plans, or curriculum shifts that would matter to families, but the search did not turn up anything specific, so it is left out here rather than guessed at.
For a family considering this school, the core questions center on academic support, peer environment, and community fit. The school serves a community where many families are working hard to get by, and the test results reflect both bright spots and real challenges. Families whose children thrive with steady, grade-by-grade growth in reading may find encouragement in the upper-grade ELA results. Those concerned about math outcomes, especially in fifth grade, should press the school for specifics on instruction and intervention before deciding.
See more original research from School Decision →