The top reported proficiency rate is 66% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Horizon Science Academy Youngstown
Horizon Science Academy Youngstown is a public charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Youngstown. The school enrolls students across a relatively balanced grade distribution, with slightly smaller cohorts in the upper middle grades.
The school's student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic enrollment and small populations of white and multiracial students. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and special student populations such as English learners and students with individualized education plans were not available.
In state testing results, the school shows uneven performance across subjects. English language arts proficiency is the strongest area, with about two-thirds of tested students in grades three through eight meeting the state's proficiency standard. Mathematics proficiency stands at roughly half that rate, with fewer than half of students reaching proficiency. Science proficiency is notably low, with about one in four students tested meeting the standard. A limited snapshot of social studies data from several years prior shows proficiency well below state expectations in both tested grades. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among Mahoning County's districts. State testing data on trend is limited to a single year, so whether performance is shifting is not clear from the available information.
The school is part of the Horizon Science Academy network. For the 2024-25 school year, the charter organization opened a satellite K-2 campus in Austintown, a separate community nearby. This expansion means families now have two distinct enrollment options within the same charter district: entry at the Austintown campus in the younger grades or enrollment directly into the Youngstown K-8 program. The Austintown campus serves as a planned feeder into the Youngstown location.
Youngstown itself is a post-industrial Rust Belt city built around steel manufacturing; the mills shut down in the late nineteen-seventies and eighties, and the city's population has fallen substantially since its peak. The current population is markedly smaller than mid-twentieth-century levels, leaving the city with more physical infrastructure than residents. The downtown core has seen modest revitalization in recent years, anchored by Youngstown State University adjacent to the city center, new housing, restaurants, and a state arts-and-entertainment district. Civic anchors include Mill Creek Park, a major metropolitan park system on the South and West sides, the Butler Institute of American Art, the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor, and free transit through the Western Reserve Transit Authority. The region is now marketing itself around EV battery manufacturing, branded as "Voltage Valley."
Housing values in the Youngstown area are modest relative to state and national benchmarks. The median home value in the school's zip code runs well below the Ohio state median and far below the national one. This reflects the city's long economic decline and ongoing population loss, though the pace of decline has slowed. A parent considering Horizon Science Academy Youngstown should weigh the school's uneven proficiency picture, particularly the notably low science results, against the school's role as a science-focused charter. The school's enrollment pattern and location make it a Youngstown-based option distinct from the traditional public school system in the city.
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