The top reported proficiency rate is 8% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on New Horizons Ranch School
New Horizons Ranch School is an alternative school serving grades one through eleven, located outside Goldthwaite in Mills County. It sits within Mullin ISD, a small rural district that has adopted a four-day school week (Monday through Thursday) starting in the 2022-23 school year, a change that affects family schedules and instructional time.
The school is very small, with an enrollment of about forty-five students spread across the entire K-11 span. The largest grade cohorts are in the high school grades, particularly ninth grade. The student population is roughly evenly split between white students and others, with a meaningful share of Black students, a smaller share of Hispanic students, and one Asian student; one student is multiracial. Free-and-reduced-price lunch rates and special education enrollment data were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations.
As an alternative school, New Horizons Ranch operates outside the traditional district model. The name and rural location suggest a residential or ranch-based program, though the available data does not describe the school's specific mission, curriculum approach, or the student population it targets. Parents seeking enrollment here should plan to speak directly with the school about its program model, whether it serves students with particular academic or behavioral needs, and how it differs from district mainstream offerings.
State testing results show weak academic proficiency. In the most recent year available, sixth-grade reading proficiency stood at a low level, and across grades five through eight, math and reading proficiency were at or near zero in most tested grades, with one exception in sixth-grade reading. The grades three and four results are suppressed, likely because the tested counts are very small. Science proficiency in grade five was zero. These results place the school in the bottom of its county's district comparison set on overall proficiency. Given the small enrollment and alternative school designation, parents may want to explore whether state test scores reflect the school's actual student population and mission, or whether standardized testing is not the primary measure of success here.
No graduation rate was available. High school enrollment in ninth grade is substantial relative to tenth and eleventh grades, which may reflect students exiting to other programs, graduating early, or transitioning to work or other paths, but the data does not explain the pattern.
Goldthwaite itself is a small county-seat town in the Hill Country with a compact downtown around the Mills County Courthouse and a quiet residential character. It serves as the local trade and services hub for surrounding agricultural Mills County. Housing values have risen in recent years and sit above the state average, while the town grows slowly. The school campus sits outside the downtown core, as do other district facilities.
Mullin ISD has reported a significant enrollment increase over recent years, an uncommon trend for a rural district, suggesting that families are choosing to transfer in. New Horizons Ranch is part of this district alongside other campuses. A parent considering this school should ask the district and school about the nature of its programming, the demographics and needs of students it serves, what outcomes are tracked beyond state testing, and how the alternative school model fits the child's needs.
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