The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in Math. The lowest is 58% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Horizon School
Horizon School serves prekindergarten through fifth grade in Washington City, a fast-growing suburb of St. George that functions as a regional retail hub. The school is part of Washington District, a rapidly expanding system that has seen substantial enrollment growth in recent years, adding many students between early 2021 and mid-2024. That district-wide growth drives ongoing school construction, boundary adjustments, and class-size considerations across the area.
Horizon is a mid-sized elementary school for its grade band. Its student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic students, and even smaller shares of students who are Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, multiracial, or Black. About a quarter of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on the share of students with individualized education plans or English learner classifications was not available, so a parent wanting to know how the school serves those populations would need to ask the school directly.
State testing results are available for math, English language arts, and science. On the RISE assessments, which are Utah’s regular state tests for grades three through eight, Horizon’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades sits well above the midpoint when compared with the other districts in Washington County, placing in the top quartile within that set of seven districts. In math, a majority of students scored proficient. In science, a slightly larger majority did. In English language arts, the proficiency rate was lower than in the other two subjects but still above the county median for a school at this grade level. Readers should note that Utah made a cut-score change in English language arts in a recent year, which can affect year-to-year comparability, so a single year’s result in that subject may not align with prior trends.
Horizon’s community context is shaped by Washington City itself, which is car-dependent with a very low Walk Score and most errands requiring a drive. The city lacks a traditional downtown; the commercial corridor along Telegraph Street and the shopping centers near I-15 exits serve as the main nodes of activity. SunTran Route 3 provides limited public transit along Telegraph Street connecting to St. George and Ivins. The city has over twenty parks and more than twenty miles of trails, with a community center that includes an indoor pool, fitness center, and gymnasium.
Housing in the school’s zip code reflects a market that is expensive relative to national benchmarks, with home values that have dipped slightly over the past year while rents have risen. The typical home in the area costs substantially more than the national median home value, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home significantly exceeds the typical rent, which means buying a home is a stretch for many households. The local economy benefits from a low national unemployment rate and a stable national median household income. The broader Washington County region’s major employers include a regional hospital, the school district itself, a university, and the state government, with Washington City’s retail corridor adding local jobs.
Washington City has experienced rapid growth, with a population that rose sharply between recent census counts and continues to increase through new residential construction, including master-planned developments of single-family homes and townhomes. This growth context means Horizon’s enrollment numbers could shift as new families move into the area and as the district adjusts boundaries to accommodate expansion.
For a family considering Horizon, the school offers above-average academic performance on state assessments relative to other elementary schools in Washington County, set in a growing suburban community with limited walkability and a housing market that requires significant income to enter. The district’s broader growth trajectory is a factor to weigh for stability of school assignments and class sizes over time.
See more original research from School Decision →