Original Research by School Decision on Horlick High
Horlick High sits in the city of Racine, a mid-sized lakeside community with a strong industrial and manufacturing base. The city blends historic commercial architecture, working-class residential streets, and a revitalizing lakefront, with a diverse population. Major employers like S. C. Johnson & Son, InSinkErator, and Case IH anchor the local economy. Housing values in the area are well below national and state benchmarks, a detail that may matter to families weighing their budget.
Horlick is one of the comprehensive high schools within the Racine Unified School District. A parent in this district should be aware that the question of secession is an active one: a pair of referendums in Caledonia and Sturtevant narrowly passed, allowing those communities to explore forming their own school districts. While the process has been lengthy and involves litigation, families living in those areas could see a change in which district serves their children in the future.
The school serves grades nine through twelve as a regular public school. Its enrollment is large for a single high school. The student body is highly diverse, with a solid mix of Hispanic or Latino students, Black students, and White students, along with a smaller but noticeable share of students who identify as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that the school serves a population with significant economic need.
State testing results and a four-year graduation rate were not available in the data we reviewed. This is an important gap for any parent evaluating the school. Because the school serves high school grades, state testing and graduation rates are typically reported; their absence here could be a data lag, but it leaves a central question about academic performance unanswered. A parent should look into this further with the school or district to see what recent outcomes have been.
The data we reviewed did not include information on advanced placement course offerings, dual-credit or career pathway programs, disciplinary rates, or staffing ratios. These are all areas that often matter to families considering a high school, and they were not present in the material we had. Without that information, it is difficult to characterize the academic pathways available to students or the school's climate.
What can be said is that Horlick is a large, diverse high school serving a community with a mix of industrial employment and modest household incomes. It operates in a district that has been navigating a significant boundary question in recent years. For a family, the next step would be to ask for the school's most recent state report card, graduation rate, and a rundown of program offerings before drawing a conclusion.
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