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Horizon · La Quinta

Horizon: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

Horizon posts low test scores — and test scores are one lens among several. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

43-330 Palm Royale Drive, 92253 (opens in new tab)·Desert Sands Unified·La Quinta·Grades K-12·286 students·86% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(760) 238-9720·Website
Alternative school — serves students who benefit from a non-traditional educational setting. Scores are not directly comparable to comprehensive schools.
2022–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope2945
% Exceeded8%21%
% Met+29%43%
Growth-2.9
Absence36.2%17.9%
Suspension1.4%1.6%
Scope Score
29
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #4,897 statewide · #17 of 20 in Desert Sands Unified

Horizon scores 29 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 15th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

Most rating sites would stop at “29% proficient” and call it done. Horizon deserves a closer read. The school sits in La Quinta, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Slipped from the 33rd to the 15th percentile since 2022.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathBlue(Increased Significantly)
ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 323%7%25%
Grade 431%13%38%
Grade 528%47%17%
Grade 628%37%40%32%
Grade 725%40%59%43%40%
Grade 830%26%47%28%35%
Grade 1172%45%47%38%49%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 327%27%33%
Grade 422%13%0%
Grade 513%20%9%
Grade 620%22%29%32%
Grade 725%19%15%14%13%
Grade 815%6%26%25%22%
Grade 1119%15%27%18%39%

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
8.3%
State 21.3%
13.0pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
29.2%
State 42.7%
13.5pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
36.2%
State 17.9%
18.3pp above state avg
Suspension rate
1.4%
State 1.6%
0.3pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
11.1%
State 18.0%
6.9pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.

  • Ask how the school follows up when a student starts missing days — chronic absence often starts outside the classroom, not inside it.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Horizon in La Quinta, 39.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 35.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Horizon outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (29.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (36.4% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 112 students tested.

All students at this school: 35% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 35%, district —, state 43%35%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 34%, district 28%, state 32%34% · −0 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 32%, district 29%, state 32%32% · −2 vs school
MaleMale: this school 36%, district 33%, state 42%36% · +1 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 36%, district 36%, state 44%36% · +1 vs school

10 of 15 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 36.2%, district 29.9%, state 17.9%36.2% · +18.3pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 1.4%, district —, state 1.6%1.4% · −0.3pp vs state

Grades 7–8 students miss school at roughly one and a half times the rate of Grades 4–6 students (72.3% vs 44.4%). Chronic absence here concentrates in the upper grades.

Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–644.4%
Grades 7–872.3%
Grades 9–1263.7%

Where the path goes

Horizon serves grades K-12 — students can complete their entire K-12 education here, with no school-to-school transitions.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 24:1, district 24:124:1
Teaching staff14 teachers
Avg. experience20.6 years
Fully credentialed58%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$63,775 – $132,451
Principal salary$167,765 – $193,176
Superintendent salary$327,601

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $22,987, CA average $14,815$22,987 · spent at this school
Federal share$49 per student

$49 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$22,375 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction57%
Instruction support13%
Student services10%
Administration5%
Buildings & maintenance11%
Other4%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$13,985 per pupil
2019$13,292 per pupil
2018$13,157 per pupil
2017$12,561 per pupil
2016$12,166 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic75.9%
District 76.8% · CA 56.1%
White15.0%
District 14.4% · CA 19.9%
Other7.3%
District 5.4% · CA 9.0%
Asian1.1%
District 2.2% · CA 10.2%
Black0.7%
District 1.3% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 86.0% (22pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$99K · CA $85K
Median home value$662K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+40% · CA 35%
ZIP population38,666
Median age53 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 29% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Horizon a good elementary school?

Horizon has a Scope Score of 29 out of 100, placing it in the 15th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #4,897 statewide. 8.3% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 13.0 percentage points below the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 3-to-5 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Horizon's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 29.2% of students at Horizon met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 8.3% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 20.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 8.3% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 24 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Horizon rank in California?

Horizon ranks #4,897 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 15th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.

What is the attendance and school culture like at Horizon?

36.2% of students at Horizon are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 1.4%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.

How does Horizon compare to other schools in La Quinta?

Horizon scores 29/100 (15th percentile) among California elementary schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 286 students. Use the schools in La Quinta page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Horizon serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Horizon in La Quinta, 39.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 35.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Horizon outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (29.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (36.4% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 112 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

Your other options

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.


For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 38%
8.3%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 37th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
29.2%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 40th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
36.2%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 20th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.4%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 52th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
11.1%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 46th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3128%17%42%33%25%−18
Grade 47
Grade 56
Grade 6229%23%41%27%32%−15
Grade 7157%33%20%40%40%−8
Grade 8313%32%35%29%35%−11
Grade 114922%27%29%22%49%+2
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3128%25%33%33%33%−12
Grade 47
Grade 56
Grade 62214%18%23%45%32%−3
Grade 7160%13%31%56%13%−21
Grade 8320%22%31%47%22%−10
Grade 114916%22%20%41%39%+15
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11836%23%59%12%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged11239.6%+5+1
Hispanic/Latino10036.4%+1−2
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Horizon ←298.3%29.2%1.4%
Gerald R. Ford Elementary0.8 mi6333.5%62.3%+0.30.4%
James Monroe Elementary0.6 mi5326.5%55.5%+17.40.4%
Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International1.7 mi4216.2%40.6%−4.51.0%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20223033#382710.3%24.0%22.5%1.3%-4.0pp
20234565#20038.1%21.0%15.7%0.3%+16.7pp
2024236#53714.2%16.1%48.2%1.4%
20252915#48978.3%29.2%36.2%1.4%
What we can't show
  • — Growth data isn't available — the state needs matched grades across years to compute it.
  • — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female40.1%56.1%+16.0pp
Male53.4%62.0%+8.6pp
Hispanic/Latino50.0%58.5%+8.5pp
Students with Disabilities37.5%65.8%+28.3pp
English Learners42.9%71.9%+29.0pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged49.3%59.9%+10.6pp
All Students45.8%58.9%+13.1pp
Filipino45.5%
Two or More Races38.5%
Homeless90.0%
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction