Horizon Community Learning Center

As a current high school student at Horizon, I can definitely say this school is not for everyone. The school has a higher expectations of student behavior than the other high schools in the area, so be prepared for that. The school lacks many electives that others offer and there are not that many clubs, but there are some. (the best is the HS travel club, taking an overseas trip every year!) There are some great teachers, and some not so good ones. The office staff is mediocre, always have had a rude experience when I needed to visit the front desk. Parents are involved in the school, which is good. The sports teams are okay, nothing great compared to big high schools (which is expected). My biggest complaints with the school are: the lack of school pride amongst the students, which is completely terrible and a general dislike of the school is popular, how the school tries to keep its student body sheltered, and the lack of programs and electives for students. For these reasons, I plan on moving to DV next year, where I believe I can obtain a more rounded education than at horizon. However, the social environment at DV is probably a wreck compared to Horizon.

Very Please with this school. As I only have experience with the K-4, I can only comment on this portion of the school. I do think the HS is lacking some extra activities and not sure is it's a great fit for select students. However the early years have been fantastic! Yes poor behavior is dealt with firmly, consistently and fairly. Curriculum is so much better then the rote learning at public schools. My child loves the Thematic learning style of the school.
--Submitted by a parent

For years I thought this school was great. Had friends there, everyone knew each other, teachers cared, and small classes. Now I'm a freshman and I want to go to a big HS. It hardly has any clubs or elective classes that someone would desire. Honestly, the dress code is not high on the long list of cons. They're also very closed minded, (ex, homophobic, freak out about every little thing). The drama is amplified because the school is so small. Everyone acts like it's academically amazing, but a lot of kids fail there, and as you get older the teachers get more strict, cruel, and difficult to communicate with. I'm fed up with this school. Being an honors student, I feel if I went to a big school I'd have a better experience, more opportunities, and enjoy classes more. For example, I used to love english, it was my passion, I wanted to even teacher english in a HS one day, but I had a teacher, one who was very arrogant and expected too much, and now I hate going to the class. Honestly, think it over before you decide on it. They have no funding, they freak out if you say "gay" or "kiss", and the dances are horrible. I want a real HS exp. I'm also tired of everyones judgement there.

My children were lucky enough to get in on the Lottery 3 years ago. The staff are all happy, passionate about education, and dedicated (Quite different from our previous school). My children are always learning at their level. They are not tied into the general learning track for their entire grade and if they are prepared to move up to the next learning group, they can.They don't have to wait for the rest of the class or group to catch up. Also, I don't have to worry about kids with behavior problems detracting from my children's learning time or negatively influencing my children. The children are eager to learn, polite and respectful to adults and each other. The PE program is unparalleled. My children's instructor just wont the best teacher in AZ award.The Music and Spanish programs are good, but not stressful K-4. The Music/Performing Arts Program is exceptional 5-12th. The Master Teachers are wonderful and I think the key to maintaining high expectations from the Teachers and students. I am so thankful we have found this school
--Submitted by a parent

The review listed below (posted October 31) is factually, statistically, and grammatically incorrect. Just sayin'.
--Submitted by a parent

Majority of students here have failed at the Prep schools of Desert Vista and or Brophy, teaching is OK, but again most of the adjusted, smart kids in the Awhatukee area go to Desert Vista. Always been considered the school drop outs and ill adjusted kids go to if they fail at Brophy or DV, that said it is a good choice for those who may not succeed at a better prep school and therefore offers a good alternative, although in the community it does appear to have a certain stigma attached to those who attend.

The group work & enrichment programs are good. Students learn to cooperate & communicate in groups. The phonics program is very weak, which has been frustrating. In addition, subjects are taught by theme, which doesn't always lead to a good review of previously learned material. The best example of this teaching method is illustrated in the way the 'specials' subjects (technology, music and Spanish) are taught. The students may have Spanish for 3 weeks, tech for 3 weeks & then music for 3 weeks before repeating the cycle. Consequently, there is no Spanish review for 6+ weeks until the next session. I have found this same pattern in most core subjects (math & phonics). This doesn't lead to high retention or the ability to build upon concepts. There seems to be no logical foundation for teaching math & phonics. Be prepared to review and teach your child what the teachers
--Submitted by a parent

The education level is above average. The interest in the school to assist and help excel the children is above and beyond the call of duty.
--Submitted by a parent

We were very enthusastic about sending our student to HCLC. Our experience was largely negative and we moved our student to another school. The teachers were cold and unprofessional. Our student has always loved his teachers in pre-school and kidnergarten and he did not like his teachers at this school. Neither did we. The homework approach is unorganized and frustrating for kids and parents alike. It is an aggressive learning program which requires intimate parent involvement. If you are not personally visiting the school often to make sure you understand the concepts being taught, your student will get lost and you will be unable to successfully tutor them. We provided feedback to school administrators on multiple occasions, but nothing happened. To make matters worse, picking up your student takes forever due to a largely unorganized traffic flow. And there are very few parking spaces available to parents.
--Submitted by a parent

My family has to move out of state after one year at Horizon and it breaks my heart. 4 years here and 3 schools and we finally were at the right one. The bar is set high. The don't tolerate discipline problems. The goal is to help the child, but when that isn't happening, they do not let it disrupt the learning environment. My child has flourished there. He feels safe & he isn't teased. His classwork was challenging and made him think. Project group is a great concept and I love to see what kids are capable of when inspired. There is no art program in the lower grades, but his creativity has not suffered and he writes beautifully now. And my thanks go out to all the teacher who have made this seemingly big school feel like family. We are very sad to leave.
--Submitted by a parent