Serving Children from Norwalk and Stamford

Results

Academic Progress

One of the main goals of Horizons is to assist students to be up at or above grade level academic standards by the time they reach the end of their third grade summer at Horizons. Students who are not proficient in reading by the third grade have a 60% chance of being below proficient in reading in middle school. They are also more likely to drop out of high school and less likely to go to college. 

In 2019 we began administering STAR testing but were not able to administer due to COVID in 2020. In 2021 we will return to STAR testing at the start of the summer program and work to develop a baseline of data over the next few years to be able to accurately report on student academic gains, that will also include an average of school test scores and teacher evaluations. 

In the meantime, National Horizons affiliate data demonstrates the power of the model to mitigate summer learning loss. Horizons National assessments consistently demonstrate impressive gains for all Horizons students. On average, Horizons students improve 8-12 weeks in reading and math skills over the six-week summer session. 

Horizons National data
*Chart is based on Horizons National data

Student Retention and Attendance

According to the RAND corporation, the academic advantage for students with 20 or more days of attendance in a voluntary summer program after the second summer translated to 20-25% of typical annual gains in math and reading.

  • 95% attendance rate 

High School Graduation and College Enrollment

Ultimately, our high school graduation and college enrollment percentages demonstrate the success of the program in terms of closing the opportunity gap. 100% of Horizons students graduate from high school in four years in a state where only 80% of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals graduate in four years. Our students are beating the odds with a three-year average college enrollment rate of 94%, compared to a 51% college enrollment rate for Connecticut students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. 

    • Our three year average college acceptance rate is 100% 
    • Our three year average college enrollment rate is 94%