There are around 30 students in the Horizons system and each student has Principal Bobby Riley’s personal phone number.  They are instructed to call or text him for any reason– school related or personal.

Horizons is a small, alternative high school that works with students who, among other things, may benefit from a smaller, in-person environment with a more individualized curriculum. Students are referred to Horizons by either Burlington High School counselors or their 504 case manager.

Anna Sanborn ‘23 has been attending Horizons since the beginning of this year. Sanborn feels the school is negatively perceived by other students. 

“I think there’s sort of a misconception,” Sanborn said. “If people know what Horizons is, they think that we’re bad students, which is not actually true. We are, you know, just as intelligent as anyone else, but we just need a different kind of support.” 

Located off  North Ave, Horizons is housed in a small brick building next to St. Mark’s Catholic Church. 

“For me [Horizons] has been a really positive experience,” Sanborn said. “I didn’t have a very good experience at BHS. The traditional classroom wasn’t really working for me.” 

Riley started his position as Principal of Horizons back in 2019. 

“It just really speaks to me to work for students in crisis or that are having some mental health or social emotional learning challenges,” Riley said. “I just feel like that is really good work.” 

Riley became interested in Horizons after his oldest daughter attended her junior and senior years of high school there. 

“She was grappling with anxiety, sort of crippling anxiety and depression,” Riley said. “And when that takes over, it’s really challenging to engage in school and especially in a much larger system.”