Paul Dunbar Lawrence School

As a rural-scale primary school in PHOENIX, Arizona, Paul Dunbar Lawrence School enrolls 125 students from grades pre-K through 8, part of Phoenix Elementary District (4256). That puts it 72% smaller than the typical public school in Arizona, which averages around 451 students.

Across the 12 schools in Phoenix Elementary District (4256) (3,963 students total), Paul Dunbar Lawrence School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Paul Dunbar Lawrence School reports that 48% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder looks like 45% Black, 5% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 31% Hispanic, putting the school's mix visibly more Hispanic than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Paul Dunbar Lawrence School has 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 9.0:1. The state averages around 17.0:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Maricopa County) logs that the typical household earns roughly $89,300 per year, 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. In all, Maricopa County runs 1352 public schools (combined enrollment of about 725,139 students), of which Paul Dunbar Lawrence School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Vista College Preparatory - Hadley, around 0.2 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Paul Dunbar Lawrence School.

Geographically, the school is in a downtown area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Paul Dunbar Lawrence School has contracted 59%, going from 308 students in 2018 to 125 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 59% to 48% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 15.3:1 in 2018 to 9.0:1 today.

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.