Dunham Charter

Dunham Charter, an one-room-style K-5 school in Petaluma, California, one of the schools within Dunham Elementary, instructs 166 students, covering grades K through 6. Enrollment runs roughly 64% leaner than the state mean of about 465.

Dunham Charter is one of 2 schools operated by Dunham Elementary, a district that serves 175 students overall.

On demographics, Dunham Charter reports that White students make up the majority at 73%. Beyond that, the school records 19% Hispanic, 7% multiracial. That is meaningfully more White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 62%.

Looking at school resources, The school currently runs with 8 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 21.6:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 22.3:1, putting Dunham Charter tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 27% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Sonoma County runs at roughly 51%, so the school's eligibility rate is below the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Dunham Charter sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 63.4%; this one delivers 58.7%.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Sonoma County put median household income runs about $104,674, 39% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. Across Sonoma County's 184 public schools (combined enrollment of about 63,389 students), Dunham Charter is one campus in the mix.

Dunham Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Dunham Charter comes 2nd of 5 in the immediate cluster, above the nearby-schools average of 31.8%.

The school occupies a low-density site. As a public charter, Dunham Charter runs on public funding but with greater curricular and operational autonomy than a typical district school.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Dunham Charter has ticked down 9%, going from 183 students in 2018 to 166 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 24.4:1 in 2018 to 21.6:1 today.

On this page, posts here usually surface around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.