Paul Laurence Dunbar School

Paul Laurence Dunbar School is a mid-tier primary school in Bridgeport, Connecticut, run under Bridgeport School District. The school teaches 391 students in grades pre-K through 8.

Across the 36 schools in Bridgeport School District (19,802 students total), Paul Laurence Dunbar School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Paul Laurence Dunbar School logs that Hispanic students make up the majority at 61%. The remainder breaks down as 32% Black, 3% White, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Greater Bridgeport Planning Region as a whole is about 27% Hispanic, so the school skews considerably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 16.3:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 12.6:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 92% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Greater Bridgeport Planning Region (around 54%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

In the broader community, Greater Bridgeport Planning Region reports that the typical household earns roughly $89,667 per year, roughly 42% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Greater Bridgeport Planning Region runs 91 public schools (combined enrollment of about 50,880 students), of which Paul Laurence Dunbar School is one.

Jettie S. Tisdale School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Paul Laurence Dunbar School.

Geographically, the school is in an inner-city area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 3%: 404 students in 2018 compared to 391 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment increased from 45% to 61% over that span. Class-load math has loosened: from 13.9:1 in 2018 to 16.3:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.