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What do you wish you knew before starting at Paul Laurence Dunbar High?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,087
High
DISTRICT 692 · STATE 1,185
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 240009000298
Paul Laurence Dunbar High
1400 Orleans Street, Baltimore, MD 21231 · (443) 642-4478 · Baltimore city
GRADES 09–12HIGH11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,087 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 78% of Maryland public high schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Maryland public high schools
Student : Teacher
18.1:1
60 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.1:1 · STATE 15.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
78%
845 students
DISTRICT 76% · STATE 54%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 309 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 267 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 281 | 26% |
| Grade 12 | 230 | 21% |
Student demographics
33%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 47% · STATE 73% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
MCAP 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 3-4)English Language Arts
66.6%
MD avg 50.6% . +23.2pp since 2023
Math
14.9%
MD avg 34.8% . +1.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the MCAP, Maryland's statewide test, about 67 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 15 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Maryland schools, those numbers are about 51 and 35. Reading and writing scores are up about 23 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 1 points.
MCAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 66.6% | 14.9% |
| 2023-24 | 43.4% | 13.6% |
% Proficient (Levels 3-4), all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
34.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
28.2%
based on MD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+6.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 35% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 28% typical for Maryland schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Maryland's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Paul Laurence Dunbar High
Paul Laurence Dunbar High's state test result (34.6% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Laurence Dunbar High this school | 1,087 | 77.7% | 34.6% |
| Forest Park High Baltimore | 1,024 | 75.1% | 21.4% |
| Academy for College and Career Exploration Baltimore | 967 | 79.1% | 16.4% |
| Edmondson-Westside High Baltimore | 910 | 79.8% | 20.9% |
| Western High Baltimore | 1,290 | 72.8% | 42.1% |
| Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High Baltimore | 1,714 | 79.2% | 19.8% |
Matched among Maryland high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Paul Laurence Dunbar High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Maryland | In Baltimore city |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 34.6% | #107 of 203 | #6 of 28 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 14.9% | #66 of 206 ▲ 14 | #7 of 28 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 66.6% | #77 of 206 ▲ 64 | #5 of 28 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,087 | #131 of 234 | #7 of 34 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.1:1 | #172 of 210 | #28 of 30 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 32.6% | #169 of 211 | #10 of 30 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 77.7% | #32 of 212 | #19 of 31 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +34.0% | #14 of 131 | #5 of 18 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,087
+159 (+17%) vs 2020
+59% since 1990-91, when it was 685
Student : Teacher
18.1:1
was 22.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,087 | 60 | 18.1:1 | 78% (845) |
| 2023-24 | 1,101 | 48 | 22.9:1 | 75% (824) |
| 2022-23 | 1,067 | 43 | 24.8:1 | 73% (781) |
| 2020-21 | 928 | 41 | 22.6:1 | 63% (580) |
| 2017-18 | 811 | 40 | 20.3:1 | 100% (811) |
| 2015-16 | 855 | 48 | 17.8:1 | 79% (678) |
| 2010-11 | 717 | 38 | 18.9:1 | 71% (511) |
| 2000-01 | 940 | 50 | 18.8:1 | 37% (347) |
| 1990-91 | 685 | 31 | 22.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Paul Laurence Dunbar High.
Since 2017-18: students up 34% (811 to 1,087); teachers up 50% (40 to 60).
About Paul Laurence Dunbar High
Paul Laurence Dunbar High sits in Baltimore, Maryland, and is classified as a high school. Its 1,087 students are spread across grades 9 through 12.
The district, Baltimore City Public Schools, has 76,946 students enrolled across 152 schools.
Black students make up 80% of enrollment at Paul Laurence Dunbar High. The remaining students are 17% Hispanic. Census figures show Baltimore city is about 59% Black. Paul Laurence Dunbar High's diversity index is 33%, against a US figure of 70%.
Staffing totals 60 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 18.1:1. On average, high schools in Maryland have 15.3:1, compared with 18.1:1 here. The free or reduced-price lunch rate at Paul Laurence Dunbar High is 78%.
Measured against Maryland public high schools, Paul Laurence Dunbar High receives an A-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
The model predicts 28.2% for a school in Maryland with Paul Laurence Dunbar High's free or reduced-price lunch share. Paul Laurence Dunbar High posts 34.6%.
Baltimore city has these Census figures: the median household income is $62,177, roughly 36% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Baltimore city is home to 156 public schools and about 77,341 public school students.
The nearest public school is National Academy Foundation, at less than a tenth of a mile. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. The school's 34.6% average proficiency ranks 1st among 8 nearby schools.
The NCES locale for Paul Laurence Dunbar High is City: Large, which covers schools inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
Paul Laurence Dunbar High's enrollment climbed from 928 in 2020-21 to 1,087 in 2024-25. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio fell from 22.6:1 to 18.1:1.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for Paul Laurence Dunbar High covering things like sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Baltimore city at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
573,243
Census ACS
Median income
$62,177
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
156
77,341 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Baltimore City Public Schools
- Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical HighHigh · 1,714 students
- Baltimore Polytechnic InstituteHigh · 1,632 students
- Baltimore City CollegeHigh · 1,470 students
- KIPP Harmony AcademyElementary · 1,399 students
- Roland Park Elementary/MiddleElementary · 1,371 students
- Digital Harbor High SchoolHigh · 1,359 students
Other schools in Baltimore
- Dundalk HighHigh · 2,087 students
- Perry Hall HighHigh · 2,012 students
- Woodlawn HighHigh · 1,922 students
- Kenwood HighHigh · 1,900 students
- Parkville HighHigh · 1,877 students
- Catonsville HighHigh · 1,735 students
Other Paul Laurence Dunbar High schools
One other US public school is named Paul Laurence Dunbar High. Paul Laurence Dunbar High is the 2nd largest of the 2.
- Paul Laurence Dunbar High SchoolLexington, KY · 1,828 students
Nearby schools
- National Academy Foundation0.1 mi · 801
- City Springs Elementary/Middle0.4 mi · 483
- Eager Street Academy0.6 mi · 45
- Johnston Square Elementary0.6 mi · 271
- Wolfe Street Academy0.7 mi · 244
- Elmer A. Henderson: A Johns Hopkins Partnership0.7 mi · 636
Frequently asked questions
About Paul Laurence Dunbar HighWhat is the total enrollment at Paul Laurence Dunbar High?
Paul Laurence Dunbar High enrolls approximately 1,087 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Paul Laurence Dunbar High serve?
Paul Laurence Dunbar High serves grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Paul Laurence Dunbar High have?
Paul Laurence Dunbar High employs 60 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 18.1:1.
What is the student diversity at Paul Laurence Dunbar High?
Student demographics at Paul Laurence Dunbar High are roughly 1% White, 17% Hispanic, 80% Black, 0% Asian, 0% Two or more.
Is Paul Laurence Dunbar High public or private?
Paul Laurence Dunbar High is a public K-12 school, overseen by Baltimore City Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.