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Dunbar Hill School

Public Grades PK, KG-6
439th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 493 Connecticut Elementary Schools
Better than 11% of Connecticut elementary schools
Summary

Dunbar Hill School is an elementary school located in Hamden, Connecticut, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 271 students. The school is part of the Hamden School District, which is ranked 133 out of 156 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Dunbar Hill School has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Connecticut elementary schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years.

Dunbar Hill School consistently underperforms compared to the Hamden School District and the state of Connecticut in standardized test scores. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 25.6% of 4th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 40.8% in the Hamden School District and 51.4% statewide. Similarly, in mathematics, only 18.6% of 4th-grade students and 17.1% of 6th-grade students were proficient or better, compared to 36.7% and 35.5% in the district, and 51.4% and 42.9% statewide. Additionally, Dunbar Hill School has had high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 17.7% to 27.7% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

Dunbar Hill School's performance is significantly lower than the other elementary schools in the Hamden School District, such as Spring Glen School and Bear Path School, which have higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism rates, and a lower percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. While Dunbar Hill School's overall performance is low, the school's ranking for special education students and students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds is slightly better, suggesting that the school may be providing additional support and resources for these student populations. However, the combination of low academic performance, high chronic absenteeism, and a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds suggests that Dunbar Hill School may be facing significant challenges in providing a high-quality education to its students.

271
Students ?
12.9
Student/teacher ratio ?
$24,654
Per pupil spending ?
51.7%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 315 Lane St.
       Hamden, CT  06514

(203) 407-2025

District: Hamden School District


Students who attend Dunbar Hill School usually attend:

Middle:    Hamden Middle School
High:    Hamden High School
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
36.5%
African American:
34.7%
White:
13.7%
more
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 Compare Dunbar Hill School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 36th percentile in 2015 → 11th in 2025
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Connecticut average (21% vs 49% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)
!Ranking has slipped — down 25 percentile points since 2015
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school21%
District avg39%
Connecticut avg49%
439th of 493
Connecticut public elementary schools ?
Bottom 11%▼ down 25 pts since 2015
From bottom 36% (2015) to bottom 11% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
7th of 8Elementary Schools in the Hamden School District
133rd of 156Hamden School District among Connecticut districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
20259.4439 of 49311.0%★☆☆☆☆
202420.7364 of 49726.8%★☆☆☆☆
202312.9409 of 49116.7%★☆☆☆☆
202214.4397 of 49019.0%★☆☆☆☆
202123.7400 of 53825.7%★☆☆☆☆
201930.2365 of 52230.1%★★☆☆☆
201836.3343 of 53235.5%★★☆☆☆
201734.4343 of 51933.9%★★☆☆☆
201633.9333 of 51835.7%★★☆☆☆
201540.6355 of 55135.6%★★☆☆☆
201335.8419 of 55724.8%★☆☆☆☆
201237.0428 of 56424.1%★☆☆☆☆
201144.8394 of 56530.3%★★☆☆☆
201032.8455 of 57921.4%★☆☆☆☆
200920.5482 of 56614.8%★☆☆☆☆
200825.5469 of 56517.0%★☆☆☆☆
200731.8445 of 56821.7%★☆☆☆☆
200635.4425 of 57025.4%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202153.5128 of 30257.6%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202154.3153 of 37158.8%★★★☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Special Education (2021)59th percentile+33 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2021)58th percentile+32 vs school
By subject vs Connecticut (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts26%-26 vs state
Science22%-30 vs state
Mathematics18%-29 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Dunbar Hill School

Dunbar Hill School ranks in the bottom 11.0% of Connecticut elementary schools.

Students who attend Dunbar Hill School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hamden Middle School
High : Hamden High School

Students at Dunbar Hill School are 37% Hispanic, 35% African American, 14% White, 11% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

In the 2024-25 school year, 271 students attended Dunbar Hill School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Connecticut Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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