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Dunbar High School

Q: Is Dunbar High School a good school?

Dunbar High School ranks in the bottom 5.7% of District Of Columbia high schools.

Q: How many students attend Dunbar High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 892 students attended Dunbar High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Dunbar High School?

Students at Dunbar High School are 88% African American, 11% Hispanic.

Q: What schools feed into Dunbar High School?

Dunbar High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Bunker Hill Elementary School Elementary : Burroughs Elementary School Elementary : Langdon Elementary School Elementary : Langley Elementary School Elementary : Noyes Elementary School Elementary : Walker-Jones Education Campus Elementary : Wheatley Education Campus Middle : Brookland Middle School Middle : McKinley Middle School

Public Grades 9-12

33^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 35 District Of Columbia High Schools

Better than 6% of District Of Columbia high schools

Summary

Dunbar High School is a public high school in Washington, DC, serving 984 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) district, which is ranked 22 out of 46 districts in DC and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Dunbar High School faces significant challenges in academic performance, with only 12.5% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and just 3.5% proficient or better in mathematics, compared to 42.5% and 30.8% respectively for the DCPS district. The school's four-year graduation rate has been around 76-80% in recent years, lower than the district and state averages. Dunbar High School's statewide ranking has declined over the years, from 23 out of 34 DC high schools in 2022-2023 to 31 out of 33 in 2024-2025, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Interestingly, Dunbar High School's performance is significantly lower than that of nearby high-performing schools like Benjamin Banneker High School, which had 92.3% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts in 2024-2025. Dunbar High School also appears to struggle the most in serving its African American and low-socioeconomic status student populations, highlighting the need for targeted support and resources for these vulnerable groups. Despite relatively high per-student spending, the school's declining performance over time suggests the need for a comprehensive review and implementation of evidence-based strategies to improve student outcomes.

892

Students ?

10.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,283

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

101 N St. NW
Washington, DC 20001

(202) 698-3762

District: District of Columbia Public Schools

Feeder schools for Dunbar High School:

Elementary:	Bunker Hill Elementary School
	Burroughs Elementary School
	Langdon Elementary School
	Langley Elementary School
	More...
	Noyes Elementary School
	Walker-Jones Education Campus
	Wheatley Education Campus
Middle:	Brookland Middle School
	McKinley Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

87.6%

Hispanic:

11.2%

White:

0.3%

See top rated District Of Columbia high schools

Compare Dunbar High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 34th percentile in 2014 → 6th in 2025

Strengths

✓82% graduate in 4 years — above the District Of Columbia average (79%)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the District Of Columbia average (8% vs 31% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 28 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school8%

District avg36%

District Of Columbia avg31%

33^rd of 35

District Of Columbia public high schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From bottom 21% (2015) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of District Of Columbia High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 16High Schools in the District of Columbia Public Schools

23^rd of 46District of Columbia Public Schools among District Of Columbia 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	18.4	33 of 35	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.1	30 of 34	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.4	23 of 34	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.8	26 of 30	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.9	24 of 34	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.6	27 of 34	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.8	28 of 34	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	25.1	24 of 31	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	28.8	23 of 29	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	33.2	23 of 35	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	23.4	22 of 31	29.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	20.3	22 of 31	29.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	31.3	18 of 30	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	17.6	32 of 32	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.0	27 of 28	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	27.3	20 of 27	25.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.5	26 of 33	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.3	27 of 34	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2022	29.4	14 of 19	26.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.4	25 of 31	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.5	23 of 33	30.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	26.1	25 of 31	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.1	23 of 32	28.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	17.8	32 of 32	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.3	23 of 28	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.1	17 of 30	43.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	28.8	24 of 32	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.5	29 of 33	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	35.2	10 of 25	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.8	20 of 26	23.1%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2019)60th percentile+31 vs school

At Risk (2022)26th percentile+13 vs school

Male (2019)25th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2019)19th percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)<1st percentile-6 vs school

African American (2025)<1st percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs District Of Columbia (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts12%-25 vs state

English II12%-27 vs state

English I11%-27 vs state

Mathematics4%-23 vs state

Algebra I3%-10 vs state

Geometry2%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dunbar High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				DC Science Science (2025)				DC CAPE English Language Arts (2025)					DC CAPE Mathematics (2025)					DC CAPE English II (2025)	DC CAPE Algebra I (2025)	DC CAPE Geometry (2025)	DC CAPE English I (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	DC Science Science 5th Grade	DC Science Science 8th Grade	DC Science Science End of Course	DC Science Science All Grades	DC CAPE English Language Arts 5th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts 6th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts 7th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts 8th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts All Grades	DC CAPE Mathematics 5th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 6th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 7th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 8th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics All Grades	DC CAPE English II End of Course	DC CAPE Algebra I End of Course	DC CAPE Geometry End of Course	DC CAPE English I End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dunbar High School	Public	9-12	101 N St. NW	Washington	20001	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 698-3762	892	87	10.2		3 (0.3%)	781 (87.6%)	100 (11.2%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	18.4	33^rd of 35 public high schools	5.7%		22.1	30^th of 34 public high schools	11.8%	3									12.5					3.5	11.7	3.3	1.8	11.3	$26,283	$4,309	$21,975
McKinley Technology High School	Public	9-12	151 T St. NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 281-3950	723	50	14.3		33 (4.6%)	583 (80.6%)	91 (12.6%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.5%)	74.9	6^th of 35 public high schools	82.9%		62	5^th of 34 public high schools	85.3%	1			15.5						74.7					26.7	66.3	20.4	30.5	82.7	$30,238	$4,500	$25,738
Benjamin Banneker High School	Public	9-12	1600 9th St. NW	Washington	20001	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 671-6320	703	43	16.3		65 (9.2%)	482 (68.6%)	122 (17.4%)	11 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.1%)	93.4	3^rd of 35 public high schools	91.4%		88	3^rd of 34 public high schools	91.2%				32.8						92.3					60.9	90.3	73.0	53.2	94.7	$21,072	$4,233	$16,838
Girls Global Academy PCS	Public, Charter	9-12	733 8th Street NW	Washington	20001	District Of Columbia	Girls Global Academy PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 600-4822	183	26	7.1		1 (0.5%)	153 (83.6%)	23 (12.6%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.7%)	35.3	19^th of 35 public high schools	45.7%		30.5	17^th of 34 public high schools	50.0%	2									26.2						20.0			30.2	$31,657	$1,785	$29,872
Garnet-Patterson STAY High School	Public	9-12	2001 10th St NW	Washington	20001	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 576-8399	432	51	8.4		1 (0.2%)	261 (60.4%)	164 (38.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)								(n/a)									14.3										$22,638	$4,100	$18,537
KIPP DC - College Preparatory PCS	Public, Charter	9-12	1405 Brentwood Parkway NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	KIPP Dc Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 678-2527	643	52	12.2		2 (0.3%)	620 (96.4%)	19 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34.3	21^st of 35 public high schools	40.0%		25.8	25^th of 34 public high schools	26.5%	4			2.1						28.3					10.1	30.0	10.9	9.3	26.8	$31,788	$3,994	$27,794
Basis Dc Pcs	Public, Charter	5-12	410 8th Street NW	Washington	20004	District Of Columbia	Basis Dc Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 804-6390	692	50	13.8		337 (48.7%)	120 (17.3%)	74 (10.7%)	50 (7.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	105 (15.2%)	98.8	2^nd of 35 public high schools	94.3%		96.7	1^st of 34 public high schools	97.1%	1	56.8	34.4	63.9	49.8	61.5	75.6	81.3	84.4	77.9	56.8	60.2	80.2	78.5	67.7	89.7	86.0	51.8	92.8	$17,412	$431	$16,981
Cardozo Education Campus	Public	6-12	1200 Clifton St. NW	Washington	20009	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 673-7385	710	78	9.0		6 (0.8%)	334 (47.0%)	356 (50.1%)	10 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	20.7	31^st of 35 public high schools	11.4%		24.8	27^th of 34 public high schools	20.6%	4				1.2		6.9	18.6	13.3	15.0					2.4	18.3		1.6	11.6	$33,292	$4,525	$28,768
Maya Angelou Academy at Youth Services Center	Public	6-12	1000 Mount Olivet Road NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	Dyrs	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(202) 202-7007	84	10	8.4		0 (0.0%)	80 (95.2%)	3 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.2%)								(n/a)																			$00	$00	$00
Washington Leadership Academy PCS	Public, Charter	9-12	3015 4th Street NE	Washington	20017	District Of Columbia	Washington Leadership Academy PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(240) 580-3371	386	48	8.0		5 (1.3%)	312 (80.8%)	61 (15.8%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	33.5	22^nd of 35 public high schools	37.1%		31.8	16^th of 34 public high schools	52.9%	6									24.2					10.0	23.3	17.0		25.0	$33,946	$4,804	$29,142

Frequently Asked Questions about Dunbar High School

What district is Dunbar High School in?

District of Columbia Public Schools

How many students attend Dunbar High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 892 students attended Dunbar High School.

What is the racial makeup of Dunbar High School?

Students at Dunbar High School are 88% African American, 11% Hispanic.

What schools feed into Dunbar High School?

Dunbar High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bunker Hill Elementary School
Elementary : Burroughs Elementary School
Elementary : Langdon Elementary School
Elementary : Langley Elementary School
Elementary : Noyes Elementary School
Elementary : Walker-Jones Education Campus
Elementary : Wheatley Education Campus
Middle : Brookland Middle School
Middle : McKinley Middle School

Is Dunbar High School a good school?

Dunbar High School ranks in the bottom 5.7% of District Of Columbia high schools.

Rate Dunbar High School!

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DCDistrict Of Columbia High School Rankings

DCDistrict Of Columbia District Rankings

Schools in Washington, DC

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent 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.