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Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1870^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 17% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center is a public school in the Wynwood/Allapattah area of Miami, FL, serving 373 students in grades PK through 8 within the Miami-Dade district.

The most critical issue at Dunbar is a chronic absenteeism crisis, with a rate of 40.3% that far exceeds nearby schools like Eneida M. Hartner Elementary School (8.6%) and Mater Academy Of International Studies (17.3%). This high absenteeism is strongly linked to the school's low overall state ranking, which has been in the bottom 20th percentile for a decade. Despite spending $15,633 per student—more than many higher-performing neighbors—the school struggles with inconsistent academic results. For example, 3rd-grade math proficiency is a strong 61%, but 5th-grade math drops to 46%, while 3rd-grade ELA is a very low 24% compared to 8th-grade ELA at 48%. This "roller coaster" pattern is unique among peers, who tend to have more stable scores.

However, Dunbar has notable bright spots. In the 2025-2026 school year, 100% of students taking Algebra 1 were proficient, far exceeding the district and state averages, and 8th-grade science matched the state average at 52%. This suggests a strong middle school program for students who persist through attendance challenges. The school's K-8 structure is also unique in the area, offering families a single-school option through 8th grade, unlike most nearby K-5 schools. Interestingly, Frederick R. Douglass Elementary, with a similar demographic profile and even higher absenteeism (42.2%), consistently outperforms Dunbar, indicating that while attendance is a major factor, other strategies could improve outcomes.

373

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,633

Per pupil spending ?

67.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

505 NW 20th St
Miami, FL 33127

(305) 438-9737

District: Miami-Dade

Students who attend Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center usually attend:

High:

Booker T. Washington Senior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

56.0%

African American:

43.2%

White:

0.8%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 8th percentile in 2016 → 17th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (49% vs 62% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (40% vs 31% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school49%

District avg66%

Florida avg62%

Elementary school

1,870^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 17%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 8% (2016) to bottom 17% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

848^th of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Bottom 30%▲ up 14 pts since 2016

From bottom 16% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

251^st of 279Elementary Schools in the Miami-Dade

20^th of 70Miami-Dade among Florida districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	22.1	1870 of 2240	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.1	2104 of 2258	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	1959 of 2256	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.9	2085 of 2240	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.0	1947 of 2219	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	1957 of 2247	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.5	1926 of 2182	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	1734 of 2118	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.7	1739 of 2112	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	12.3	1923 of 2087	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	10.8	1961 of 2064	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	12.9	1883 of 2029	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	8.0	1904 of 1984	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	8.3	1902 of 1985	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	9.5	1813 of 1919	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	18.0	1606 of 1847	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	16.8	1571 of 1789	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	15.1	1592 of 1786	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	6.0	1627 of 1688	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	27.4	172 of 202	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	6.9	191 of 199	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	34.8	848 of 1216	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.6	945 of 1205	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.4	1022 of 1196	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.1	740 of 1177	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.7	643 of 1148	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.8	909 of 1136	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.4	915 of 1099	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.9	817 of 1035	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	26.2	769 of 1031	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.7	837 of 997	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	25.7	766 of 999	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Algebra 1100%+37 vs state

Civics69%-8 vs state

Math53%-9 vs state

Science47%-9 vs state

English Language Arts39%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)						FAST Math (2026)						Statewide Science Science (2026)		EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Civics (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center	Public	PK, KG-8	505 NW 20th St	Miami	33127	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 438-9737	373	25	14.9	67.6%	3 (0.8%)	161 (43.2%)	209 (56.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22.1	1870^th of 2240 public elementary schools	16.5%		12.1	2104^th of 2258 public elementary schools	6.8%	234	24.0	31.0	41.0	47.0	46.0	48.0	61.0	60.0	46.0	52.0	52.0	47.0	44.0	52.0	100.0	69.0	$15,633	$1,997	$13,635
Phyllis Wheatley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1801 NW 1st Pl	Miami	33136	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 573-2638	145	10	14.5	70.3%	4 (2.8%)	90 (62.1%)	50 (34.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	16	2020^th of 2240 public elementary schools	9.8%		12.4	2096^th of 2258 public elementary schools	7.2%	76	38.0	50.0	35.0				50.0	36.0	35.0				47.0				$19,760	$2,444	$17,317
Eneida M. Hartner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	401 NW 29th St	Miami	33127	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 573-8181	324	20	16.2	61.4%	7 (2.2%)	61 (18.8%)	254 (78.4%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31.7	1628^th of 2240 public elementary schools	27.3%		24.2	1798^th of 2258 public elementary schools	20.4%	170	49.0	43.0	57.0				56.0	53.0	64.0				43.0				$13,981	$1,285	$12,695
Theodore R. And Thelma A. Gibson Charter School	Public, Charter	K-5	450 NW 14th Street	Miami	33136	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	Yes	No	No	Yes	(305) 438-0895	168	9	18.6	94.0%	2 (1.2%)	99 (58.9%)	66 (39.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	27.6	1726^th of 2240 public elementary schools	22.9%		17	1986^th of 2258 public elementary schools	12.0%	260	25.0	52.0	62.0				48.0	55.0	46.0				54.0				$11,715	$666	$11,049
Bridgeprep Academy Of Greater Miami	Public, Charter	K-5	137 NE 19th St	Miami	33132	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	Yes	No	No	Yes	(786) 446-4372	388	22	17.6		25 (6.4%)	35 (9.0%)	323 (83.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	45.6	1253^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	44.1%		43.9	1247^th of 2258 public elementary schools	44.8%	6	50.0	52.0	73.0				56.0	56.0	62.0				71.0				$12,595	$248	$12,347
Frederick R. Douglass Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	314 NW 12th St	Miami	33136	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 371-4687	187	12	15.5	70.6%	3 (1.6%)	98 (52.4%)	86 (46.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46.5	1240^th of 2240 public elementary schools	44.6%		49.5	1123^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	50.3%	117	32.0	65.0	66.0				59.0	50.0	74.0				56.0				$20,085	$2,756	$17,329
Santa Clara Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1051 NW 29th Ter	Miami	33127	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 635-1417	532	32	16.6	51.1%	1 (0.2%)	57 (10.7%)	471 (88.5%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22.3	1864^th of 2240 public elementary schools	16.8%		13.7	2064^th of 2258 public elementary schools	8.6%	200	30.0	35.0	44.0				53.0	56.0	49.0				54.0				$14,751	$2,018	$12,733
Mater Academy Of International Studies	Public, Charter	K-5	795 NW 32nd St	Miami	33127	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	Yes	No	No	Yes	(305) 634-0445	465	24	19.3	88.2%	6 (1.3%)	12 (2.6%)	445 (95.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46.5	1234^th of 2240 public elementary schools	44.9%		60.5	866^th of 2258 public elementary schools	61.6%	368	57.0	49.0	61.0				65.0	68.0	70.0				41.0				$9,952	$515	$9,437
Early Beginnings Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	1411 NW 14th Ave	Miami	33125	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	Yes	No	No	No	(305) 325-1080	98	8	12.2	5.1%	7 (7.1%)	41 (41.8%)	48 (49.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)								(n/a)																	$29,408	$00	$29,408
Downtown Miami Charter School	Public, Charter	K-5	305 NW 3rd Ave	Miami	33128	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	Yes	No	No	Yes	(305) 579-2112	442	23	19.2	6.6%	27 (6.1%)	193 (43.7%)	214 (48.4%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	23.2	1841^st of 2240 public elementary schools	17.8%		29	1673^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	25.9%	168	59.0	48.0	41.0				46.0	43.0	56.0				31.0				$11,007	$380	$10,628

Frequently Asked Questions about Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center

What district is Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center in?

Miami-Dade

What schools do graduates of Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center attend?

Students who attend Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center usually go on to attend:

High : Booker T. Washington Senior High

Is Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center a good school?

Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center ranks in the bottom 16.5% of Florida elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center?

Students at Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center are 56% Hispanic, 43% African American.

How many students attend Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 373 students attended Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center.

Rate Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center!

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Latest Florida data All new data »

2025–26 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2025

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