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Paul Laurence Dunbar High School

Q: Is Paul Laurence Dunbar High School a good school?

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School ranks 28 th of 262 Kentucky high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

28^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 262 Kentucky High Schools

Better than 89% of Kentucky high schools

Summary

In Lexington, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School is a Fayette County public high school serving grades 9–12 and 1,828 students. In 2025–2026, its proficiency rates were above both state and district levels in all six reported subjects. The key consideration for families is that strong test results coexist with high chronic absenteeism: 37% of students were chronically absent, compared with 25% districtwide and 24% statewide.

Science is Dunbar’s clearest strength: 40% were proficient, 17 points above the state and 9 above the district. That was second among nearby schools with reported 11th-grade science results, behind Lafayette High School at 45%. Dunbar also placed second locally in social studies, while Lafayette scored higher in five of the six subjects. Reading is a less distinctive area: Dunbar’s 56% proficiency was 3 points above the district and 7 above the state, and close to nearby results. Its absenteeism rate was slightly higher than Lafayette’s 36%, but lower than Tates Creek High School’s 46%.

Science proficiency rose from 21% in 2023–2024 to 40% in 2025–2026, while writing was unchanged at 56%; editing and mechanics rose 3 points, but its gap over the state widened from 6 to 14 points. SchoolDigger gave Dunbar four stars and ranked it in the 89th statewide percentile (28th of 262), behind Lafayette’s 97th percentile; its overall percentile has stayed around 89–90 for three years. The student-teacher ratio was 17.7 in 2024–2025, and 41% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that school year. SchoolDigger’s subgroup rankings point to a serious concern about how well the school serves students with disabilities: that group ranked at the 1st percentile in 2025–2026, down from the 62nd percentile two years earlier. Hispanic students ranked at the 24th percentile, compared with the school’s overall 89th.

1,828

Students ?

17.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

40.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

1600 Man O' War Blvd
Lexington, KY 40513

(859) 381-3546

District: Fayette County

Feeder schools for Paul Laurence Dunbar High School:

Elementary:	Booker T Washington Elementary School
	Cardinal Valley Elementary School
	Garden Springs Elementary School
	James Lane Allen Elementary School
	More...
	Meadowthorpe Elementary School
	Rosa Parks Elementary School
Middle:	Beaumont Middle School
	Leestown Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

40.0%

Hispanic:

31.3%

African American:

13.7%

See top rated Kentucky high schools

Compare Paul Laurence Dunbar High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 92nd percentile in 2016 → 89th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Kentucky average (52% vs 39% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 11% of Kentucky high schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Fayette County

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 24% Kentucky)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school52%

District avg44%

Kentucky avg39%

28^th of 262

Kentucky public high schools ?

Top 11%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 11High Schools in the Fayette County

65^th of 158Fayette County among Kentucky 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	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	81.1	28 of 262	89.3%	★★★★☆
2025	82.3	28 of 254	89.0%	★★★★☆
2024	80.1	30 of 290	89.7%	★★★★☆
2023	76.1	38 of 276	86.2%	★★★★☆
2022	87.2	14 of 271	94.8%	★★★★★
2021	89.7	11 of 267	95.9%	★★★★★
2019	89.0	16 of 285	94.4%	★★★★★
2018	80.8	35 of 271	87.1%	★★★★☆
2017	78.3	40 of 287	86.1%	★★★★☆
2016	84.1	24 of 288	91.7%	★★★★★
2015	77.6	45 of 295	84.7%	★★★★☆
2014	79.8	34 of 290	88.3%	★★★★☆
2013	81.8	28 of 291	90.4%	★★★★★
2012	73.6	41 of 229	82.1%	★★★★☆
2011	76.7	29 of 226	87.2%	★★★★☆
2010	80.3	24 of 223	89.2%	★★★★☆
2009	80.2	21 of 217	90.3%	★★★★★
2008	79.5	23 of 217	89.4%	★★★★☆
2007	85.5	19 of 217	91.2%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	19 of 75	74.7%	★★★★☆
2025	61.1	20 of 75	73.3%	★★★★☆
2024	48.3	46 of 93	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.4	37 of 83	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.5	39 of 89	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.2	22 of 78	71.8%	★★★★☆
2019	68.0	17 of 89	80.9%	★★★★☆
2018	43.1	51 of 94	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	94.6	2 of 24	91.7%	★★★★★
2025	93.3	2 of 25	92.0%	★★★★★
2024	89.2	3 of 27	88.9%	★★★★★
2023	83.9	4 of 26	84.6%	★★★★☆
2022	93.8	1 of 28	96.4%	★★★★★
2021	84.1	4 of 23	82.6%	★★★★☆
2019	93.4	2 of 23	91.3%	★★★★★
2018	90.7	2 of 25	92.0%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2022	39.6	95 of 153	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	88.3	6 of 154	96.1%	★★★★★
2019	20.1	150 of 166	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.0	130 of 166	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2024	37.0	23 of 48	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.7	10 of 41	75.6%	★★★★☆
2022	39.4	21 of 37	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.3	13 of 29	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.4	1 of 29	96.6%	★★★★★
2018	49.4	11 of 30	63.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	65.2	70 of 244	71.3%	★★★★☆
2025	69.3	53 of 239	77.8%	★★★★☆
2024	76.8	34 of 261	87.0%	★★★★☆
2023	69.9	48 of 253	81.0%	★★★★☆
2022	78.8	25 of 252	90.1%	★★★★★
2021	81.2	21 of 236	91.1%	★★★★★
2019	86.5	14 of 249	94.4%	★★★★★
2018	77.4	39 of 234	83.3%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2022	90.4	1 of 38	97.4%	★★★★★
2019	79.2	6 of 102	94.1%	★★★★★
2018	71.0	28 of 115	75.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	29.8	87 of 115	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.6	77 of 115	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.9	98 of 124	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.8	82 of 116	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.8	68 of 114	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.0	55 of 92	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.8	49 of 88	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.4	69 of 80	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	21.9	18 of 21	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	37.9	159 of 245	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.9	155 of 242	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.9	190 of 274	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.2	183 of 272	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.9	106 of 266	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.3	154 of 234	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.1	153 of 254	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.7	184 of 232	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	87.6	16 of 243	93.4%	★★★★★
2025	86.2	18 of 239	92.5%	★★★★★
2024	81.0	24 of 262	90.8%	★★★★★
2023	76.5	28 of 259	89.2%	★★★★☆
2022	91.2	10 of 257	96.1%	★★★★★
2021	92.2	9 of 238	96.2%	★★★★★
2019	88.1	15 of 251	94.0%	★★★★★
2018	80.3	30 of 237	87.3%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	44.3	50 of 87	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.6	41 of 89	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	89.5	9 of 87	89.7%	★★★★★
2023	84.0	6 of 76	92.1%	★★★★★
2022	87.4	4 of 77	94.8%	★★★★★
2021	68.3	12 of 49	75.5%	★★★★☆
2018	64.3	14 of 42	66.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	15.6	83 of 84	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.3	84 of 86	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	46.8	64 of 168	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.3	76 of 162	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	87.7	15 of 226	93.4%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	93.4	9 of 253	96.4%	★★★★★
2025	95.9	3 of 251	98.8%	★★★★★
2024	96.2	3 of 273	98.9%	★★★★★
2023	89.9	14 of 264	94.7%	★★★★★
2022	97.1	4 of 260	98.5%	★★★★★
2021	96.9	4 of 203	98.0%	★★★★★
2019	96.3	2 of 219	99.1%	★★★★★
2018	93.9	11 of 198	94.4%	★★★★★

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)

Gifted and Talented (2022)97th percentile+3 vs school

White (2026)96th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)93rd percentile+4 vs school

Asian (2026)92nd percentile~ school

African American (2026)75th percentile-15 vs school

Female (2026)71st percentile-18 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)52nd percentile-38 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)43rd percentile-47 vs school

Disabled (2022)38th percentile-57 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)35th percentile-54 vs school

Hispanic (2026)24th percentile-65 vs school

Homeless (2025)14th percentile-75 vs school

Special Education (2026)1st percentile-88 vs school

By subject vs Kentucky (2025-2026) ?

Reading56%+7 vs state

Writing56%+9 vs state

Editing and Mechanics54%+14 vs state

Social Studies53%+16 vs state

Mathematics51%+11 vs state

Science40%+17 vs state

3.5

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★0

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What people are saying

by a student
Tuesday, January 23, 2024

The school is boring with the teachers expecting everyone to work with basic notes and no fun, interesting, or inspiring activities. Just notes, review, quiz, then repeat. There are very little rules so students can run like crazy and teachers don’t care. Close Quote

by a student
Saturday, August 27, 2011

I have actually graduated but was quite satisfied with my time here. The resources are available to get anything you want out of your high school education. I was able to take 9 AP courses and tests which is something you don't find anywhere. I highly recommend this school. Close Quote

Schools Near Paul Laurence Dunbar High School

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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)				KSA Mathematics (2026)			KSA Reading (2026)			KSA Science (2026)	KSA Writing (2026)		KSA Social Studies (2026)		KSA Editing and Mechanics (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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	KSA Mathematics 6th Grade	KSA Mathematics 8th Grade	KSA Mathematics 10th Grade	KSA Reading 6th Grade	KSA Reading 8th Grade	KSA Reading 10th Grade	KSA Science 11th Grade	KSA Writing 8th Grade	KSA Writing 11th Grade	KSA Social Studies 8th Grade	KSA Social Studies 11th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 8th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Paul Laurence Dunbar High School	Public	9-12	1600 Man O' War Blvd	Lexington	40513	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 381-3546	1,828	103	17.7	40.6%	731 (40.0%)	250 (13.7%)	572 (31.3%)	203 (11.1%)	6 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	65 (3.6%)	81.1	28^th of 262 public high schools	89.3%		82.3	28^th of 254 public high schools	89.0%				51.0			56.0	40.0		56.0		53.0		54.0
Lafayette High School	Public	9-12	401 Reed Ln	Lexington	40503	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 381-3474	2,370	126	18.7	33.1%	1,470 (62.0%)	300 (12.7%)	324 (13.7%)	131 (5.5%)	6 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	139 (5.9%)	92.5	8^th of 262 public high schools	96.9%		85.1	21^st of 254 public high schools	91.7%	13			60.0			69.0	45.0		62.0		63.0		61.0
Audrey Grevious Center	Public	6-12	1177 Harry Sykes Way	Lexington	40504	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 246-4370	21	5	4.2	81.0%	5 (23.8%)	12 (57.1%)	3 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.8%)								(n/a)
Family Care Center	Public	9-12	1135 Harry Sykes Way	Lexington	40504	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 288-4040	22	3	7.3	95.5%	4 (18.2%)	9 (40.9%)	7 (31.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (9.1%)								(n/a)
Opportunity Middle College	Public	11-12	470 Cooper Drive	Lexington	40506	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 246-6379	102	4	23.1	60.8%	29 (28.4%)	29 (28.4%)	23 (22.5%)	20 (19.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	74.5	45^th of 262 public high schools	82.8%		83.5	23^rd of 254 public high schools	90.9%	22							19.0		70.0		51.0		56.0
The Hub for Innovation and Leadership	Public	9-12	100 Midland Ave	Lexington	40511	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(859) 381-4165	0	0		—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Homebound Secondary	Public	6-12	701 E Main St	Lexington	40502	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 381-4100	6	1	6.0	—	3 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
The Learning Center	Public	8-12	475 Price Road	Lexington	40508	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 381-0597	191	25	7.5	70.2%	92 (48.2%)	46 (24.1%)	33 (17.3%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (8.9%)	22.7	207^th of 262 public high schools	21.0%		4.9	243^rd of 254 public high schools	4.3%	36					9.0	39.0					23.0	19.0
Ashgrove Academy	Public	6-12	1115 Ashgrove Road	Nicholasville	40356	Jessamine County	Jessamine County	No	No	No	No	(859) 523-3001	7	2	3.5	—	4 (57.1%)	2 (28.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (14.3%)								(n/a)														$26,498	$1,866	$22,177
Tates Creek High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	1111 Centre Pkwy	Lexington	40517	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	Yes	No	No	(859) 381-3620	1,723	98	17.5	56.8%	696 (40.4%)	506 (29.4%)	316 (18.3%)	63 (3.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	140 (8.1%)	46.1	139^th of 262 public high schools	46.9%		37.2	174^th of 254 public high schools	31.5%	35			34.0			39.0	27.0		42.0		44.0		38.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Paul Laurence Dunbar High School

What district is Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in?

Fayette County

What schools feed into Paul Laurence Dunbar High School?

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Booker T Washington Elementary School
Elementary : Cardinal Valley Elementary School
Elementary : Garden Springs Elementary School
Elementary : James Lane Allen Elementary School
Elementary : Meadowthorpe Elementary School
Elementary : Rosa Parks Elementary School
Middle : Beaumont Middle School
Middle : Leestown Middle School

Is Paul Laurence Dunbar High School a good school?

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School ranks 28^th of 262 Kentucky high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Paul Laurence Dunbar High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,828 students attended Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.

What is the racial makeup of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School?

Students at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School are 40% White, 31% Hispanic, 14% African American, 11% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

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Latest Kentucky data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataOct 15, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 KSA test scoresOct 15, 2026

2024–25 KSA test scoresOct 30, 2025

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