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Katherine Dunn Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
227th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 379 Nevada Elementary Schools
Better than 40% of Nevada elementary schools
Summary

Katherine Dunn Elementary is a public elementary school in Sparks, Nevada, serving 460 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Washoe County School District, which is ranked 4 out of 12 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Katherine Dunn Elementary has experienced high chronic absenteeism rates, its academic performance is a concern. The school's proficiency rates in mathematics, reading, and science are consistently lower than the district and state averages. Notably, Marvin Moss Elementary and Florence Drake Elementary, both located within a few miles of Katherine Dunn, significantly outperform it in all tested subjects.

The high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch at Katherine Dunn Elementary, ranging from 45.83% to 100%, may be a contributing factor to the school's lower academic performance compared to more affluent nearby schools. While the school's spending per student has increased over the years, this has not translated to improved student outcomes, suggesting that factors beyond just funding may be influencing the educational experience at Katherine Dunn Elementary.

462
Students ?
17.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$10,089
Per pupil spending ?
99.8%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1135 O Callaghan Dr
       Sparks, NV  89434

(775) 353-5520

District: Washoe County


Students who attend Katherine Dunn Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    George L. Dilworth S.T.E.M Academy
High:    Edward C. Reed High School
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
55.6%
White:
30.5%
Two or more races:
5.4%
more
 See top rated Nevada elementary schools

 Compare Katherine Dunn Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 42nd percentile in 2014 → 40th in 2025
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school35%
District avg39%
Nevada avg39%
227th of 379
Nevada public elementary schools ?
Bottom 40%▼ down 9 pts since 2016
From bottom 49% (2016) to bottom 40% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Nevada Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
43rd of 62Elementary Schools in the Washoe County
4th of 12Washoe County among Nevada 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 rankNevada percentileRating
202535.1227 of 37940.1%★★☆☆☆
202445.5170 of 37754.9%★★★☆☆
202337.1208 of 38445.8%★★☆☆☆
202242.5185 of 38051.3%★★★☆☆
202144.1147 of 32454.6%★★★☆☆
201942.6212 of 38845.4%★★☆☆☆
201848.5169 of 34150.4%★★★☆☆
201754.5143 of 35159.3%★★★☆☆
201647.0176 of 34749.3%★★☆☆☆
201443.9192 of 33242.2%★★☆☆☆
201343.6195 of 33040.9%★★☆☆☆
201232.7221 of 32832.6%★★☆☆☆
201142.2185 of 31841.8%★★☆☆☆
201060.895 of 30068.3%★★★☆☆
200937.6175 of 29240.1%★★☆☆☆
200823.3222 of 29424.5%★☆☆☆☆
200633.1157 of 24636.2%★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNevada percentileRating
201837.4138 of 21335.2%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNevada percentileRating
201848.9163 of 33050.6%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNevada percentileRating
201853.4129 of 30858.1%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNevada percentileRating
201858.3115 of 32164.2%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNevada percentileRating
201848.1162 of 33251.2%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNevada percentileRating
201858.472 of 22768.3%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNevada percentileRating
201828.6195 of 24721.1%★☆☆☆☆
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 (2018)68th percentile+18 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2018)64th percentile+14 vs school
Hispanic (2018)58th percentile+8 vs school
Male (2018)51st percentile~ school
Female (2018)51st percentile~ school
English Language Learner (2018)35th percentile-15 vs school
White (2018)21st percentile-29 vs school
By subject vs Nevada (2024-2025) ?
Reading41%-5 vs state
Mathematics32%-4 vs state
Science26%~ state avg

3.7
3 ratings · 1 written review
52
40
30
20
11
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What people are saying
by a parent
Friday, August 16, 2019

Open Quote Amazing school and the teachers are great, clean school with a very good rating. This school came highly recommended to us and we are so much our children attend this school, we would highly recommend this school. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Katherine Dunn Elementary

In the 2024-25 school year, 462 students attended Katherine Dunn Elementary.

Students who attend Katherine Dunn Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : George L. Dilworth S.T.E.M Academy
High : Edward C. Reed High School

Katherine Dunn Elementary ranks 227th of 379 Nevada elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at Katherine Dunn Elementary are 56% Hispanic, 31% White, 5% Two or more races, 3% Pacific Islander, 3% Asian, 1% African American.


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