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Dunbar Elementary School

Q: Is Dunbar Elementary School a good school?

Dunbar Elementary School ranks in the bottom 16.2% of Tennessee elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Dunbar Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 206 students attended Dunbar Elementary School.

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

Students at Dunbar Elementary School are 96% African American, 3% Hispanic.

Q: What schools do graduates of Dunbar Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Dunbar Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Sherwood Middle School High : Melrose High School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

854^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Dunbar Elementary School is a small PK–5 school in Memphis, TN, serving 206 students in a high-need area within Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

Academically, Dunbar remains below state averages in all core subjects, but it beats its district average in English Language Arts (25.5% vs. 24.6%) and Science (30.5% vs. 28.4%), which is unusual among nearby low-performing schools. Its overall ranking of 854th out of 1,019 Tennessee elementary schools (16th percentile) is its best since 2018–2019 and a meaningful jump from the 2nd percentile in 2023–2024. The school also outperforms its closest geographic neighbors: Hanley K-8 School (0th percentile), Bethel Grove Elementary School (8th percentile), and Compass Community School Orange Mound Campus (5th percentile). One notable concern is spending: Dunbar spends $18,705 per student, the second-highest among nearby schools, yet outcomes remain below those of schools like Idlewild Elementary School, which achieves top-tier results with roughly $4,000 less per student.

The school shows a split profile. Third-grade proficiency is close to state averages in ELA (36.1% vs. 44.9%) and science, but by 5th grade, proficiency collapses to just 6.7% in math and 13.3% in ELA. This sharp decline suggests early-grade success is not carrying forward. Chronic absenteeism is also a challenge: 35.8% of students are chronically absent, up sharply from 21.1% the prior year, though lower than several local schools like Hanley (52.0%) and Cherokee Elementary School (46.0%). On a positive note, Dunbar's African American and low-income students improved to the 36th and 31st percentiles respectively in 2025–2026 — far above the school's overall ranking — and science is a hidden strength, especially in 4th grade. If Dunbar can stabilize attendance and extend its early-grade momentum into upper elementary, it has a realistic path toward sustained improvement.

206

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,705

Per pupil spending ?

94.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2606 Select Ave
Memphis, TN 38114

(901) 416-5000

District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Students who attend Dunbar Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Sherwood Middle School
High:	Melrose High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

95.6%

Hispanic:

2.9%

White:

1.0%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Dunbar Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 6th percentile in 2018 → 16th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2018

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (25% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (36% vs 18% Tennessee)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg25%

Tennessee avg43%

854^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▲ up 10 pts since 2018

From bottom 6% (2018) to bottom 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

62^nd of 120Elementary Schools in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools

137^th of 141Memphis-Shelby County Schools among Tennessee 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	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	20.0	854 of 1019	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	9.8	943 of 1009	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.6	994 of 1018	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.9	933 of 1020	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.6	982 of 1000	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.9	932 of 983	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.4	842 of 985	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.0	940 of 997	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	35.9	320 of 498	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	19.9	414 of 498	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.7	469 of 498	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.2	368 of 500	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.7	457 of 483	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.2	364 of 411	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.5	244 of 404	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.3	347 of 450	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	10.8	926 of 986	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.1	923 of 990	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	849 of 989	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.6	918 of 975	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.1	818 of 945	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.7	728 of 926	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	36.1	568 of 823	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	16.0	785 of 843	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	784 of 853	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.3	759 of 865	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.9	814 of 858	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.2	746 of 823	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.3	619 of 821	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.4	810 of 877	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	13.4	895 of 984	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.3	983 of 991	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	942 of 987	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.4	963 of 980	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.6	828 of 916	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)36th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)31st percentile+15 vs school

Male (2025)9th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)6th percentile~ school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Science30%-16 vs state

English Language Arts26%-15 vs state

Mathematics19%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dunbar Elementary 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)				TNReady Mathematics (2026)							TNReady English Language Arts (2026)							TNReady Science (2026)							TNReady Social Studies (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 (2016)	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	TNReady Mathematics 3rd Grade	TNReady Mathematics 4th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 3rd Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 4th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 5th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 6th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 7th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 8th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science 5th Grade	TNReady Science 6th Grade	TNReady Science 7th Grade	TNReady Science 8th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	TNReady Social Studies 6th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 7th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 8th Grade	TNReady Social Studies All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dunbar Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2606 Select Ave	Memphis	38114	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-5000	198	16	12.1	94.3%	3 (1.5%)	189 (95.5%)	5 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	20	854^th of 1019 public elementary schools	16.2%		9.8	943^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	6.5%	89	27.0	21.4	6.7				18.9	36.1	25.0	13.3				25.5	35.1	46.4	10.0				30.5					$18,705	$1,533	$15,527
Hanley K-8 School	Public	PK, KG-5	680 Hanley Street	Memphis	38114	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(901) 416-0527	572	29	19.8		3 (0.5%)	544 (95.1%)	14 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.6%)	3.5	1014^th of 1019 public elementary schools	0.5%		5.7	990^th of 1009 public elementary schools	1.9%	24	9.4	10.5	5.9				8.5	11.8	13.2	5.9				10.0	11.3	13.2	5.9				9.9					$16,113	$1,950	$12,961
Bethel Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2459 Arlington Ave	Memphis	38114	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-5012	299	20	14.9	95.9%	4 (1.3%)	278 (93.0%)	11 (3.7%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	9.9	940^th of 1019 public elementary schools	7.8%		7.4	972^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	3.7%	32	17.1	16.7	< 5%				11.6	34.1	16.2	8.3				20.2	19.5	13.9	14.3				16.1					$17,572	$2,303	$14,091
Compass Community School Orange Mound Campus	Public, Charter	K-8	2718 Lamar Avenue	Memphis	38114	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 743-6700	188	17	11.0		4 (2.1%)	121 (64.4%)	62 (33.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	7.3	972^nd of 1019 public elementary schools	4.6%		14.4	893^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	11.5%	79	9.5	32.0	15.8	< 5%	< 5%	14.3	13.1	9.5	16.0	5.3	< 5%	17.4	9.5	10.8	9.5	24.0	15.8	< 5%	13.0	14.3	13.8	9.5	47.8	9.5	23.1	$15,751	$1,441	$13,944
Cherokee Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3061 Kimball Ave	Memphis	38114	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-5028	368	25	15.0	96.2%	1 (0.3%)	329 (89.4%)	35 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	45.7	552^nd of 1019 public elementary schools	45.8%		37.5	635^th of 1009 public elementary schools	37.1%	83	42.3	42.9	31.7				39.6	40.4	23.2	36.6				32.9	50.0	50.0	58.5				52.3					$16,964	$2,043	$13,386
Peabody Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2086 Young Ave	Memphis	38104	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-4606	324	19	17.0	72.5%	18 (5.6%)	280 (86.4%)	6 (1.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.9%)	23.8	816^th of 1019 public elementary schools	19.9%		21.7	828^th of 1009 public elementary schools	17.9%	12	27.5	13.3	13.8				18.4	35.0	37.8	34.5				36.0	35.0	33.3	27.6				32.5					$16,586	$1,502	$14,042
Sharpe Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3431 Sharpe Rd	Memphis	38111	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-5020	304	22	13.8	96.5%	2 (0.7%)	113 (37.2%)	185 (60.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	6.5	982^nd of 1019 public elementary schools	3.6%		11.8	926^th of 1009 public elementary schools	8.2%	56	14.6	23.4	10.9				16.3	14.3	12.8	15.2				14.1	14.3	17.0	13.0				14.8					$17,225	$1,666	$14,112
Sherwood Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1156 Robinhood Lane	Memphis	38111	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-4864	548	33	16.6	93.0%	10 (1.8%)	350 (63.9%)	175 (31.9%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.6%)	9.9	938^th of 1019 public elementary schools	7.9%		5.5	992^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	1.7%	54	14.9	12.9	8.5				12.1	17.6	29.4	21.1				23.2	23.5	16.5	22.5				20.5					$15,304	$1,937	$11,963
Rozelle Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	993 Roland	Memphis	38114	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-4612	227	21	11.0	84.5%	0 (0.0%)	221 (97.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.2%)	38.7	649^th of 1019 public elementary schools	36.3%		14.2	896^th of 1009 public elementary schools	11.2%	247	25.9	34.5	25.8				28.7	37.0	51.7	41.9				43.7	33.3	51.7	38.7				41.4					$19,287	$1,415	$16,430
Idlewild Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	1950 Linden Ave	Memphis	38104	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-4566	588	37	15.8	50.0%	240 (40.8%)	240 (40.8%)	36 (6.1%)	13 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (9.9%)	84.9	120^th of 1019 public elementary schools	88.2%		88.5	95^th of 1009 public elementary schools	90.6%	25	50.5	65.5	53.6				56.9	64.4	72.7	67.9				68.5	61.9	75.5	69.0				68.9					$14,776	$1,171	$12,620

Frequently Asked Questions about Dunbar Elementary School

How many students attend Dunbar Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 206 students attended Dunbar Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Dunbar Elementary School?

Students at Dunbar Elementary School are 96% African American, 3% Hispanic.

Is Dunbar Elementary School a good school?

Dunbar Elementary School ranks in the bottom 16.2% of Tennessee elementary schools.

What district is Dunbar Elementary School in?

Memphis-Shelby County Schools

What schools do graduates of Dunbar Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Sherwood Middle School
High : Melrose High School

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Latest Tennessee data All new data »

2025–26 TNReady test scoresAug 25, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesApr 2, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataFeb 27, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataDec 18, 2025

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