Dunbar Hill School

Q: Is Dunbar Hill School a good school?

Dunbar Hill School ranks 364 th of 497 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Summary:

Dunbar Hill School is an elementary school in Hamden, Connecticut, serving 272 students in grades PK-6. The school faces significant challenges, with a student population that is predominantly African American and Hispanic, consistently low academic performance, and high rates of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

Compared to nearby schools like Spring Glen School, Dunbar Hill School has a much higher percentage of minority students, with 36.76% African American and 35.29% Hispanic students, compared to Spring Glen's 13.51% African American and 16.49% Hispanic students. This stark contrast suggests a high degree of racial segregation within the Hamden School District. Additionally, Dunbar Hill School consistently underperforms the district and state averages in standardized test scores, with only 19.6% of 3rd-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 37.8% in the Hamden School District and 45.9% statewide.

The challenges faced by Dunbar Hill School extend beyond just academic performance. The school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 48.9% to 50.99% over the past three school years, indicating significant socioeconomic disparities within the district. Despite these challenges, Dunbar Hill School has not shown significant improvement in its statewide ranking or academic performance over the past decade, remaining in the bottom quarter of Connecticut elementary schools. These findings highlight the need for a comprehensive approach to address the underlying issues and provide equitable educational opportunities for all students in the Hamden School District.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

315 Lane St.
Hamden, CT 06514

(203) 407-2025

District: Hamden School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
364^th of 497 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $23,267

Students who attend Dunbar Hill School usually attend:

Middle:	Hamden Middle School
High:	Hamden High School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.8

Number of students: 271

Racial breakdown:

African American:

36.5%

Hispanic:

35.8%

White:

14.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 57.9%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Dunbar Hill School ranks worse than 73.2% of elementary schools in Connecticut. It also ranks 6^th among 8 ranked elementary schools in the Hamden School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 20.7. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Dunbar Hill School has the smallest elementary school student body size in the Hamden School District. Student population at Dunbar Hill School is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (36.5%), Hispanic (35.8%), White (14.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 57.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Dunbar Hill School is 13.8, which is the highest among 8 elementary schools in the Hamden School District! (See more...)

Compare Dunbar Hill School employs 19.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Dunbar Hill School is $23,267, which is the 4^th highest among 8 elementary schools in the Hamden School District.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Dunbar Hill School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Hamden School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Hamden School District 126^th of 158 Connecticut school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Dunbar Hill School

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Rank History for all students at Dunbar Hill School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CT State Percentile
2006	35.37	425^th	570	25.4%
2007	31.76	445^th	568	21.7%
2008	25.45	469^th	565	17.0%
2009	20.53	482^nd	566	14.8%
2010	32.76	455^th	579	21.4%
2011	44.82	394^th	565	30.3%
2012	36.97	428^th	564	24.1%
2013	35.81	419^th	557	24.8%
2015	40.57	355^th	551	35.6%
2016	33.94	333^rd	518	35.7%
2017	34.43	343^rd	519	33.9%
2018	36.33	343^rd	532	35.5%
2019	30.16	365^th	522	30.1%
2021	23.70	400^th	538	25.7%
2022	14.35	397^th	490	19.0%
2023	12.91	409^th	491	16.7%
2024	20.70	364^th	497	26.8%

See the entire list of Connecticut Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Dunbar Hill School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CT State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	54.27	153^rd	371	58.8%

See the entire list of Best Connecticut Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Dunbar Hill School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CT State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	53.54	128^th	302	57.6%

See the entire list of Best Connecticut Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Data source: test scores: Connecticut Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Connecticut State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Dunbar Hill School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	197	68	8	9	0	n/a	n/a	282
1989	206	61	10	2	0	n/a	n/a	279
1990	202	53	10	6	n/a	n/a	n/a	271
1991	235	77	5	3	0	n/a	n/a	320
1992	230	98	2	5	0	n/a	n/a	335
1993	228	99	1	6	0	n/a	n/a	334
1994	225	97	6	10	0	n/a	n/a	338
1995	217	133	5	15	0	n/a	n/a	370
1996	217	133	5	15	0	n/a	n/a	370
1997	216	134	9	12	0	n/a	n/a	371
1998	208	157	12	14	1	n/a	n/a	392
1999	195	141	15	14	1	n/a	n/a	366
2000	175	164	14	19	0	n/a	n/a	372
2001	158	169	14	14	0	n/a	n/a	355
2002	161	167	13	30	1	n/a	n/a	372
2003	161	167	13	30	1	n/a	n/a	372
2004	179	149	16	32	1	n/a	n/a	377
2005	171	139	17	40	1	n/a	n/a	368
2006	197	152	15	44	1	n/a	n/a	409
2007	149	149	19	46	1	n/a	n/a	364
2008	142	166	21	47	1	n/a	n/a	377
2009	129	138	19	45	1	n/a	n/a	332
2010	132	132	21	40	1	n/a	n/a	326
2011	121	120	21	37	0	0	10	309
2012	120	124	31	34	0	0	12	321
2013	103	113	26	47	0	0	19	308
2014	109	108	25	45	0	0	22	309
2015	102	103	19	47	0	0	25	296
2016	98	82	19	54	0	0	21	274
2017	102	89	22	63	0	0	23	299
2018	78	80	19	59	0	0	18	254
2019	65	109	13	62	0	1	21	271
2020	55	101	14	65	0	0	21	256
2021	53	93	11	69	0	0	27	253
2022	43	96	12	81	0	0	28	260
2023	38	100	7	96	0	0	31	272
2024	39	99	8	97	0	0	28	271

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Dunbar Hill School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	282	17.0	16.5	n/a
1989	279	17.0	16.4	n/a
1990	271	20.6	13.1	n/a
1991	320	19.0	16.8	n/a
1992	335	19.4	17.2	13.7
1993	334	20.3	16.5	1.8
1994	338	20.8	16.3	24.6
1995	370	20.7	17.9	28.9
1996	370	20.7	17.9	28.9
1997	371	24.0	15.5	16.7
1998	392	25.0	15.7	25.3
1999	366	23.6	15.5	32.2
2000	372	25.9	14.4	39.5
2001	355	25.1	14.1	n/a
2002	372	25.3	14.7	37.1
2003	372	25.3	14.7	37.1
2004	377	22.0	17.1	34.7
2005	368	22.5	16.4	n/a
2006	409	23.5	17.4	30.1
2007	364	23.4	15.6	36.5
2008	377	25.6	14.7	32.9
2009	332	29.5	13.0	32.8
2010	326	25.6	12.7	32.2
2011	309	24.3	12.7	39.8
2012	321	24.1	13.3	40.2
2013	308	25.8	11.9	46.1
2014	309	27.6	11.1	48.5
2015	296	27.0	10.9	52.4
2016	274	38.0	7.2	56.6
2017	299	22.5	13.2	48.2
2018	254	19.5	13.0	44.1
2019	271	17.0	15.9	56.8
2020	256	19.0	13.4	56.3
2021	253	20.0	12.6	51
2022	260	22.0	11.8	50.8
2023	272	20.0	13.6	48.9
2024	271	19.5	13.8	57.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Dunbar Hill School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	282	17.0	16.5	n/a
1989	279	17.0	16.4	n/a
1990	271	20.6	13.1	n/a
1991	320	19.0	16.8	n/a
1992	335	19.4	17.2	13.7
1993	334	20.3	16.5	1.8
1994	338	20.8	16.3	24.6
1995	370	20.7	17.9	28.9
1996	370	20.7	17.9	28.9
1997	371	24.0	15.5	16.7
1998	392	25.0	15.7	25.3
1999	366	23.6	15.5	32.2
2000	372	25.9	14.4	39.5
2001	355	25.1	14.1	n/a
2002	372	25.3	14.7	37.1
2003	372	25.3	14.7	37.1
2004	377	22.0	17.1	34.7
2005	368	22.5	16.4	n/a
2006	409	23.5	17.4	30.1
2007	364	23.4	15.6	36.5
2008	377	25.6	14.7	32.9
2009	332	29.5	13.0	32.8
2010	326	25.6	12.7	32.2
2011	309	24.3	12.7	39.8
2012	321	24.1	13.3	40.2
2013	308	25.8	11.9	46.1
2014	309	27.6	11.1	48.5
2015	296	27.0	10.9	52.4
2016	274	38.0	7.2	56.6
2017	299	22.5	13.2	48.2
2018	254	19.5	13.0	44.1
2019	271	17.0	15.9	56.8
2020	256	19.0	13.4	56.3
2021	253	20.0	12.6	51
2022	260	22.0	11.8	50.8
2023	272	20.0	13.6	48.9
2024	271	19.5	13.8	57.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Dunbar Hill School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$20,828
2019	$20,942
2020	$22,864
2021	$23,036
2022	$23,708
2023	$23,267

Data source: Connecticut Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Dunbar Hill School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 365^th of 522 Elementary schools	Ranks 409^th of 491 Elementary schools	13.4%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Dunbar Hill School)	30	20.6	9.4%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Hamden School District)	48.6	39.2	9.4%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Connecticut)	54.3	45.5	8.8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Dunbar Hill School)	40.5	16.7	23.8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Hamden School District)	49.6	39.2	10.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Connecticut)	54.6	48.8	5.8%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Dunbar Hill School)	36.5	27.3	9.2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Hamden School District)	54.8	45.6	9.2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Connecticut)	58.1	51.3	6.8%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Dunbar Hill School)	66.7	30.4	36.3%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Hamden School District)	49.6	50.4	0.8%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Connecticut)	55.3	48	7.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Dunbar Hill School)	42.2	17.4	24.8%
6th Grade Mathematics (Hamden School District)	43.1	42.5	0.6%
6th Grade Mathematics (Connecticut)	45.4	39.6	5.8%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	271	272	0.4%
African American	109	100	8.3%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	13	7	46.2%
Hispanic	62	96	54.8%
Pacific Islander	1	0	100%
White	65	38	41.5%
Two or More Races	21	31	47.6%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	56.8%	48.9%	7.9%

Schools Near Dunbar Hill School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				NGSS Science (2024)	SBAC English Language Arts (2024)						SBAC Mathematics (2024)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NGSS Science 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	Total
Dunbar Hill School	Public	PK, KG-6	315 Lane St.	Hamden	06514	New Haven County	Hamden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 407-2025	271	20	13.8	57.9%	39 (14.4%)	99 (36.5%)	97 (35.8%)	8 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (10.3%)	20.7	364^th of 497 public elementary schools	26.8%		12.9	409^th of 491 public elementary schools	16.7%	45	23.1	19.6	22.5		56.7								$23,267
Church Street School	Public	PK, KG-6	95 Church St.	Hamden	06514	New Haven County	Hamden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 407-2020	290	23	12.4	71.7%	14 (4.8%)	108 (37.2%)	149 (51.4%)	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (4.1%)	12.8	415^th of 497 public elementary schools	16.5%		15.8	388^th of 491 public elementary schools	21.0%	27			21.1	31.1	16.3				34.2	21.7	14.0		$23,963
Helen Street School	Public	PK, KG-6	285 Helen St.	Hamden	06514	New Haven County	Hamden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 407-2030	300	24	12.5	65.0%	35 (11.7%)	106 (35.3%)	112 (37.3%)	20 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (9.0%)	13.8	406^th of 497 public elementary schools	18.3%		26	339^th of 491 public elementary schools	31.0%	67			25.0		30.0				25.0		17.5		$23,037
Shepherd Glen School	Public	K-6	1 Skiff St. Ext.	Hamden	06514	New Haven County	Hamden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 407-2070	302	26	11.6	66.6%	52 (17.2%)	119 (39.4%)	65 (21.5%)	50 (16.6%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.6%)	31.1	317^th of 497 public elementary schools	36.2%		33.9	305^th of 491 public elementary schools	37.9%	12		39.6	26.8					58.3	29.3		31.7		$22,792
Spring Glen School	Public	K-6	1908 Whitney Ave.	Hamden	06517	New Haven County	Hamden School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 407-2045	367	27	13.5	23.4%	218 (59.4%)	52 (14.2%)	63 (17.2%)	6 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	25 (6.8%)	74.7	146^th of 497 public elementary schools	70.6%		79.3	119^th of 491 public elementary schools	75.8%	27	64.9	71.2	74.5	57.9	60.0			72.4	74.5	57.9	53.3		$21,542
Brennan Rogers School	Public	PK, KG-8	200 Wilmot Rd.	New Haven	06515	New Haven County	New Haven School District	No	No	No	Yes	(475) 220-2200	202	19	10.6	92.6%	7 (3.5%)	112 (55.4%)	76 (37.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)								(n/a)						23.3						0.0	$21,652
Bear Path School	Public	K-6	10 Kirk Rd.	Hamden	06514	New Haven County	Hamden School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 407-2015	385	28	13.7	34.5%	166 (43.1%)	69 (17.9%)	99 (25.7%)	24 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (7.0%)	52	241^st of 497 public elementary schools	51.5%		63.5	194^th of 491 public elementary schools	60.5%	47	63.2	51.0	46.6	56.1				61.2	45.6	43.9	43.2		$22,386
King/Robinson Magnet School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	150 Fournier St.	New Haven	06511	New Haven County	New Haven School District	No	Yes	No	No	(475) 220-2700	436	34	12.8	80.3%	21 (4.8%)	278 (63.8%)	90 (20.6%)	29 (6.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.9%)	6.4	471^st of 497 public elementary schools	5.2%					(n/a)	17.0			17.0	14.3	13.2	21.7						$21,113
Ridge Road Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1341 Ridge Rd.	North Haven	06473	New Haven County	North Haven School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 248-4050	436	30	14.7	22.7%	281 (64.4%)	30 (6.9%)	64 (14.7%)	32 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.4%)	78.3	123^rd of 497 public elementary schools	75.3%		75	140^th of 491 public elementary schools	71.5%	17	67.7	64.5	73.6	71.0				72.6	65.3	62.9			$17,869
Lincoln-Bassett School	Public	PK, KG-6	130 Bassett St.	New Haven	06511	New Haven County	New Haven School District	No	No	No	Yes	(475) 220-8500	229	20	11.4	90.8%	5 (2.2%)	140 (61.1%)	73 (31.9%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.5%)	8.8	446^th of 497 public elementary schools	10.3%		8.3	448^th of 491 public elementary schools	8.8%	2		22.6			20.0			19.4					$23,421

Frequently Asked Questions about Dunbar Hill School

What schools do graduates of Dunbar Hill School attend?

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

Middle : Hamden Middle School
High : Hamden High School

How many students attend Dunbar Hill School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 271 students attended Dunbar Hill School.

Is Dunbar Hill School a good school?

Dunbar Hill School ranks 364^th of 497 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Dunbar Hill School?

Students at Dunbar Hill School are 37% African American, 36% Hispanic, 14% White, 10% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What district is Dunbar Hill School in?

Hamden School District

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