Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center, 505 NW 20th St.: Pre-K-8, 373 students (NCES 2024-25), a B in Florida's 2026 grades.

Last checked Oct. 10, 2026. Sources: the Miami-Dade County Public Schools school directory, the Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center website, the School Board’s June 17, 2026, attendance zone actions (PDF), the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades file, the federal NCES school directory and Miami-Dade County’s attendance boundary maps and address points.

Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center is at 505 NW 20th St. in Overtown. Its zone grew this school year, when the School Board split the closed Phillis Wheatley Elementary’s zone between Dunbar and Frederick Douglass Elementary. It earned a B in 2026 after a C in 2025.

Who to call

  • Front office: 305-573-2344, 505 NW 20th St., Miami, FL 33127
  • School website: dunbark8.net
  • Enrolling: register in person at the school assigned to your address; the district’s registration guide (PDF) lists what to bring
  • Magnet and choice questions: the district’s School Choice and Parental Options office, 305-995-1922
  • School buses: the district’s transportation department
  • District main line: Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 305-995-1000
Address 505 NW 20th St., Miami, FL 33127
Phone 305-573-2344
Grades Pre-K to 8
Mascot Tiger
Type Neighborhood school
State school number 13-1441

Principal

Principal Maria D. DeArmas, according to the district’s school directory.

Enrollment

The federal NCES directory counted 373 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 25 full-time-equivalent classroom teachers, a ratio of 14.9 students per teacher. The district’s online directory currently lists 300 students against a capacity of 788; it does not give a date for that count.

State report card

Florida grades every public school A to F. The state says school grades “provide an easily understandable way to measure the performance of a school,” in its 2026 school grades overview.

School year Grade
2025-26 B (61% of possible points)
2024-25 C
2023-24 C

From the 2026 grades file, where achievement is the share of tested students at grade level or above:

  • Third grade English language arts achievement: 24%
  • English language arts achievement: 41%
  • Math achievement: 59%
  • Science achievement: 51%
  • Social studies achievement: 77%
  • Middle school acceleration: 100%

The full report card is on the state’s Florida school report cards site.

Attendance zone

Starting in 2026-27, the School Board set new boundaries for Paul Dunbar K-8 Center and Frederick Douglass Elementary to absorb the closed Phillis Wheatley Elementary’s zone, in its June 17, 2026, attendance zone actions (PDF). Students in the combined Wheatley, Douglass and Dunbar boundaries who want a traditional middle school are assigned to Jose de Diego Middle, the board document says.

In Miami-Dade County’s elementary attendance boundary map, 3,548 of the city’s 77,214 address points, about 4.6%, fall in its zone.

The district’s directory places Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center in the Booker T. Washington Senior High feeder pattern.

Check any address with the district’s Find Your Neighborhood School lookup.

Calendar and bell times

From the district’s directory:

  • Head Start: 8:15 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.
  • Kindergarten to grade 1: 8:35 a.m. to 2:05 p.m.
  • Grades 2 to 8: 8:35 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.
  • Kindergarten to grade 8, Wednesdays: 8:35 a.m. to 2:05 p.m.

Next breaks on the district’s 2026-27 calendar (PDF):

  • Friday, Oct. 16: end of the first grading period
  • Tuesday, Nov. 3: teacher planning day, no students
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, schools closed
  • Nov. 26-27: Thanksgiving holiday and recess day
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter recess

More on Miami schools

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center serve?

Pre-K through eighth grade, at 505 NW 20th St., Miami.

What is Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center’s school grade?

It earned a B in Florida’s 2026 school grades for the 2025-26 school year, with 61% of possible points, after a C in 2025.

Which high school does Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center feed into?

The district’s school directory places it in the Booker T. Washington Senior High feeder pattern.

What time does Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center start?

Head Start, 8:15 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.; Kindergarten to grade 1, 8:35 a.m. to 2:05 p.m.; Grades 2 to 8, 8:35 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.. From the district’s school directory.

Where do Phillis Wheatley Elementary students go?

The School Board closed Phillis Wheatley Elementary for 2026-27 and split its zone between Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 Center and Frederick Douglass Elementary.