The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 62%.
Original Research by School Decision on Dunham Elementary School
Dunham Elementary School is a regular public school in the Tucson Unified District, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Enrollment is small for an elementary school, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, followed by a notable share of White students, with smaller groups of Black, two-or-more-races, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Asian students. The school’s location is in the eastern part of Tucson, a major desert city that is the second-largest in Arizona. Tucson’s economy centers on the University of Arizona, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, technology and optics industries, and tourism. The city’s broad geographic spread means that while downtown and the university area have a walkable core with a streetcar, most residential neighborhoods are car-dependent.
The district context matters here. Tucson Unified has faced a long-term enrollment decline, which has prompted discussions about school utilization and potential closures. At the same time, voters recently renewed a maintenance and operations override that funds teacher salaries, art, music, physical education, full-day kindergarten, and class-size reduction. The district also operates under a federal desegregation order, the Unitary Status Plan, which shapes magnet school placement, student assignment, transportation, and faculty hiring. This plan directly affects which school options are available to families within the district.
What a parent can see about Dunham’s academic performance is limited. The state’s assessment data for the most recent school year was largely suppressed, likely due to small group sizes that prevent public reporting. One exception stands out: fourth-grade English language arts results were reported and showed that a solid majority of students met the proficiency bar. For math and science across the tested grades, the data was suppressed. Across all tested grades, the available summary figures for both math and English language arts fell below a simple majority, meaning that fewer than half of students were proficient. This pattern places Dunham near the middle of the pack among elementary schools within the larger district picture. Because the data is partial and many results are suppressed due to small numbers, a parent may want to contact the school directly for a fuller picture of how its students perform.
The school does not serve grades where a graduation rate applies, so none is reported. Similarly, data on chronic absenteeism was not available. Housing in the area carries a price tag that is below the state median but above the national median, and rents have risen recently. The economic context shows a national unemployment rate around the middle of its recent range.
For a family considering Dunham, the key takeaway is that it is a small, neighborhood elementary school within a large urban district that is undergoing significant changes. The district’s enrollment decline and its desegregation plan are active factors that could affect school assignments, program offerings, and the stability of school buildings over time. The override funding, however, protects some core programs that families often value. The school’s own academic profile is partially hidden by data suppression, but the available figures suggest a school where proficiency rates are modest and where a direct conversation with the school would be wise to understand current instruction and student progress.
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