The top reported proficiency rate is 82% in Science. The lowest is 59% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Dunn Elementary School
Dunn Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Fort Collins, part of the Poudre School District R-1. It is a regular public school, not a charter, and sits in the northern part of the city on South Washington Street, within walking distance of Old Town and Colorado State University.
The school’s student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Asian, two-or-more-races, Hispanic, and Black students. About three in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school does not report the share of students with Individualized Education Programs or English learners, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about special education staffing and English language support. Enrollment is moderate for an elementary school, with class sizes that appear balanced across grade levels.
Academically, Dunn shows strong performance on Colorado’s state assessments. In English language arts, a substantial majority of students scored proficient or above, a level that places the school well above the midpoint for elementary schools in the state. Math proficiency, while lower than reading, still sees a comfortable majority of students meeting the bar. Science, tested only in fifth grade, posts a very high proficiency rate. When compared against other schools in Larimer County, Dunn’s overall proficiency across subjects and grades lands in the top quartile, a clear strength. The only missing piece is trend data: there is no multi-year comparison available here, so it is not clear whether these results represent a rising, steady, or declining trajectory.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report and no data on chronic absenteeism or discipline in the available information. The Poudre School District overall has not had any recent major boundary changes, bond measures, or curriculum shifts of lasting impact that would affect families choosing Dunn today.
Fort Collins is a mid-sized city with a college-town character, a strong manufacturing and tech economy, and an extensive bike and trail network. The housing market is expensive relative to the national median, with home values above the state benchmark and rental costs that require a significant share of a typical household income. Families who live near Dunn benefit from proximity to the Old Town downtown area, CSU, and the Cache la Poudre River corridor. The school sits in a part of town that blends older homes with infill development, and the walkability is good near the school itself.
For a parent considering Dunn, the picture is straightforward. The school delivers above-average academic results on state tests, particularly in reading and science. The peer environment is majority white and relatively low-poverty compared to many Colorado elementary schools. The setting is urban but not dense, with good access to the amenities of a growing college city. The biggest unknowns for a family would be the missing data on special education and English learner services, and the lack of trend data to judge whether the school is improving or holding steady. Outside of those gaps, Dunn presents as a consistently high-performing elementary option within the Poudre district.
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