Enrollment
355
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 170993000588
Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs — Chicago, IL
Federal NCES profile for Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 30/100.
👥 Class size 43
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: City of Chicago Sd 299 · Illinois
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 14.6:1 Illinois avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs reports 355 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% below the Illinois state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 178 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding City of Chicago Sd 299 spends $25,599 per pupil district-wide, above the Illinois average of $20,099 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.8% from local sources (property taxes), 29.9% from the state, and 17.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Illinois state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 355 | top 47% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
14.2:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 59% in Illinois — lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
100.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$25,599
per pupil, district-wide
— above Illinois avg of $20,099
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 178 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 355 Top 47% in Illinois — larger than 53% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 14.2:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 170993000588
Student demographics
African American 96.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.8%
White 0.6%
Asian 0.3%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 96.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 178:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for City of Chicago Sd 299, which includes Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs.
$25,599
Per student
+27%
vs Illinois
Avg $20,099
+31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.8%
State 29.9%
Federal 17.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,604
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 4,487
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 3,099
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,268
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,223
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
Similar high schools in Chicago
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Curie Metropolitan High School
Standard public school
3,099 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Lincoln Park High School
Standard public school
2,214 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Jones College Prep High School
Standard public school
1,954 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Mather High School
Standard public school
1,777 students 14:1 students per teacher
Thomas Kelly College Preparatory
Standard public school
1,762 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Hubbard High School
Standard public school
1,710 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs
How many students attend Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs?
Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs has 355 students enrolled. It is a high school in Chicago, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs?
The student-teacher ratio at Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs is 14.2:1, which is 3% lower than the Illinois average of 14.6:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs?
The largest demographic group at Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs is African American at 96.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Chicago, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs?
Dunbar Vocational Career Acad Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.