Paul Laurence Dunbar High School: A Modern Tribute to Lexington's Historic Black High School

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (PLD) is one of Fayette County's top-ranked high schools, sitting at #21 in Kentucky in U.S. News' 2025-26 rankings, which places it among the Top 25 statewide. Opened in 1990, the modern PLD takes its name from Lexington's original Dunbar High School (1923-1967), which served as the city's all-Black high school during the segregation era. The Bulldogs serve about 1,900 students at the Man o' War Boulevard campus on Lexington's southwest side, with a particularly strong reputation for the Math, Science, and Technology Center (MSTC) magnet program, a 24-state-championship athletic program led by a national-level cheerleading dynasty, and Jeopardy!-winning academic teams.

This guide covers PLD's history (both the original Dunbar and the modern revival), programs, athletics, notable alumni, and where it sits in Lexington's school landscape. If you're researching FCPS more broadly, start with the Lexington Schools Guide. For other individual school pages, see Lafayette High School, Henry Clay High School, Frederick Douglass High School, and Bryan Station High School.

Quick Facts

• Address: 1600 Man o' War Boulevard, Lexington, KY 40513
• District: Fayette County Public Schools
• Founded: 1990 (current school)
• Former name and lineage: Dunbar High School (1923-1967), originally at 545 North Upper Street
• Mascot: Bulldogs
• Colors: Red and Black (the original Dunbar's colors)
• Principal: Scott Loscheider
• Enrollment: Roughly 1,889 students
• Student-teacher ratio: Roughly 17 to 1
• U.S. News 2025-26 Kentucky ranking: #21 (Top 25 statewide)
• Specialty programs: Math, Science, and Technology Center (MSTC)
• Website: pld.fcps.net

The Original Dunbar High School (1923-1967)

To understand PLD, you have to understand its namesake.

Dunbar High School opened in 1923 at 545 North Upper Street as the only all-Black high school in Lexington's city school system. The school was named for African-American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906), whose parents had been enslaved in Kentucky. The original Dunbar was founded thanks to the advocacy of William H. Fouse, who convinced Lexington's Education Board to fund construction of a proper high school for Black students. Fouse became the school's first principal.

The funding for the school was unusual for its era: it came from taxes on both Black and white Lexington residents at a time when school funding was generally segregated. Dunbar quickly became academically formidable. It was the first all-Black high school in the South to be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and one of only eight Black high schools to ever earn that accreditation.

For more than four decades, Dunbar was a cornerstone of Lexington's Black community. The school produced strong academics, athletics, and arts programs. Under coach Sanford T. Roach, the basketball program compiled a 512-142 record between 1942 and 1965. Roach is a member of the National High School Sports Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.

In 1967, after federal pressure to racially integrate schools, the Fayette County Board of Education closed Dunbar High School. Its students were bused to four previously white high schools. The closure was understandably painful for the community that had built Dunbar.

The Poet Behind the Name

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906) was one of the first influential African American poets in American literature. The son of formerly enslaved Kentucky parents (Matilda and Joshua Dunbar), he was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. Dunbar wrote in both standard English and Black dialect, and his work explored themes of racial identity, hope, and struggle. His best-known poems include "We Wear the Mask," "Sympathy" (which contains the famous line "I know why the caged bird sings," later borrowed by Maya Angelou for her autobiography), and "When Malindy Sings." Dunbar died of tuberculosis at age 33, but his literary influence has endured for more than a century.

The Modern PLD (1990-Present)

The modern Paul Laurence Dunbar High School opened in 1990 at 1600 Man o' War Boulevard on Lexington's southwest side. The choice to revive the Dunbar name was deliberate: the new school was meant as a tribute to the original Dunbar's legacy, recognizing the importance of that institution to Lexington's history.

The new PLD adopted the original Dunbar's school colors of red and black. (The original Dunbar had used red and black colors initially, then changed to green and white during the 1940s, then was closed in 1967.) The new school chose not to revive the original "Bearcats" mascot, instead going with Bulldogs after a vote of incoming students. The fight song is based on "The Victors" by Louis Elbel.

As an additional tribute to the old school, PLD's gymnasium is named the S.T. Roach Sports Center for Sanford T. Roach, the legendary coach who led the original Dunbar's basketball program to its 512-142 record over more than two decades.

Programs and Academics

PLD has built a strong academic reputation since opening in 1990.

Math, Science, and Technology Center (MSTC). PLD houses the Math, Science, and Technology Center, the district's STEM-focused magnet program. MSTC offers an accelerated curriculum in math, science, and technology disciplines, attracting students from across Fayette County.

Academic team excellence. PLD's academic team is one of the most decorated in Kentucky. Notable achievements include:

• Jeopardy! champions. Three PLD students have won the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament: Fraser Woodford (1993) and John Zhang (2003), with another PLD student appearing as a Fall 1999 Teen Tournament participant. The school has also produced a Jeopardy! College Championship winner.
• 2024 academic dominance. PLD became the first Kentucky team to break the Hoppes-Mikanowski limit on HSRegs difficulty in 2024, with teammates Jonah Hubert and Omar Hamid scoring 86.36 and 78.64 points per game respectively at the NAQT Kentucky State Championship. PLD was the first school since 2015 to win both the NAQT Kentucky State Championship and the KAAC State Championship in the same year.

Advanced Placement (AP) and college prep. PLD offers a broad slate of AP courses and is known for strong college matriculation rates.

Athletics

PLD has accumulated more than 24 state championships in school history across many sports, which is remarkable for a school that has been open since 1990.

Cheerleading dynasty. PLD's cheerleading program is the school's most decorated athletic program. The team has won 11 or more KHSAA state championships and 8 national championships, making it one of the most successful cheerleading programs in Kentucky.

Boys soccer. Four state championships.

Boys basketball. State runners-up in 1993 (led by Darnell Burton) and 1994 (led by Cameron Mills). The Bulldogs won the 2016 KHSAA Boys Sweet 16 Championship over Doss 61-52, the program's first state title.

Other state championship sports. Baseball (multiple), girls golf, girls track and field, girls cross country, boys tennis, and swimming.

PLD competes in 15 or more varsity sports including football, boys and girls basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, boys lacrosse, tennis, golf, track and field, cheerleading, swimming, dance, wrestling, and ice hockey.

Notable Alumni

Sean Kelley (2002-2006). Named Kentucky's Mr. Soccer, an NSCAA HS All-American, and Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior while leading PLD to a state championship. Played professional soccer from 2009 to 2013 for FC Dallas, Orlando City, and other clubs.

Cameron Mills (Class of 1994). Basketball player who led PLD to the state runner-up finish in 1994 and went on to play for the University of Kentucky basketball team during their late-1990s NCAA championship era.

Jeopardy! Teen Tournament champions. Fraser Woodford (1993 winner) and John Zhang (2003 winner) both represented PLD with Jeopardy! Teen Tournament titles.

Which Neighborhoods Feed Into PLD

PLD serves the southwest portion of Lexington. Specific zoning varies by exact address.

The feeder area for PLD includes neighborhoods like Hartland, parts of Beaumont, Wellington, Lakeside, Garden Springs, and southwest residential areas off Man o' War Boulevard and Harrodsburg Road. These specific neighborhoods aren't currently covered on this site but they feed into PLD by default zoning.

Because boundary lines vary by exact address and have shifted with recent rezonings, always verify your specific address with the FCPS SchoolSite Locator.

How to Learn More

To verify your specific address is zoned for Paul Laurence Dunbar, use the FCPS SchoolSite Locator.

For current programs, teachers, and recent news, visit the school website at pld.fcps.net.

For the broader district context, see the Lexington Schools Guide.

For other individual school pages, see Lafayette High School, Henry Clay High School, Frederick Douglass High School, Bryan Station High School, and Tates Creek High School. This completes the six traditional Fayette County public high schools.

For neighborhood research, the neighborhoods section of this site covers Lexington neighborhoods in detail.