Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Lexington, Kentucky)

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (PLD/PLDHS), also known as Dunbar High School, is a public high school located at 1600 Man o' War Boulevard on the southwest side of Lexington, Kentucky, United States. The school is one of six high schools in the Fayette County Public Schools district. The school was opened in 1990. With an enrollment of over 2100 students (in 2008–2009), it is one of the largest public high schools in Kentucky, It also houses the Math, Science, and Technology Center.

Since opening in 1990, Dunbar has averaged more than 15 National Merit Semifinalists a year, with 71 in the last four years. The Academic Team is also one of the best quiz bowl teams in the state and has done well at the national tournament held in Atlanta. They were state champions in multiple years (2008–2011, 2013–2014, 2019, 2023–2024). In 2000, Dunbar's United States Academic Decathlon team won the state division for the first time and proceeded to nationals.

The Math, Science, and Technology Center, also known as MSTC, is a magnet program housed in Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. The program accepts at least 55 students each year, selected from the 2500 incoming high school freshmen in Fayette County.

Paul Laurence Dunbar offers many sports, including football, boys' and girls' basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, boys' lacrosse, tennis, golf, track and field, cheerleading, swimming, dancing, wrestling, and ice hockey.

PLD had a competitive boys' basketball program almost from the beginning. In 1993 the team, led by Darnell Burton, were State Runners Up, and in 1994, led by Cameron Mills, the team repeated as State Runners Up.

The first football playoff appearance was in 1995. For the first five and a half years, the PLD football team played their "home" games at other Lexington high schools. Midway through the 1999 season, PLD's football stadium opened, and that year the school advanced to the playoffs for the second time. In 1996 they were the AAA state runners up, losing the championship game in overtime. The football stadium was later named for Jon R. Akers, PLD's first principal and the father of National Football League placekicker David Akers.

The Swim Team has three state championships. Dunbar has dominated their region winning multiple region titles. In 2016, PLD was runner up in team scores at the KHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships. This is a strong sport at the high school with the multiple regional titles and the 5 star elite athletes.

Dunbar has 6 state championships in soccer. In 1992, 2001, 2005 and 2013 PLD Soccer were the State Champions. The first four championships were under Todd Bretz, who was the head coach since the program's inception with one of the highest records of any Kentucky high school soccer coaches (493–169–38), until Fayette County schools sidelined him in September 2019. Zach Byrd also won a Kentucky Mr. Soccer in 2010 when Dunbar lost in the elite eight against Henry Clay. Dunbar won back to back state championships in 2021 and 2022 under coach James Wray.

PLD Cheerleading is nationally competitive. They have been UCA National Champions in the Large Varsity Division (all girls) in 1995, 2004–2008, 2011 and 2013. They are the only squad to ever be national champions five times in a row. They were UCA National Runners Up in 1994, 2002, 2003, 2017 and Third Place in 1993 and 2009, Cheersports National Champions in 2003, KAPOS State Champions in 1994, 1997, 2000–2013, and KHSAA State Champions in 2016 and 2017. They have been nationally ranked for twelve years and have been featured in American Cheerleader magazine. In 2001, MTV's True Life series prominently featured Dunbar's cheerleading team in the episode "I'm a Cheerleader." On November 28, 2005, Lifetime Television announced a reality series featuring the PLD cheerleaders, and "Cheerleader Nation" premiered in early 2006.

In 2003, PLD Baseball were state champions. That year they also set a Kentucky record for the most wins in one season, winning 41 games and losing only 4. Josh Ellis went a perfect 12–0 in 2003,

In 2005, the girls' track and field team tied as AAA state champions. Both the boys' and girls' teams have won the Lexington City Championships each year since 2000. The boys placed second in 2007 to Henry Clay High School in a loss by 3 points. The girls won Region 5 AAA in 2001, 2006, and 2007.

Laura Steinmetz was the girls AAA individual state champion in 2005 In the 2011 season, the Dunbar lacrosse team broke a 7 year streak of losses to Lexington Catholic in the second round of the state tournament. They went 12–2 and concluded their season with a 9–7 victory over Ballard in the D II Championship game. In 2015 the lacrosse team was runner up, losing to Henry Clay in the Championship Game.

Like lacrosse, ice hockey is not sanctioned by KHSAA. Dunbar's team began as a combination of travel and house league players in 2001, and are one of ten teams in the state of Kentucky. However, in 2002 the PLD Ice Hockey team went from being a "metro" team to a strictly all Dunbar student team with the help of PE/Health teacher Mr. Jonas. Dunbar ice hockey has played in both the "A" (varsity) and "B" (junior varsity) levels of Kentucky state hockey.

The Paul Laurence Dunbar band, has earned national acclaim; they are one of a handful of high school band programs to receive the Sudler Shield award twice, for outstanding high school marching band. The Dunbar band earned the title of state champion in years 1991 (Class AAA), 2003 and 2004 (Class AAAA), and 2005, 2007, 2010, and 2011 (Class AAAAA), and State Runners Up in 1992, 1994, 1995, and 2002 (Class AAAA), and 2006 and 2008 (Class AAAAA). The band was a finalist in 1993, 1996–1999, 2001 (AAAA), 2009, and 2012–2015 (AAAAA). The band performed twice in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City: first in 2007 and again in the 2014.