Palo Alto Unified School District

25 Churchill Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94306-1005
(District boundaries shown in map)
10/
10
Top 5%

Top Rankings

Palo Alto Unified School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in California for:

Category
Attribute
Overall Rank
Highest overall rank (Top 5%)
Math Proficiency
Highest math proficiency (Top 5%)
Reading/Language Arts Proficiency
Highest reading/language arts proficiency (Top 5%)
Science Proficiency
Highest science proficiency (Top 5%)
Graduation Rate
Highest graduation rate (Top 5%)
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 1%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
Student Attention
Lowest student:teacher ratio (Top 1%)
For the 2024-25 school year, there are 17 public elementary schools serving 6,506 students in Palo Alto Unified School District. This district's average elementary testing ranking is 10/10, which is in the top 5% of public elementary schools in California.
Public Elementary Schools in Palo Alto Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 77% (versus the California public elementary school average of 35%), and reading proficiency score of 82% (versus the 45% statewide average).
The top ranked public elementary schools in Palo Alto Unified School District are Herbert Hoover Elementary School, Lucille M. Nixon Elementary School and Juana Briones Elementary School. Overall testing rank is based on a school's combined math and reading proficiency test score ranking. Minority enrollment is 71% of the student body (majority Asian), which is less than the California public elementary school average of 78% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
19 Schools
7,693 Schools
# Students
10,285 Students
3,500,507 Students
# Teachers
604 Teachers
172,951 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
17:1
17:1

District Rank

Palo Alto Unified School District, which is ranked #27 of all 1,931 school districts in California (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 96% has stayed relatively flat over five school years.
This School District
State Average (CA)
#28 out of 1941 school districts
(Top 5%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Palo Alto Unified  School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
78%
33%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Palo Alto Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
82%
47%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Palo Alto Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
72%
29%
96%
87%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Palo Alto Unified  School District and public school graduation rate of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.72
0.65
# American Indian Students
8 Students
16,888 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
4,149 Students
424,717 Students
% Asian Students
40%
12%
# Hispanic Students
1,577 Students
1,893,805 Students
% Hispanic Students
15%
54%
# Black Students
184 Students
169,690 Students
% Black Students
2%
5%
# White Students
3,094 Students
754,767 Students
% White Students
30%
22%
# Hawaiian Students
89 Students
14,663 Students
% Hawaiian Students
1%
n/a
# Two or more races Students
1,175 Students
219,616 Students
% of Two or more races Students
12%
6%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
-
83
# Students in K Grade:
731
451,616
# Students in 1st Grade:
661
377,018
# Students in 2nd Grade:
705
379,893
# Students in 3rd Grade:
673
389,353
# Students in 4th Grade:
708
393,562
# Students in 5th Grade:
757
398,613
# Students in 6th Grade:
715
407,977
# Students in 7th Grade:
778
280,783
# Students in 8th Grade:
776
277,323
# Students in 9th Grade:
877
39,712
# Students in 10th Grade:
900
34,198
# Students in 11th Grade:
942
33,820
# Students in 12th Grade:
1,062
36,556
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $28,098 is higher than the state median of $21,485. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $30,030 is higher than the state median of $19,787. The school district spending/student has grown by 15% over four school years.
This School District
This State (CA)
Total Revenue
$289 MM
$116,387 MM
This chart displays total revenue of Palo Alto Unified  School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$309 MM
$107,188 MM
This chart displays total spending of Palo Alto Unified  School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$28,098
$21,485
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Palo Alto Unified  School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$30,030
$19,787
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Palo Alto Unified  School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best Palo Alto Unified School District Public Elementary Schools (2024-25)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Herbert Hoover Elementary School
Magnet School
(Math: 90-94% | Reading: 90-94%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 1%
445 E. Charleston Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 320-8106
Grades: K-5
| 386 students
Rank: #22.
Lucille M. Nixon Elementary School
Magnet School
(Math: 87% | Reading: 85-89%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 1%
1711 Stanford Ave.
Stanford, CA 94305
(650) 856-1622
Grades: K-5
| 358 students
Rank: #33.
Juana Briones Elementary School
Magnet School
(Math: 80-84% | Reading: 85-89%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
4100 Orme St.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-0877
Grades: K-5
| 258 students
Rank: #44.
Ellen Fletcher Middle School
Magnet School
(Math: 81% | Reading: 88%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
655 Arastradero Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-9810
Grades: 6-8
| 515 students
Rank: #55.
Duveneck Elementary School
Magnet School
(Math: 90-94% | Reading: 80-84%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
705 Alester Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 322-5946
Grades: K-5
| 346 students
Rank: #66.
Ohlone Elementary School
Magnet School
(Math: 79% | Reading: 84%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
950 Amarillo Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 856-1726
Grades: K-5
| 463 students
Rank: #77.
Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School
Magnet School
(Math: 78% | Reading: 83%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
480 E. Meadow Dr.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-5188
Grades: 6-8
| 996 students
Rank: #88.
Palo Verde Elementary School
Magnet School
(Math: 80-84% | Reading: 75-79%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
3450 Louis Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 856-1672
Grades: K-5
| 382 students
Rank: #99.
Fairmeadow Elementary School
Magnet School
(Math: 73% | Reading: 79%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
500 E. Meadow Dr.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-0845
Grades: K-5
| 403 students
Rank: #10 - 1110. - 11.
Addison Elementary School
Magnet School
(Math: 70-74% | Reading: 75-79%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
650 Addison Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 322-5935
Grades: K-5
| 331 students
Rank: #10 - 1110. - 11.
El Carmelo Elementary School
Magnet School
(Math: 70-74% | Reading: 75-79%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
3024 Bryant St.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-0960
Grades: K-5
| 317 students
Rank: #1212.
Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle School
Magnet School
(Math: 70% | Reading: 79%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
750 N. Ca Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(408) 494-8120
Grades: 6-8
| 755 students
Rank: #1313.
Escondido Elementary School
Magnet School
(Math: 73% | Reading: 74%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
890 Escondido Rd.
Stanford, CA 94305
(650) 856-1337
Grades: K-5
| 447 students
Rank: #1414.
Walter Hays Elementary School
Magnet School
(Math: 70-74% | Reading: 70-74%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
1525 Midfield Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 322-5956
Grades: K-5
| 294 students
Rank: #1515.
Greendell
Magnet School
(Math: 65-69% | Reading: 70-74% )
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
4120 Midfield Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 856-0833
Grades: K-12
| 34 students
Rank: #1616.
Barron Park Elementary School
Magnet School
(Math: 65-69% | Reading: 70-74%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
800 Barron Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 858-0508
Grades: K-5
| 211 students
Rank: n/an/a
Packard Children's Hospital/stanford
Magnet School
725 Welch Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650) 497-8230
Grades: K-12
| 10 students

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Quick Stats (2024-25)

  • District size: 19 schools
  • Grades: KG-12
  • Enrollment: 10,285 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 17:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 70%
  • : 96% (Top 5% in CA)
  • : Top 5%
  • : 78% (Top 5%)
  • : 82% (Top 5%)
  • : 72% (Top 5%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), CA Dept. of Education

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