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 2025 school year, there are 16 public elementary schools serving 6,594 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 73% of the student body (majority Asian), which is less than the California public elementary school average of 79% (majority Hispanic).
Overview
This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
20 Schools
7,700 Schools
# Students
10,254 Students
3,822,920 Students
# Teachers
600 Teachers
174,000 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
17:1
17:1
District Rank
Palo Alto Unified School District, which is ranked #27 of all 1,925 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.
Overall District Rank
#28 out of 1941 school districts
(Top 5%)
(Top 5%)
Math Test Scores (% Proficient)
78%
33%
Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient)
82%
47%
Science Test Scores (% Proficient)
72%
29%
Graduation Rate
96%
87%
Students by Ethnicity:
Diversity Score
0.72
0.64
# American Indian Students
6 Students
16,785 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
4,232 Students
454,357 Students
% Asian Students
41%
12%
# Hispanic Students
1,606 Students
2,114,366 Students
% Hispanic Students
16%
55%
# Black Students
180 Students
189,461 Students
% Black Students
2%
5%
# White Students
2,960 Students
787,389 Students
% White Students
29%
21%
# Hawaiian Students
92 Students
15,077 Students
% Hawaiian Students
1%
n/a
# Two or more races Students
1,171 Students
240,557 Students
% of Two or more races Students
11%
6%
Students by Grade:
# Students in PK Grade:
-
83
# Students in K Grade:
750
519,574
# Students in 1st Grade:
650
396,601
# Students in 2nd Grade:
694
414,466
# Students in 3rd Grade:
729
416,628
# Students in 4th Grade:
710
426,360
# Students in 5th Grade:
734
430,582
# Students in 6th Grade:
771
432,936
# Students in 7th Grade:
757
312,207
# Students in 8th Grade:
809
312,649
# Students in 9th Grade:
870
44,929
# Students in 10th Grade:
906
37,487
# Students in 11th Grade:
898
37,249
# Students in 12th Grade:
976
41,169
# Ungraded Students:
-
-
District Revenue and Spending
The revenue/student of $28,183 is higher than the state median of $19,974. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $30,120 is higher than the state median of $18,396. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
Total Revenue
$289 MM
$116,387 MM
Spending
$309 MM
$107,188 MM
Revenue / Student
$28,183
$19,974
Spending / Student
$30,120
$18,396
Best Palo Alto Unified School District Public Elementary Schools (2025)
School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Herbert Hoover Elementary School
(Math: 90-94% | Reading: 90-94%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 1%10
445 East Charleston Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 320-8106
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 320-8106
Grades: K-5
| 386 students
Rank: #22.
Lucille M. Nixon Elementary School
(Math: 87% | Reading: 85-89%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 1%10
1711 Stanford Ave.
Stanford, CA 94305
(650) 856-1622
Stanford, CA 94305
(650) 856-1622
Grades: K-5
| 354 students
Rank: #33.
Juana Briones Elementary School
(Math: 80-84% | Reading: 85-89%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 5%10
4100 Orme St.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-0877
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-0877
Grades: K-5
| 260 students
Rank: #44.
Ellen Fletcher Middle School
(Math: 81% | Reading: 88%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 5%10
655 Arastradero Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-9810
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-9810
Grades: 6-8
| 549 students
Rank: #55.
Duveneck Elementary School
(Math: 90-94% | Reading: 80-84%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 5%10
705 Alester Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 322-5946
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 322-5946
Grades: K-5
| 349 students
Rank: #66.
Ohlone Elementary School
(Math: 79% | Reading: 84%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 5%10
950 Amarillo Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 856-1726
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 856-1726
Grades: K-5
| 448 students
Rank: #77.
Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School
(Math: 78% | Reading: 83%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 5%10
480 East Meadow Dr.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-5188
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-5188
Grades: 6-8
| 1,025 students
Rank: #88.
Palo Verde Elementary School
(Math: 80-84% | Reading: 75-79%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 5%10
3450 Louis Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 856-1672
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 856-1672
Grades: K-5
| 366 students
Rank: #99.
Fairmeadow Elementary School
(Math: 73% | Reading: 79%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 5%10
500 East Meadow Dr.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-0845
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-0845
Grades: K-5
| 441 students
Rank: #10 - 1110. - 11.
Addison Elementary School
(Math: 70-74% | Reading: 75-79%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 10%10
650 Addison Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 322-5935
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 322-5935
Grades: K-5
| 338 students
Rank: #10 - 1110. - 11.
El Carmelo Elementary School
(Math: 70-74% | Reading: 75-79%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 10%10
3024 Bryant St.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-0960
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-0960
Grades: K-5
| 314 students
Rank: #1212.
Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle School
(Math: 70% | Reading: 79%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 10%10
750 North California Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(408) 494-8120
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(408) 494-8120
Grades: 6-8
| 760 students
Rank: #1313.
Escondido Elementary School
(Math: 73% | Reading: 74%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 10%10
890 Escondido Rd.
Stanford, CA 94305
(650) 856-1337
Stanford, CA 94305
(650) 856-1337
Grades: K-5
| 460 students
Rank: #1414.
Walter Hays Elementary School
(Math: 70-74% | Reading: 70-74%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 10%10
1525 Middlefield Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 322-5956
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 322-5956
Grades: K-5
| 295 students
Rank: #1515.
Barron Park Elementary School
(Math: 65-69% | Reading: 70-74%)
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 10%10
800 Barron Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 858-0508
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 858-0508
Grades: K-5
| 229 students
Rank: n/an/a
725 Welch Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650) 497-8230
Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650) 497-8230
Grades: K-12
| 20 students
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