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 4 public high schools serving 3,823 students in Palo Alto Unified School District.
Public High Schools in Palo Alto Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 83% (versus the California public high school average of 28%), and reading proficiency score of 87% (versus the 51% statewide average).
Public High School in Palo Alto Unified School District have a Graduation Rate of 97%, which is more than the California average of 87%.
The school with highest graduation rate is Palo Alto High School, with 97% graduation rate. Read more about public school graduation rate statistics in California or national school graduation rate statistics.
Minority enrollment is 68% of the student body (majority Asian), which is less than the California public high school average of 77% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
19 Schools
2,826 Schools
# Students
10,285 Students
2,020,187 Students
# Teachers
604 Teachers
101,258 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
10,744 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
4,149 Students
238,325 Students
% Asian Students
40%
12%
# Hispanic Students
1,577 Students
1,088,027 Students
% Hispanic Students
15%
54%
# Black Students
184 Students
102,494 Students
% Black Students
2%
5%
# White Students
3,094 Students
460,449 Students
% White Students
30%
23%
# Hawaiian Students
89 Students
9,014 Students
% Hawaiian Students
1%
n/a
# Two or more races Students
1,175 Students
103,001 Students
% of Two or more races Students
12%
5%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
-
18
# Students in K Grade:
731
22,406
# Students in 1st Grade:
661
18,976
# Students in 2nd Grade:
705
18,670
# Students in 3rd Grade:
673
18,995
# Students in 4th Grade:
708
19,014
# Students in 5th Grade:
757
19,370
# Students in 6th Grade:
715
26,291
# Students in 7th Grade:
778
36,245
# Students in 8th Grade:
776
38,229
# Students in 9th Grade:
877
447,954
# Students in 10th Grade:
900
448,650
# Students in 11th Grade:
942
451,877
# Students in 12th Grade:
1,062
453,492
# 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 High Schools (2024-25)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Palo Alto High School
Magnet School
(Math: 84% | Reading: 88%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 1%
50 Embarcadero Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 329-3701
Grades: 9-12
| 1,992 students
Rank: #22.
Henry M. Gunn High School
Magnet School
(Math: 82% | Reading: 87%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
780 Arastradero Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 354-8200
Grades: 9-12
| 1,787 students
Rank: #33.
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: 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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