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 2025 school year, there are 3 public high schools serving 3,665 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 79% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
20 Schools
2,817 Schools
# Students
10,254 Students
2,139,525 Students
# Teachers
600 Teachers
100,737 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.
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
0.63
# American Indian Students
6 Students
10,468 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
4,232 Students
244,247 Students
% Asian Students
41%
11%
# Hispanic Students
1,606 Students
1,190,384 Students
% Hispanic Students
16%
56%
# Black Students
180 Students
110,575 Students
% Black Students
2%
5%
# White Students
2,960 Students
458,887 Students
% White Students
29%
22%
# Hawaiian Students
92 Students
9,060 Students
% Hawaiian Students
1%
n/a
# Two or more races Students
1,171 Students
108,483 Students
% of Two or more races Students
11%
5%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
-
18
# Students in K Grade:
750
25,126
# Students in 1st Grade:
650
19,346
# Students in 2nd Grade:
694
19,826
# Students in 3rd Grade:
729
19,554
# Students in 4th Grade:
710
19,798
# Students in 5th Grade:
734
20,237
# Students in 6th Grade:
771
29,089
# Students in 7th Grade:
757
39,371
# Students in 8th Grade:
809
41,955
# Students in 9th Grade:
870
466,491
# Students in 10th Grade:
906
476,582
# Students in 11th Grade:
898
469,509
# Students in 12th Grade:
976
492,623
# 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.
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
$28,183
$19,974
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
$30,120
$18,396
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 (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Palo Alto High School
(Math: 84% | Reading: 88%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 1%
50 Embarcadero Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 329-3701
Grades: 9-12
| 1,932 students
Rank: #22.
Henry M. Gunn High School
(Math: 82% | Reading: 87%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
780 Arastradero Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 354-8200
Grades: 9-12
| 1,713 students
Rank: n/an/a
725 Welch Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650) 497-8230
Grades: K-12
| 20 students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 20 schools
  • Grades: KG-12
  • Enrollment: 10,254 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 17:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 71%
  • : 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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