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 5 public middle schools serving 2,310 students in Palo Alto Unified School District. This district's average middle testing ranking is 10/10, which is in the top 1% of public middle schools in California.
Public Middle Schools in Palo Alto Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 76% (versus the California public middle school average of 31%), and reading proficiency score of 83% (versus the 46% statewide average).
The top ranked public middle schools in Palo Alto Unified School District are Ellen Fletcher Middle School, Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School and Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle School. Overall testing rank is based on a school's combined math and reading proficiency test score ranking. Minority enrollment is 70% of the student body (majority Asian), which is less than the California public middle school average of 77% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
19 Schools
3,503 Schools
# Students
10,285 Students
1,729,980 Students
# Teachers
604 Teachers
87,195 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
9,959 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
4,149 Students
188,478 Students
% Asian Students
40%
11%
# Hispanic Students
1,577 Students
923,962 Students
% Hispanic Students
15%
53%
# Black Students
184 Students
91,300 Students
% Black Students
2%
5%
# White Students
3,094 Students
400,535 Students
% White Students
30%
23%
# Hawaiian Students
89 Students
7,325 Students
% Hawaiian Students
1%
1%
# Two or more races Students
1,175 Students
101,982 Students
% of Two or more races Students
12%
6%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
-
83
# Students in K Grade:
731
83,342
# Students in 1st Grade:
661
70,983
# Students in 2nd Grade:
705
70,937
# Students in 3rd Grade:
673
72,484
# Students in 4th Grade:
708
74,201
# Students in 5th Grade:
757
80,839
# Students in 6th Grade:
715
264,601
# Students in 7th Grade:
778
409,781
# Students in 8th Grade:
776
405,230
# Students in 9th Grade:
877
53,401
# Students in 10th Grade:
900
47,293
# Students in 11th Grade:
942
46,988
# Students in 12th Grade:
1,062
49,817
# 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 Middle Schools (2024-25)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
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: #22.
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: #33.
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: #44.
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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