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 4 public middle schools serving 2,354 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 73% of the student body (majority Asian), which is less than the California public middle school average of 78% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
20 Schools
3,501 Schools
# Students
10,254 Students
1,854,363 Students
# Teachers
600 Teachers
87,821 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
0.64
# American Indian Students
6 Students
9,887 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
4,232 Students
201,760 Students
% Asian Students
41%
11%
# Hispanic Students
1,606 Students
1,009,980 Students
% Hispanic Students
16%
55%
# Black Students
180 Students
97,908 Students
% Black Students
2%
5%
# White Students
2,960 Students
413,325 Students
% White Students
29%
22%
# Hawaiian Students
92 Students
7,600 Students
% Hawaiian Students
1%
n/a
# Two or more races Students
1,171 Students
109,003 Students
% of Two or more races Students
11%
6%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
-
83
# Students in K Grade:
750
90,358
# Students in 1st Grade:
650
70,728
# Students in 2nd Grade:
694
73,359
# Students in 3rd Grade:
729
73,090
# Students in 4th Grade:
710
76,068
# Students in 5th Grade:
734
82,191
# Students in 6th Grade:
771
289,122
# Students in 7th Grade:
757
439,549
# Students in 8th Grade:
809
441,705
# Students in 9th Grade:
870
59,696
# Students in 10th Grade:
906
51,846
# Students in 11th Grade:
898
51,149
# Students in 12th Grade:
976
55,419
# 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 Middle Schools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Ellen Fletcher Middle School
(Math: 81% | Reading: 88%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
655 Arastradero Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-9810
Grades: 6-8
| 549 students
Rank: #22.
Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School
(Math: 78% | Reading: 83%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
480 East Meadow Dr.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-5188
Grades: 6-8
| 1,025 students
Rank: #33.
Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle School
(Math: 70% | Reading: 79%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
750 North California Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(408) 494-8120
Grades: 6-8
| 760 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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