Public School Review - Established 2003

Palo Alto High School vs. Henry M. Gunn High School

Should you attend Palo Alto High School or Henry M. Gunn High School? Visitors to our site frequently compare these two schools. Compare their rankings, test scores, reviews and more to help you determine which school is the best choice for you.

School Overview

School
Palo Alto High School
50 Embarcadero Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
: 
10/
10
Top 1%
Henry M. Gunn High School
780 Arastradero Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
: 
10/
10
Top 5%
Top Rankings

Palo Alto High School ranks among the top 20% of public schools in California for:

Category
Attribute
Overall Rank
Highest overall rank (Top 1%)
Math Proficiency
Highest math proficiency (Top 5%)
Reading/Language Arts Proficiency
Highest reading/language arts proficiency (Top 1%)
Graduation Rate
Highest graduation rate (Top 10%)
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 10%)
Student Attention
Lowest student:teacher ratio (Top 20%)

Henry M. Gunn High School ranks among the top 20% of public schools 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%)
Graduation Rate
Highest graduation rate (Top 10%)
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 20%)
Student Attention
Lowest student:teacher ratio (Top 20%)
Overview
Serving 1,992 students in grades 9-12, Palo Alto High School ranks in the top 1% of all schools in California for overall test scores (math proficiency is top 5%, and reading proficiency is top 5%).
The percentage of students achieving proficiency in math is 84% (which is higher than the California state average of 33%). The percentage of students achieving proficiency in reading/language arts is 88% (which is higher than the California state average of 47%).
The student:teacher ratio of 17:1 is lower than the California state level of 22:1.
Minority enrollment is 65% of the student body (majority Asian), which is lower than the California state average of 79% (majority Hispanic).
Serving 1,787 students in grades 9-12, Henry M. Gunn High School ranks in the top 5% of all schools in California for overall test scores (math proficiency is top 5%, and reading proficiency is top 5%).
The percentage of students achieving proficiency in math is 82% (which is higher than the California state average of 33%). The percentage of students achieving proficiency in reading/language arts is 87% (which is higher than the California state average of 47%).
The student:teacher ratio of 17:1 is lower than the California state level of 22:1.
Minority enrollment is 72% of the student body (majority Asian), which is lower than the California state average of 79% (majority Hispanic).
Grades Offered
9-12
9-12
Total Students
1,992 students
1,787 students
This chart displays total students of Palo Alto High School by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays total students of Henry M. Gunn High School by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Male | % Female
52% | 48%
55% | 45%
This chart displays gender of Palo Alto High School
This chart displays gender of Henry M. Gunn High School
Total Classroom Teachers
119 teachers
105 teachers
This chart displays the total teachers of Palo Alto High School by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the total teachers of Henry M. Gunn High School by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Student : Teacher Ratio
17:1
17:1
This chart displays the student teacher ratio of Palo Alto High School and the public school average student teacher ratio of California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the student teacher ratio of Henry M. Gunn High School and the public school average student teacher ratio of California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.

Test Scores

#93 out of 9602 schools in CA
(Top 1%)
#109 out of 9602 schools in CA
(Top 5%)
This chart displays the overall school rank of Palo Alto High School, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
This chart displays the overall school rank of Henry M. Gunn High School, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
84%
(Top 5% in CA)
82%
(Top 5% in CA)
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Palo Alto High School and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of public schools in California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Henry M. Gunn High School and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of public schools in California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
88%
(Top 1% in CA)
87%
(Top 5% in CA)
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Palo Alto High School 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.
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Henry M. Gunn High School 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.
57%
(Top 10% in CA)
83%
(Top 1% in CA)
97%
(Top 10% in CA)
96%
(Top 10% in CA)
This chart displays graduation rate of Palo Alto High School and public school graduation rate of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
This chart displays graduation rate of Henry M. Gunn High School and public school graduation rate of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Grade

Students by Grade
This chart displays the students of Palo Alto High School by grade.
This chart displays the students of Henry M. Gunn High School by grade.
Grade 9 Students
468
408
Grade 10 Students
464
436
Grade 11 Students
486
456
Grade 12 Students
574
487

Students by Ethnicity

% American Indian
n/a
n/a
This chart displays the percentage of American Indian students in Palo Alto High School and percentage of American Indian public school students in California by year, with the latest 2000-01 school year data.
n/a
% Asian
36%
47%
This chart displays the percentage of Asian students in Palo Alto High School and the percentage of Asian public school students in California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of Asian students in Henry M. Gunn High School and the percentage of Asian public school students in California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Hispanic
15%
13%
This chart displays the percentage of Hispanic students in Palo Alto High School and the percentage of Hispanic public school students in California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of Hispanic students in Henry M. Gunn High School and the percentage of Hispanic public school students in California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Black
2%
1%
This chart displays the percentage of Black students in Palo Alto High School and the percentage of Black public school students in California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of Black students in Henry M. Gunn High School and the percentage of Black public school students in California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% White
35%
28%
This chart displays the percentage of White students in Palo Alto High School and the percentage of White public school students in California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of White students in Henry M. Gunn High School and the percentage of White public school students in California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Hawaiian
1%
1%
This chart displays the percentage of Hawaiian students in Palo Alto High School and the percentage of Hawaiian public school students in California by year, with the latest 2013-14 school year data.
n/a
% Two or more races
11%
10%
This chart displays the percentage of students of two or more races in Palo Alto High School and the percentage of public school students of two or more races in California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of students of two or more races in Henry M. Gunn High School and the percentage of public school students of two or more races in California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
0.72
0.68
This chart displays the diversity score of Palo Alto High School and the public school average diversity score of California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the diversity score of Henry M. Gunn High School and the public school average diversity score of California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.

Additional Information

Eligible for Free Lunch
9%
10%
This chart displays the percentage of students who is eligible for free lunch in Palo Alto High School and the percentage of public school students who is eligible for free lunch in California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of students who is eligible for free lunch in Henry M. Gunn High School and the percentage of public school students who is eligible for free lunch in California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Eligible for Reduced Lunch
1%
1%
(21-22 School Year Data)
This chart displays the percentage of students who is eligible for reduced lunch in Palo Alto High School and the percentage of public school students who is eligible for reduced lunch in California by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of students who is eligible for reduced lunch in Henry M. Gunn High School and the percentage of public school students who is eligible for reduced lunch in California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
 
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