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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 1%)
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 16 public elementary schools serving 6,594 students in Palo Alto Unified School District. This district's average elementary testing ranking is 10/10, which is in the top 5% of public elementary schools in California.
Public Elementary Schools in Palo Alto Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 79% (versus the California public elementary school average of 36%), and reading proficiency score of 82% (versus the 45% statewide average).
The top ranked public elementary schools in Palo Alto Unified School District are Herbert Hoover Elementary School, Lucille M. Nixon Elementary School and Juana Briones Elementary 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 elementary school average of 79% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
20 Schools
7,700 Schools
# Students
10,254 Students
3,822,920 Students
# Teachers
600 Teachers
174,006 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
17:1
17:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Palo Alto Unified School District, which is ranked #26 of all 1,910 school districts in California (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 98% has increased from 95% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (CA)
#27 out of 1932 school districts
(Top 5%)
78%
34%
82%
47%
72%
29%
98%
87%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.72
0.64
% American Indian
n/a
1%
% Asian
41%
12%
% Hispanic
16%
55%
% Black
2%
5%
% White
29%
21%
% Hawaiian
1%
n/a
% Two or more races
11%
6%
All Ethnic Groups

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
Spending
$309 MM
$107,188 MM
Revenue / Student
$28,183
$19,974
Spending / Student
$30,120
$18,396

Best Palo Alto Unified School District Public Elementary Schools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Herbert Hoover Elementary School
(Math: ≥95% | Reading: 90-94%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 1%
445 East Charleston Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 320-8106
Gr: K-5 | 386 students Student-teacher ratio: 19:1 Minority enrollment: 92%
Rank: #22.
Lucille M. Nixon Elementary School
(Math: 85-89% | Reading: 85-89%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 1%
1711 Stanford Ave.
Stanford, CA 94305
(650) 856-1622
Gr: K-5 | 354 students Student-teacher ratio: 19:1 Minority enrollment: 65%
Rank: #33.
Juana Briones Elementary School
(Math: 80-84% | Reading: 85-89%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
4100 Orme St.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-0877
Gr: K-5 | 260 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 68%
Rank: #44.
Ellen Fletcher Middle School
(Math: 79% | Reading: 88%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
655 Arastradero Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-9810
Gr: 6-8 | 549 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 74%
Rank: #55.
Duveneck Elementary School
(Math: 85-89% | Reading: 80-84%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
705 Alester Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 322-5946
Gr: K-5 | 349 students Student-teacher ratio: 19:1 Minority enrollment: 78%
Rank: #66.
Ohlone Elementary School
(Math: 84% | Reading: 84%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
950 Amarillo Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 856-1726
Gr: K-5 | 448 students Student-teacher ratio: 19:1 Minority enrollment: 71%
Rank: #77.
Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School
(Math: 81% | Reading: 83%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
480 East Meadow Dr.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-5188
Gr: 6-8 | 1,025 student Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 75%
Rank: #88.
Palo Verde Elementary School
(Math: 86% | Reading: 75-79%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
3450 Louis Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 856-1672
Gr: K-5 | 366 students Student-teacher ratio: 19:1 Minority enrollment: 75%
Rank: #99.
Fairmeadow Elementary School
(Math: 78% | Reading: 79%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
500 East Meadow Dr.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-0845
Gr: K-5 | 441 students Student-teacher ratio: 21:1 Minority enrollment: 70%
Rank: #10 - 1110. - 11.
Addison Elementary School
(Math: 75-79% | Reading: 75-79%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
650 Addison Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 322-5935
Gr: K-5 | 338 students Student-teacher ratio: 19:1 Minority enrollment: 67%
Rank: #10 - 1110. - 11.
El Carmelo Elementary School
(Math: 75-79% | Reading: 75-79%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
3024 Bryant St.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 856-0960
Gr: K-5 | 314 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 75%
Rank: #1212.
Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle School
(Math: 73% | Reading: 79%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
750 North California Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(408) 494-8120
Gr: 6-8 | 760 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 69%
Rank: #1313.
Escondido Elementary School
(Math: 74% | Reading: 74%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
890 Escondido Rd.
Stanford, CA 94305
(650) 856-1337
Gr: K-5 | 460 students Student-teacher ratio: 19:1 Minority enrollment: 67%
Rank: #1414.
Walter Hays Elementary School
(Math: 70-74% | Reading: 70-74%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
1525 Middlefield Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 322-5956
Gr: K-5 | 295 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 71%
Rank: #1515.
Barron Park Elementary School
(Math: 60-64% | Reading: 70-74%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
800 Barron Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 858-0508
Gr: K-5 | 229 students Student-teacher ratio: 18:1 Minority enrollment: 72%
Rank: n/an/a
725 Welch Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650) 497-8230
Gr: K-12 | 20 students Student-teacher ratio: 5:1 Minority enrollment: 80%

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Quick Facts (2025)

  • District size: 20 schools
  • Grades: KG-12
  • Enrollment: 10,254 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 17:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 71%
  • : 98% (Top 1% 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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