Total enrollment
10,187
-539 (-5%) vs SY 2020-21
20 schools in Palo Alto Unified
California · 10,187 students · 3 cities
Parents inside Palo Alto Unified pick from 20 public K-12 options, with combined enrollment of about 10,187 students (an average school size of 509).
4-year change in Palo Alto Unified
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
20
+1 (+5%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Palo Alto Unified ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In California | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 79.3% | #15 of 534 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 10,187 | #142 of 587 | #897 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 20 | #104 of 587 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.1:1 | #27 of 587 | #7,210 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 13.4% | #549 of 587 | #7,817 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 70.3% | #52 of 530 | #365 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Palo Alto Unified
State test results across the district's 17 scored schools run from Herbert Hoover Elementary at 92.9% proficient to Barron Park Elementary at 62.7%, a gap of 30.2 points. That is the 211th widest gap among 458 California districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 19 district schools that reported both years went from 12,221 to 10,142 students (down 17%) and from 725 to 593 full-time teachers (down 18%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto High | Palo Alto | High | 09-12 | 1,891 |
| Henry M. Gunn High | Palo Alto | High | 09-12 | 1,643 |
| Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle | Palo Alto | Middle | 06-08 | 1,002 |
| Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle | Palo Alto | Middle | 06-08 | 732 |
| Ellen Fletcher Middle | Palo Alto | Middle | 06-08 | 572 |
| Ohlone Elementary | Palo Alto | Elementary | KG-05 | 464 |
| Escondido Elementary | Stanford | Elementary | KG-05 | 432 |
| Fairmeadow Elementary | Palo Alto | Elementary | KG-05 | 425 |
| Herbert Hoover Elementary | Palo Alto | Elementary | KG-05 | 389 |
| Duveneck Elementary | Palo Alto | Elementary | KG-05 | 376 |
| Addison Elementary | Palo Alto | Elementary | KG-05 | 366 |
| Lucille M. Nixon Elementary | Stanford | Elementary | KG-05 | 350 |
| Palo Verde Elementary | Palo Alto | Elementary | KG-05 | 334 |
| Walter Hays Elementary | Palo Alto | Elementary | KG-05 | 305 |
| El Carmelo Elementary | Palo Alto | Elementary | KG-05 | 282 |
| Barron Park Elementary | Palo Alto | Elementary | KG-05 | 278 |
| Juana Briones Elementary | Palo Alto | Elementary | KG-05 | 260 |
| Palo Alto Middle College High | Los Altos Hills | High | 09-12 | 45 |
| Greendell | Palo Alto | Elementary | KG-KG | 26 |
| Packard Children's Hospital/Stanford | Palo Alto | Combined | KG-12 | 15 |
About Palo Alto Unified
Palo Alto Unified is a sparse public-school district in California. The district operates 20 schools and teaches approximately 10,187 students.
On the school-mix side, Palo Alto Unified spans 13 elementary, 3 middle, 3 high schools, and 1 combined or other.
Average enrollment per school in Palo Alto Unified is about 509, noticeably below the California average of roughly 578.
Trend over the past 4 years. Total public-school enrollment in Palo Alto Unified has contracted 5% since SY 2020-21, moving from about 10,726 students to 10,187. Palo Alto Unified now counts 20 public schools, up from 19 in SY 2020-21.
In the discussion threads here, the community for Palo Alto Unified discusses sports rivalries, cross-district programs, and shared facilities. Posts come from current and former families, staff, and alumni.