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Welcome to the Palo Alto High community. What's one thing that would make Palo Alto High even better?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,891
High
DISTRICT 1,193 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PALO ALTO UNIFIED·NCES 062961004596
Palo Alto High
50 Embarcadero Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94301 · (650) 329-3701 · Santa Clara County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL1,891 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 72% of California public high schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- FThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public high schools
Student : Teacher
16.8:1
113 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.8:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
13%
252 students
DISTRICT 14% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 450 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 478 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 468 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 495 | 26% |
Student demographics
72%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 70% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
75.8%
CA avg 49.1% . -7.2pp since 2014
Math
73.7%
CA avg 37.7% . -4.3pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 76 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 74 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 7 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 4 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 54.7% | 21.1% | 12.0% | 12.2% |
| Math | 55.4% | 18.3% | 12.8% | 13.5% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 75.8% | 73.7% |
| 2023-24 | 72.3% | 70.1% |
| 2022-23 | 74.9% | 71.7% |
| 2021-22 | 88.0% | 83.7% |
| 2020-21 | 89.1% | 85.9% |
| 2018-19 | 84.8% | 76.7% |
| 2017-18 | 80.2% | 83.6% |
| 2016-17 | 85.9% | 72.6% |
| 2015-16 | 92.0% | 88.0% |
| 2014-15 | 83.0% | 78.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
73.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
71.7%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 73% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 72% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Palo Alto High
Palo Alto High's state test result (73.0% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto High this school | 1,891 | 13.3% | 73.0% |
| Palos Verdes Peninsula High Rolling Hills Estates | 2,075 | 11.8% | 81.0% |
| Westview High San Diego | 2,116 | 11.9% | 79.8% |
| Mountain View High Mountain View | 2,187 | 12.7% | 75.0% |
| Scripps Ranch High San Diego | 1,890 | 19.8% | 77.8% |
| South Pasadena Senior High South Pasadena | 1,536 | 15.0% | 76.0% |
Matched among California high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Palo Alto High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Santa Clara County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 73.0% | #63 of 1,052 | #11 of 43 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 73.7% | #29 of 1,056 ▲ 5 | #8 of 43 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 75.8% | #150 of 1,056 ▲ 46 | #14 of 43 ▲ 4 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -11.1pp | #30 of 1,044 | #1 of 42 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,891 | #348 of 2,093 | #12 of 76 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.8:1 | #197 of 1,352 | #7 of 57 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 72.1% | #64 of 1,351 | #5 of 57 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 13.3% | #1,528 of 1,575 | #59 of 67 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.7% | #500 of 802 | #29 of 39 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,891
-194 (-9%) vs 2020
+68% since 1990-91, when it was 1,125
Student : Teacher
16.8:1
was 17.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,891 | 112.7 | 16.8:1 | 13% (252) |
| 2023-24 | 1,932 | 114.8 | 16.8:1 | 11% (208) |
| 2022-23 | 1,992 | 118.9 | 16.8:1 | 10% (203) |
| 2020-21 | 2,085 | 117 | 17.8:1 | 8% (170) |
| 2017-18 | 2,072 | 127.9 | 16.2:1 | 10% (207) |
| 2015-16 | 1,994 | 106 | 18.8:1 | 7% (136) |
| 2010-11 | 1,852 | N/A | N/A | 6% (118) |
| 2000-01 | 1,541 | 82 | 18.8:1 | 4% (65) |
| 1990-91 | 1,125 | 63 | 17.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Palo Alto High.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (2,072 to 1,891); teachers down 12% (127.9 to 112.7).
About Palo Alto High
Palo Alto High is a large high school in Palo Alto, California. School enrollment was 1,891 students in 2024-25, in grades 9 through 12. The average among high schools in California is roughly 838 students; this school is 126% above that.
Palo Alto Unified has 20 schools; together they serve 10,187 students.
Enrollment at Palo Alto High is mixed, with Asian students the largest group at 37%. Beyond that, enrollment is 31% White, 15% Hispanic, and 12% multiracial. The Asian share in Santa Clara County as a whole is similar, at about 41%. The chance that two students picked at random at Palo Alto High belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 72%.
The school reports 112.7 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to about 16.8 students per teacher. For comparison, high schools in California average 18.2:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility covers 13% of students. Compared with the 37% average for public schools in Santa Clara County, the school's rate is lower.
The allk12 Grade for Palo Alto High is B+. Compared with California public high schools, the school scored higher than 72% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For Palo Alto High, the prediction is 71.7% and the result is 73.0%.
In the county around the school, Santa Clara County, median household income is about $164,281, roughly 57% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 4%. Palo Alto High is among the 412 public schools in Santa Clara County.
The school nearest to Palo Alto High is Addison Elementary, at a distance of about 0.7 miles. Within five miles of Palo Alto High, there are at least 8 other public schools. Ranked by average proficiency, Palo Alto High places 7th out of 8 schools in its immediate area.
Its location is classified as City: Small by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Palo Alto High saw enrollment fall 9% between 2020-21 and 2024-25. The ratio of students to teachers went from 17.8:1 to 16.8:1 over the same years.
Discussion on this page can cover school safety, transportation, and start times. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Santa Clara County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,902,047
Census ACS
Median income
$164,281
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
57%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
412
230,059 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Palo Alto Unified
- Henry M. Gunn HighHigh · 1,643 students
- Jane Lathrop Stanford MiddleMiddle · 1,002 students
- Frank S. Greene Jr. MiddleMiddle · 732 students
- Ellen Fletcher MiddleMiddle · 572 students
- Ohlone ElementaryElementary · 464 students
- Escondido ElementaryElementary · 432 students
Other schools in Palo Alto
- Henry M. Gunn HighHigh · 1,643 students
- Jane Lathrop Stanford MiddleMiddle · 1,002 students
- Frank S. Greene Jr. MiddleMiddle · 732 students
- Ellen Fletcher MiddleMiddle · 572 students
- Ohlone ElementaryElementary · 464 students
- Fairmeadow ElementaryElementary · 425 students
Nearby schools
- Addison Elementary0.7 mi · 366
- Walter Hays Elementary0.8 mi · 305
- Packard Children's Hospital/Stanford1.0 mi · 15
- Escondido Elementary1.1 mi · 432
- Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle1.2 mi · 732
- Duveneck Elementary1.5 mi · 376
Frequently asked questions
About Palo Alto HighHow large is Palo Alto High?
Palo Alto High enrolls approximately 1,891 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Palo Alto High serve?
Palo Alto High serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palo Alto High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Palo Alto High is approximately 16.8:1 (113 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Palo Alto High?
At Palo Alto High, the student body is approximately 31% White, 15% Hispanic, 2% Black, 37% Asian, 12% Two or more.
Is Palo Alto High public or private?
Palo Alto High is a public K-12 school, overseen by Palo Alto Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.