Enrollment
305
Elementary
DISTRICT 330 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PALO ALTO UNIFIED·NCES 062961004588
Walter Hays Elementary
1525 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94301 · (650) 322-5956 · Santa Clara County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL305 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 92% of California public elementary schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- BThree-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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
20.5:1
15 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 19.1:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
17%
52 students
DISTRICT 14% · STATE 65%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 83 | 27% |
| Grade 1 | 44 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 45 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 46 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 46 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 41 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (83) is 102% larger than its 5th grade class (41).
Student demographics
71%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
76.0%
CA avg 49.1% . -8.0pp since 2014
Math
79.2%
CA avg 37.7% . -4.8pp 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 79 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 8 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 5 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 60.0% | 16.0% | 9.6% | 14.4% |
| Math | 56.9% | 22.3% | 12.3% | 8.5% |
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 | 76.0% | 79.2% |
| 2023-24 | 78.1% | 79.4% |
| 2022-23 | 77.5% | 76.1% |
| 2021-22 | 72.7% | 74.8% |
| 2020-21 | 74.5% | 71.6% |
| 2018-19 | 82.6% | 82.7% |
| 2017-18 | 78.9% | 86.3% |
| 2016-17 | 82.2% | 81.0% |
| 2015-16 | 87.0% | 86.0% |
| 2014-15 | 84.0% | 84.0% |
% 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
78.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
69.5%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 78% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 70% 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 Walter Hays Elementary
Walter Hays Elementary's state test result (78.1% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Hays Elementary this school | 305 | 17.0% | 78.1% |
| Carmel Creek Elementary San Diego | 317 | 14.2% | 80.0% |
| Duveneck Elementary Palo Alto | 376 | 13.6% | 81.0% |
| El Carmelo Elementary Palo Alto | 282 | 18.4% | 70.9% |
| Sutter Elementary Santa Clara | 314 | 14.6% | 67.7% |
| Beach Park Elementary Foster City | 347 | 14.7% | 74.0% |
Matched among California elementary 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 Walter Hays Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Santa Clara County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 78.1% | #306 of 5,151 | #50 of 226 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 79.2% | #264 of 5,172 ▼ 11 | #46 of 226 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 76.0% | #440 of 5,172 ▼ 102 | #55 of 226 ▼ 9 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +3.8pp | #2,040 of 5,116 | #47 of 225 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 305 | #4,719 of 5,915 | #205 of 255 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.5:1 | #1,220 of 5,352 | #82 of 247 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 71.1% | #507 of 5,354 | #41 of 247 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 17.0% | #5,250 of 5,625 | #190 of 252 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -21.6% | #1,253 of 3,837 | #95 of 189 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
305
+46 (+18%) vs 2020
-9% since 1990-91, when it was 336
Student : Teacher
20.5:1
was 17.3:1
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 | 305 | 14.9 | 20.5:1 | 17% (52) |
| 2023-24 | 295 | 14.9 | 19.8:1 | 16% (46) |
| 2022-23 | 294 | 15 | 19.7:1 | 17% (49) |
| 2020-21 | 259 | 15 | 17.3:1 | 18% (47) |
| 2017-18 | 389 | 24.2 | 16.1:1 | 10% (39) |
| 2015-16 | 463 | 25 | 18.5:1 | 8% (37) |
| 2010-11 | 536 | N/A | N/A | 8% (41) |
| 2000-01 | 476 | 24 | 19.8:1 | 3% (14) |
| 1990-91 | 336 | 15 | 22.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Walter Hays Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 22% (389 to 305); teachers down 39% (24.2 to 14.9).
About Walter Hays Elementary
Walter Hays Elementary is a low-enrollment elementary school with an address in Palo Alto, California. A federal count lists 305 students at the school, in kindergarten through 5. Average enrollment for elementary schools in California is about 465, so this school runs 34% smaller than that.
Walter Hays Elementary is one of 20 schools in Palo Alto Unified, which enrolls 10,187 students in total.
Enrollment at Walter Hays Elementary is mixed, with Asian students the largest group at 43%. Other reported shares: 23% White, 20% Hispanic, and 10% multiracial. The Asian share in Santa Clara County as a whole is similar, at about 41%. Walter Hays Elementary has a diversity index of 71%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
The ratio of students to teachers is 20.5:1, with 14.9 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff. The 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California is higher than this school's figure. Lunch subsidy eligibility at Walter Hays Elementary is 17%. The 37% average for public schools in Santa Clara County is 20 points higher.
Measured against California public elementary schools, Walter Hays Elementary receives an A. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For Walter Hays Elementary, the prediction is 69.5% and the result is 78.1%.
Among Santa Clara County residents, median household income is about $164,281, roughly 57% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 4% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Federal data list 412 public schools in Santa Clara County, with a combined enrollment of about 230,059.
Addison Elementary is the closest public school, about 0.5 miles away in a straight line. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. Among the 8 closest schools with test data, this one included, Walter Hays Elementary ranks 3rd on average proficiency.
NCES assigns Walter Hays Elementary the locale City: Small, meaning inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment up 18%, from 259 to 305. Its ratio of students to teachers was 17.3:1 in 2020-21, and 20.5:1 in 2024-25.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for Walter Hays Elementary covering things like school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. 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
- Palo Alto HighHigh · 1,891 students
- 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
Other schools in Palo Alto
- Palo Alto HighHigh · 1,891 students
- 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
Nearby schools
- Addison Elementary0.5 mi · 366
- Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle0.6 mi · 732
- Duveneck Elementary0.7 mi · 376
- Palo Alto High0.8 mi · 1,891
- Ohlone Elementary1.1 mi · 464
- El Carmelo Elementary1.4 mi · 282
Frequently asked questions
About Walter Hays ElementaryHow many students attend Walter Hays Elementary?
Walter Hays Elementary enrolls approximately 305 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Walter Hays Elementary serve?
Walter Hays Elementary serves grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Walter Hays Elementary have?
Walter Hays Elementary employs 15 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 20.5:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Walter Hays Elementary?
At Walter Hays Elementary, the student body is approximately 23% White, 20% Hispanic, 2% Black, 43% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Is Walter Hays Elementary public or private?
Walter Hays Elementary 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.