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Best Schools in Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto, CA has 55 public schools (4 high, 6 middle, 33 elementary) serving 21,455 students. On average they score 70% on state proficiency tests against a projected 60%, so schools in Palo Alto exceed expectations. Rankings below compare each school’s actual results with the projection for its socioeconomic context.
Best High Schools in Palo Alto, CA
The top high schools in Palo Alto, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Henry M. Gunn High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Palo Alto Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1787 Students
2. Palo Alto High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Palo Alto Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1992 Students
3. Los Altos High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Mountain View-los Altos Union High • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 2141 Students
4. Menlo-atherton High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Sequoia Union High • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 2125 Students
Best Middle Schools in Palo Alto, CA
The top middle schools in Palo Alto, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Palo Alto Unified • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 996 Students
2. Ardis G. Egan Junior High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Los Altos Elementary • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 497 Students
3. Ellen Fletcher Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Palo Alto Unified • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 515 Students
4. Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Palo Alto Unified • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 755 Students
5. Crittenden Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Mountain View Whisman • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 537 Students
6. Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Ravenswood City Elementary • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 515 Students
Best Elementary Schools in Palo Alto, CA
The top elementary schools in Palo Alto, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Herbert Hoover Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Palo Alto Unified • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 386 Students
2. Juana Briones Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Palo Alto Unified • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 258 Students
3. Ohlone Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Palo Alto Unified • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 463 Students
4. Gardner Bullis Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Los Altos Elementary • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 259 Students
5. Fairmeadow Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Palo Alto Unified • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 403 Students
6. Lucille M. Nixon Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Palo Alto Unified • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 358 Students
7. Palo Verde Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Palo Alto Unified • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 382 Students
8. Escondido Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Palo Alto Unified • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 447 Students
9. Duveneck Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Palo Alto Unified • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 346 Students
10. Santa Rita Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Los Altos Elementary • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 385 Students
Education & Community Snapshot in Palo Alto, CA
City-level factors that shape the learning environment around local schools.
Community Factors
Palo Alto, CA has a total population of 68,183 with 25% of that population attending schools. The adult high school graduation rate is 97%, and 83% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Students in Palo Alto, CA
K-12 Students
High School Graduates
Adults 25+ with HS diplomas
College Graduates
Adults 25+ with a Bachelor’s degree or higher
Demographics statistics provided by Best Neighborhood Palo Alto, CA.
Safety
Crime Grades summarize reported incidents per 1,000 residents. Use them as neighborhood context, not a school rating.
Overall Crime Grade
38.34 per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crime Grade
4.22 per 1,000 Residents
Property Crime Grade
34.11 per 1,000 Residents
Crime statistics provided by CrimeGrade in Palo Alto, CA.
Connectivity
Connectivity influences learning at home. We summarize internet infrastructure, typical download speed, and a digital connectivity index for Palo Alto, CA.
ISP Report Card
Internet Infrastructure Grade
Average Download Speed
Speed Most Residents Can Get
Digital Connectivity Index
ISP Connectivity Demand Report
To read more about these statistics, please visit Palo Alto, CA Internet Health Assessment.
Questions About Schools in Palo Alto, CA
How many schools are in Palo Alto, CA?
Palo Alto, CA has 55 public schools: 4 high schools, 6 middle schools and 33 elementary schools, serving 21,455 students in total.
How do schools in Palo Alto perform on state tests?
On average, 55 schools in Palo Alto score 70% proficient on state assessments. Given the socioeconomic context of their students we project 60%, so on average schools in Palo Alto exceed expectations.
How does SchoolGrade rank the best schools in Palo Alto?
Every public school gets a SchoolGrade from A+ to F based on the share of students at or above the state proficiency bar. The Impact Grade compares that result with what we would expect given the school’s student and community context, so schools that outperform their circumstances stand out. Schools cannot pay to change a grade. Read the full methodology.
Best Schools in Cities Near Palo Alto, CA
Explore nearby cities to widen your school search.
- Actual: 78%
- Projected: 70%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 39%
- Projected: 40%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 43%
- Projected: 45%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 64%
- Projected: 61%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 55%
- Projected: 53%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 81%
- Projected: 73%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 75%
- Projected: 68%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 29%
- Projected: 32%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 69%
- Projected: 62%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 52%
- Projected: 49%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
Every school in Palo Alto
15 of 17 schools in Palo Alto carry a SchoolGrade (2 have no school-level proficiency results in our source data). Grade distribution:
A: 15
All 17 public schools we grade in Palo Alto. The ranked lists above show the top ten per level; every school has its own page.
High schools (2)
Middle and junior high schools (3)
Elementary and primary schools (10)
- Addison Elementary
- Barron Park Elementary
- Duveneck Elementary
- El Carmelo Elementary
- Fairmeadow Elementary
- Herbert Hoover Elementary
- Juana Briones Elementary
- Ohlone Elementary
- Palo Verde Elementary
- Walter Hays Elementary
Other schools and academies (2)
Private schools (27)
Private schools have a SchoolGrade only where their state publishes their test results.
- Achieve Inc.
- Athena Academy
- Bowman School
- Casa Dei Bambini School
- Castilleja School
- Cornerstone Learning Foundation
- Emerson School
- Fusion Academy - Palo Alto
- Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School
- Grossman Academy
- Guidepost Montessori
- Headsup Child Development Center Palo Alto
- Hope Technology School
- Imagination Lab School
- Kehillah Jewish High School
- Keys Family Day School
- Keys Family Day School
- Living Widsom High School
- Living Wisdom School Of Palo Alto
- Meira Academy
- Odyssey Montessori
- Silicon Valley International School
- St Elizabeth Seton School
- Stratford School - Palo Alto
- Synapse School
- The Girls' Middle School
- Tru School