Palo Alto Middle College High: High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.
Palo Alto Middle College posts 53.1% exceeding the standard — versus 15.8% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.
| Scope | % Exceeded | % Met+ | Grad rate | College readiness | Absence | Suspension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 87 | 53% | 78% | — | — | — | 1.2% |
| CA average · High School | 44 | 16% | 36% | 87.6% | 35.4% | 30.2% | 3.6% |
Palo Alto Middle College High scores 87 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 99th percentile of 2,160 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
⭐ High Ceiling — Ask what happens for a kid who shows up behind — a high ceiling for the top can sit right next to thin support at the bottom, and the score alone won't show you which.
Most rating sites would stop at “78% proficient” and call it done. Palo Alto Middle College deserves a closer read. It sits at the 99th percentile of 2,160 California high schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.
The headline number: 53.1% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 15.8%.
The 3 things our score weighs
Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.
- Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
- Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
- Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
- Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.
How every group of students does here
At Palo Alto Middle College High in Los Altos Hills, 100.0% of asian students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 91.4% district-wide and 74.4% statewide. Palo Alto Middle College High outperforms its district average for asian students by 8.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Asian students (94.4% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 18 students tested.
8 of 12 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.
Showing up, and staying in class
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
The people teaching here
Pay is set by the district, not the school.
What gets spent here
The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.
District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.
Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →
The neighborhood it serves
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
At 45 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California high school (≈1450).
Frequently asked questions
Is Palo Alto Middle College High a good high school?
What are Palo Alto Middle College High's CAASPP test scores?
How does Palo Alto Middle College High rank in California?
How does Palo Alto Middle College High compare to other schools in Los Altos Hills?
How does Palo Alto Middle College High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
Your other options
Nearby High Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 78
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 91
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 32 | 56% | 31% | 6% | 6% | 88% | +40 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 32 | 50% | 19% | 16% | 16% | 69% | +45 |
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian | 18 | 100.0% | +9 | +26 |
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto Middle College High ← | — | 87 | 53.1% | 78.1% | — | 1.2% |
| Henry M. Gunn High | 2.8 mi | 82 | 62.9% | 82.4% | — | 0.8% |
| Los Altos High | 1.9 mi | 74 | 52.5% | 73.8% | — | 1.1% |
| California average | — | 44 | 15.8% | 35.7% | — | 3.6% |
- — Chronic absenteeism data was unavailable for this school — it's excluded from the Scope Score.
SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction