Math
69%Grade 11 · Proficient or Advanced
Public high school
Palo Alto Middle College High
High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.
88% of tested students are Proficient or Advanced in English and 69% in math. Explore the evidence alongside the opportunities your child would use.
SchoolScope archetype
High Ceiling
What this means for your family
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.
How archetypes are assigned →Data sources · Methodology · State tests: 2025
Contact
English
88%Grade 11 · Proficient or Advanced
Students
45Total enrollment
Graduation
—Four-year graduation rate
What are you trying to decide?
The overall score is a starting point.
Look at subject results, trends and student groups, then consider the opportunities your child would use.
View school performance →Start with your child’s daily experience.
Explore teaching, coursework and student-group results. A schoolwide average cannot predict an individual experience.
Explore student experience →Confirm the enrollment route.
Check the address, grade and enrollment requirements directly with the district or school.
Check attendance and enrollment →Compare the options you can access.
Use comparable evidence alongside entry requirements, cost and location.
Compare nearby schools →Academic performance
What do the results tell us?
2025 results · Grade 11 · weighted by students tested within each subject.
Proficient or Advanced combines Levels 3 and 4, formerly Standard Met and Standard Exceeded. California changed the names for 2025–26; the cut scores did not. About the labels →
Share at Proficient or Advanced
● Math┄ English
Gaps in the lines mark years without annual results.
Exact annual results
| Year | Math | English |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 69% | 88% |
Each year describes that year’s tested students. Changes between years do not follow the same children over time. Cohort-growth evidence, when available, is labeled separately below.
How achievement is distributed
AdvancedStandard Exceeded
50%ProficientStandard Met
19%DevelopingStandard Nearly Met
16%MinimalStandard Not Met
16%AdvancedStandard Exceeded
56%ProficientStandard Met
31%DevelopingStandard Nearly Met
6%MinimalStandard Not Met
6%Achievement-level percentages are not percentiles. “Developing” here is a test achievement level, separate from the SchoolScope performance band with the same name.
Annual results and the full academic record
Where students land · CAASPP 2024–25
Three in four of students here meet the standard. More than half clear it by a lot.
ELA88% met or exceeded
Exceeded 56%Met 31%Nearly Met 6%Not Met 6%
Math69% met or exceeded
Exceeded 50%Met 19%Nearly Met 16%Not Met 16%
Exceeded Met Nearly Met Not Met
California high schools · average20% exceeded · 43% met or exceeded
This school against the California average
2025–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
| Scope | % Exceeded | % Met+ | Grad rate | College readiness | Absence | Suspension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 94 | 53% | 78% | — | — | — | 1.2% |
| CA average · High School | 54 | 20% | 43% | 92.5% | 43.0% | 23.1% | 3.3% |
This schoolCA avg
Scope9454
% Exceeded53%20%
% Met+78%43%
Grad rate—92.5%
College readiness—43.0%
Absence—23.1%
Suspension1.2%3.3%
Students & opportunity
Who shares in the school’s results?
Who it works for · CAASPP 2024–25
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.
Met or exceeded · reading and math combined
All students at this school: 78% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 78%, district —, state 43%78%
AsianAsian: this school 97%, district 92%, state 72%97% · +19 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 72%, district 82%, state 44%72% · −6 vs school
MaleMale: this school 84%, district 80%, state 42%84% · +6 vs school
8 of 12 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.
this school district, same group California, same group
ShowHide California's growth model by student group
No student-group growth record is available for this school in this data release.
Where graduates go
What happens after high school?
See the published graduate records below. Missing destination counts are not treated as zero.
College destinations and the full graduate record
Where graduates go
Context — never part of the Scope Score
The daily experience
What is it like to be a student here?
Students per teacher
Student–teacher ratio is a schoolwide staffing measure, not an average class size.
Teacher experience
Average teacher experience in the published staffing record. It does not measure individual teacher effectiveness.
Chronically absent
The share of students absent for at least 10% of their enrolled school days. Attendance reflects both school and out-of-school circumstances.
The people teaching · CDE staffing 2024–25
About 11 students for every teacher here.
Context — never part of the Scope Score
Students per teacher11 · district 18
Teaching staff5 teachers
Avg. experience15.4 years
PrincipalEmily Garrison
ShowHide what the district pays
Teacher salary schedule$91,546 – $168,598
Principal salary$210,710 – $225,110
Superintendent salary$415,045
Pay is set by the district, not the school.
Attendance & discipline · 2024–25
Showing up, and staying in class
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 1.2%, district —, state 3.3%1.2% · −2.1pp vs state
This schoolDistrictCalifornia
Resources & neighborhood
What sits behind the school experience?
Explore school spending and the district budget
What gets spent · FY 2024–25
It spends $52,304 per student, more than the California average.
Context — never part of the Scope Score
The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.
Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $52,304, CA average $14,491$52,304 · spent at this school
District current expense · FY 2024–25$33,959 per student
This schoolDistrictCalifornia
Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction 63%Instruction support 10%Student services 9%Administration 7%Buildings & maintenance 9%Other 1%
District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.
ShowHide the district's spending year by year
district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$24,917 per pupil
2019$22,497 per pupil
2018$23,038 per pupil
2017$20,962 per pupil
2016$19,648 per pupil
Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →
The neighborhood · ACS 2024
One in ten of students here qualify for free or reduced lunch, versus three in five statewide.
Context — never part of the Scope Score
Worth knowing
At 45 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California high school (≈1450).
Hispanic or Latino15.6% · district 16.1% · CA 56.1%
White20.0% · district 27.2% · CA 19.9%
Asian46.7% · district 42.2% · CA 10.2%
Black2.2% · district 1.7% · CA 4.8%
Other15.6% · district 12.8% · CA 9.0%
GenderFemale 55.6% · Male 42.2% · Non-binary 2.2%
Free or reduced lunch13.3% · CA 64%
Median income$250K · CA $85K
Median home value$2.00M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+88% · CA 35%
ZIP population20,027
Median age49 years
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Culture & philosophy
What is the school’s approach?
School-stated approach · questions for your visit
Look beyond the brochure
A source-reviewed culture summary is not available for this profile yet. Ask how teaching, student support and family communication work day to day.
Read the school’s own website ↗Family voices
What would you want another family to know about the daily experience here?
Ask a current family: “When your child needs help, how does the school respond?”
Educator voices
What should families understand about teaching, support and the school community?
Ask an educator: “How do you adapt a typical day for children with different needs?”
Compare nearby schools
What are the alternatives?
Compare schools serving the same grade stage. Private schools have no comparable state-test score.
2025 · high schools · combined reading and math measures. Percentiles compare schools within their enrollment group.
No nearby schools in this category are listed. The school being viewed stays visible for reference.
| School | Type | Performance band | Advanced | Proficient or Advanced | Distance | Select |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto Middle College High | Public | Strong | 53% | 78% | School being viewed | |
| Henry M. Gunn High | Public | Strong | 63% | 82% | 2.8 mi | |
| Los Altos High | Public | Strong | 52% | 74% | 1.9 mi |
More nearby public and private options
Your other options
Your other options
Nearby public schools across grade levels, plus private options within 10 miles.
Private schools do not receive a Scope Score or statewide ranking on SchoolScope.
12 private schools within 10 miles
Not scored
What should I check before applying?
- District public
- Confirm the attendance boundary and any permit options.
- Charter
- Check applications, priorities and deadlines with each school.
- Private
- Confirm admission requirements, tuition and financial aid.
Moving & enrollment
Which schools could serve my child?
Check your address with the district
School location and nearby schools do not establish attendance eligibility. Confirm boundaries and permit requirements with Palo Alto Unified.
District information →School website →Schools across the K–12 journey
Elementary · K–5
Middle · 6–8
High school · 9–12
Source: proximity. Schools are grouped by grade stage. Nearby schools are not confirmed feeder links or address assignments. Verify the current path and eligibility with the district.
Plan your next step
What should I do next?
Worth a school visit
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.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is Palo Alto Middle College High a good high school?
Palo Alto Middle College High has a Scope Score of 94 out of 100, placing it in the 99th percentile of California high schools and ranked #7 statewide. 53.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 33.3 percentage points above the California average of 19.8%. The Scope Score weights 7 dimensions for high schools: graduation rate (25%), exceeded standard (22%), college/career readiness (20%), met or exceeded (proficient) (18%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Palo Alto Middle College High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 78.1% of students at Palo Alto Middle College High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 53.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 25.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 53.1% went beyond it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it shows how many students go beyond the standard rather than only meeting it. 64 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Palo Alto Middle College High rank in California?
Palo Alto Middle College High ranks #7 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 99th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
How does Palo Alto Middle College High compare to other schools in Los Altos Hills?
Palo Alto Middle College High scores 94/100 (99th percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 45 students. Use the schools in Los Altos Hills page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Palo Alto Middle College High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
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. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.
Use the published evidence to prepare questions, then verify fit and access with the school.
Behind the evidence
Inspect the full record
Public sources, visible methods and the underlying school record. Source years and limitations stay attached to the evidence.
How the Scope Score is calculated
On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways to see the state comparison and weights.
What the score weighs · CAASPP 2024–25
How far the top scorers get carries this score.
53.1% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 19.8%.
| What we weigh | Here | State | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exceeded standard | 53.1% | 19.8% | 22% |
| Met or exceeded | 78.1% | 43.2% | 18% |
| Suspension rate | 1.2% | 3.3% | 5% |
Source CAASPP 2025 · California Department of Education. Measures graduation, test performance, college readiness, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How the score is built
A closer look at the evidence
Palo Alto Middle College High: reading the evidence
Palo Alto Middle College posts 53.1% exceeding the standard — versus 19.8% 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.
Subject proficiency describes tested students, while graduation describes a graduating cohort. These figures are not successive stages followed by the same students.
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.
Explore the underlying data →Every number: score factors, grades, student groups and downloads
Every number · For the data nerds
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and nearest schools.
Palo Alto Middle College High is ranked #7 statewide · #1 of 3 in Palo Alto Unified.
01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
| Factor | School | State | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exceeded standard | 53.1% | 19.8% | 22% |
| Met or exceeded | 78.1% | 43.2% | 18% |
| Suspension rate | 1.2% | 3.3% | 5% |
- Exceeded standard
- ↑ vs CA 19.8% · index 88 · 50 = CA high-school midpoint
- Met or exceeded
- ↑ vs CA 43.2% · index 79 · 50 = CA high-school midpoint
- Suspension rate
- ↑ vs CA 3.3% · index 61 · 50 = CA high-school midpoint
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ShowHide table 02 — By grade & subgroup
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 32 | 56% | 31% | 6% | 6% | 88% | +39 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 32 | 50% | 19% | 16% | 16% | 69% | +45 |
We show the grade rows CDE publishes for this school. A missing grade or dash can mean the school does not serve that grade, that we hold no valid result for it, or that the tested group was too small to report. It does not mean zero.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian | 18 | 100.0% | +9 | +26 |
03Nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto Middle College High ← | — | 94 | 53.1% | 78.1% | 1.2% |
| Henry M. Gunn High | 2.8 mi | 91 | 62.9% | 82.4% | 0.8% |
| Los Altos High | 1.9 mi | 83 | 52.5% | 73.8% | 1.1% |
| California average | — | 54 | 19.8% | 43.2% | 3.3% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
ShowHide table 04 — More measures
AP Exam Prepared
Not offered
This school may not offer AP courses
What we can't show
- — Chronic absenteeism data was unavailable for this school — it's excluded from the Scope Score.
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EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,647 high schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-09-18
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