Palo Alto · Santa Clara County

Schools in Palo Alto

Of Palo Alto’s 10 public elementary schools, 9 sit between the 90th and the 99th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Elementary · 10 schools

from 82nd to 99th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Herbert Hoover Elementary: 99th percentile, Strong
  • Ohlone Elementary: 99th percentile, Strong
  • Fairmeadow Elementary: 99th percentile, Strong
  • Juana Briones Elementary: 98th percentile, Strong
  • Addison Elementary: 92nd percentile, Strong
  • Duveneck Elementary: 92nd percentile, Strong
  • Walter Hays Elementary: 92nd percentile, Strong
  • Palo Verde Elementary: 91st percentile, Strong
  • El Carmelo Elementary: 90th percentile, Strong
  • Barron Park Elementary: 82nd percentile, Strong
0Needs Support
0Developing
0Solid
10Strong

One dot per school.

Middle and high school pictures

Middle · 3 schools

from 96th to 98th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle: 98th percentile, Strong
  • Ellen Fletcher Middle: 96th percentile, Strong
  • Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle: 96th percentile, Strong
0Needs Support
0Developing
0Solid
3Strong

High · 2 schools

at 98th · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests

  • Henry M. Gunn High: 98th percentile, Strong
  • Palo Alto High: 98th percentile, Strong
0Needs Support
0Developing
0Solid
2Strong

One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level.

Schools around Palo Alto

16 listed public schools with mapped locations.

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Percentile among California schools at the same level

  • Strong75th+
  • Solid50–74th
  • Developing25–49th
  • Needs Supportbelow 25th
  • Not scored

The school lists on this page are also available without the map.

Elementary schools

Which elementary schools in Palo Alto score highest?

Three schools are at the 99th percentile.

That’s higher than 99 in 100 of the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Palo Alto

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean

Show the other 7 elementary schools
Context

The average Palo Alto elementary school had 8 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once.

Middle schools

Which middle schools in Palo Alto score highest?

Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle is highest, at the 98th percentile.

That’s higher than 98 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Palo Alto

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean

Context

The average Palo Alto middle school had 7 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100.

High schools

Which high schools in Palo Alto score highest?

Henry M. Gunn High and Palo Alto High are highest, both at the 98th percentile.

That’s higher than 98 in 100 of the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).

Highest in Palo Alto

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean

1 high school not ranked statewide

31 private schools have a Palo Alto address. They don’t take California’s state tests, so we don’t score them. See them in the private-school directory →

Which places nearby can you look at next?

School districts

More places (6)

ZIP codes

Before kindergarten

Common questions

Which public schools in Palo Alto rank highest?

Elementary: 3 schools at the 99th percentile (Strong): Herbert Hoover Elementary, Ohlone Elementary and Fairmeadow Elementary. Middle: Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle, 98th percentile (Strong). High: 2 schools at the 98th percentile (Strong): Henry M. Gunn High and Palo Alto High. Each percentile is among the California schools at the same level we score. A rank doesn’t decide fit or whether a child can enroll.

Does living in Palo Alto decide which school my child attends?

No. A city can hold schools from more than one district, and attendance boundaries decide which school serves an address. Confirm the school for your address with the district.
More questions (3)

Are the public schools in Palo Alto good?

Palo Alto’s 10 public elementary schools run from the 82nd to the 99th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 10 Strong. Palo Alto’s 3 public middle schools run from the 96th to the 98th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 3 Strong. Palo Alto’s 2 public high schools are all at the 98th percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 2 Strong. A percentile compares a school with California public schools at the same level that we score. How we score schools.

How does chronic absence in Palo Alto compare with California?

The average Palo Alto elementary school had 8 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once. The average Palo Alto middle school had 7 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.

Where do these results come from?

California’s state tests (CAASPP): spring 2026 for elementary and middle schools, spring 2025 for high schools, and chronic-absence rates for 2025–26, published by the California Department of Education. Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations. How we score schools.

Sources and methodology

This page lists the public schools with a Palo Alto address, which can belong to more than one school district.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26 elementary and middle school; 2024–25 high school

Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.

View CDE data ↗ (opens in a new tab)How Scope Scores work →

Download these schools (CSV)Free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.