Top Rankings
Palo Alto Unified School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in California for:
Category
Attribute
Overall Rank
Highest overall rank (Top 5%)
Math Proficiency
Highest math proficiency (Top 5%)
Reading/Language Arts Proficiency
Highest reading/language arts proficiency (Top 5%)
Science Proficiency
Highest science proficiency (Top 5%)
Graduation Rate
Highest graduation rate (Top 1%)
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 1%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
Student Attention
Lowest student-teacher ratio (Top 1%)
For the 2026 school year, there are 16 public elementary schools serving 6,582 students in Palo Alto Unified School District. This district's average elementary testing ranking is 10/10, which is in the top 5% of public elementary schools in California.
Public Elementary Schools in Palo Alto Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 79% (versus the California public elementary school average of 36%), and reading proficiency score of 82% (versus the 46% statewide average).
The top-ranked public elementary schools in Palo Alto Unified School District are Herbert Hoover Elementary School, Lucille M. Nixon Elementary School and Juana Briones Elementary School. Overall testing rank is based on a school's combined math and reading proficiency test score ranking. Minority enrollment is 74% of the student body (majority Asian), which is less than the California public elementary school average of 80% (majority Hispanic).
Overview
This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
20 Schools
7,677 Schools
# Students
10,187 Students
3,817,118 Students
# Teachers
597 Teachers
173,969 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
17:1
17:1
Student By Grade
District Rank
Palo Alto Unified School District, which is ranked #26 of all 1,904 school districts in California (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 98% has increased from 95% over five school years.
Overall District Rank
#27 out of 1932 school districts
(Top 5%)
(Top 5%)
Math Test Scores (% Proficient)
78%
34%
Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient)
82%
47%
Science Test Scores (% Proficient)
72%
29%
Graduation Rate
98%
87%
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