Palo Alto Unified
Public school district · Santa Clara County · California · NCES district ID 0629610
Palo Alto Unified spent $28,442 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 98% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $16,855). Its 19 schools enrolled 10,142 students in 2024-25; 10.7% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $31,362 per student, up 10.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 97% (California: 86.2%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among California districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Palo Alto Unified in enrollment (10,067 to 10,457 students) and Palo Alto Unified itself.
Where the money came from
$384,819,000 in revenue: 10.7% state, 86.2% local and 3.0% federal. Total spending including $73,233,000 of capital outlay was $390,348,000, or $37,832 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$41,361,000 11%
- Local$331,900,000 86%
- Federal$11,558,000 3%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 646 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25
10,285 students in 2022-23, 10,254 students in 2023-24, 10,142 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 10,285 | 602.6 | 17.1 |
| 2023-24 | 10,254 | 599.1 | 17.1 |
| 2024-25 | 10,142 | 593.1 | 17.1 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$100,241,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $9,715 per student
Palo Alto Unified booked $100,241,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 603 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $166,334 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 99 in 100 California districts with a figure (state median $99,744, 1,149 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $84,458,000 | 84.3% |
| Special education | $13,853,000 | 13.8% |
| Vocational | $1,537,000 | 1.5% |
| Other programs | $393,000 | 0.4% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $8,143 in 2018-19, $8,219 in 2019-20, $9,108 in 2020-21, $9,325 in 2021-22, $9,715 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Palo Alto Unified scored proficient or above: 82% in reading and 77% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within California, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.
| Subject | This district | California | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 82% | 45% | 4,392 |
| Math | 77% | 34% | 4,448 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
97% of the 1,044 students in Palo Alto Unified's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 97% | 86.2% |
| Students in the class | 1,044 | 495,492 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
13 elementary schools, 4,287 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohlone Elementary | 464 | 21.9 | 7.3% | Not reported |
| Escondido Elementary | 432 | 17.9 | 18.1% | Not reported |
| Fairmeadow Elementary | 425 | 19.9 | 11.3% | Not reported |
| Herbert Hoover Elementary | 389 | 19.5 | 6.2% | Not reported |
| Duveneck Elementary | 376 | 21.3 | 11.7% | Not reported |
| Addison Elementary | 366 | 19.6 | 15.6% | Not reported |
| Lucille M. Nixon Elementary | 350 | 19.0 | 5.7% | Not reported |
| Palo Verde Elementary | 334 | 18.8 | 12.3% | Not reported |
| Walter Hays Elementary | 305 | 20.5 | 15.4% | Not reported |
| El Carmelo Elementary | 282 | 19.3 | 17.7% | Not reported |
| Barron Park Elementary | 278 | 18.3 | 28.1% | Not reported |
| Juana Briones Elementary | 260 | 19.5 | 9.2% | Not reported |
One more elementary school
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greendell | 26 | 13.0 | 11.5% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
3 middle schools, 2,306 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle | 1,002 | 14.9 | 9.8% | Not reported |
| Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle | 732 | 14.6 | 14.9% | Not reported |
| Ellen Fletcher Middle | 572 | 14.0 | 12.6% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
2 high schools, 3,534 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto High | 1,891 | 16.8 | 12.3% | Not reported |
| Henry M. Gunn High | 1,643 | 16.5 | 10.9% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
1 other school, 15 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packard Children's Hospital/Stanford | 15 | 5.0 | 20.0% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Palo Alto Unified
- Website: pausd.org
- Phone: (650) 329-3700
- Office: 25 Churchill Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Palo Alto Unified
- California districts by spending per studentPalo Alto Unified ranks 14 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($28,442).#14 of 646
- Every school district in CaliforniaPalo Alto Unified is the number 146 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 10,318 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#146 of 1,991
- Vallejo City UnifiedThe next larger California district: 10,330 students in fall 2022, $19,118 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$19,118
- Baldwin Park UnifiedThe next smaller California district: 10,291 students in fall 2022, $19,020 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$19,020
- Compare Palo Alto Unified with Vallejo City UnifiedEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Palo Alto High, its largest high school1,891 students in 2024-25, 16.8 per teacher.1,891
- Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaPalo Alto Unified spent $166,334 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$166,334
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Palo Alto Unified
How many schools and students are in Palo Alto Unified?
19 schools were open in 2024-25 (13 elementary, 3 middle, 2 high, 1 other), enrolling 10,142 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Palo Alto Unified spend per student?
$28,442 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the California median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $16,855 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $31,362 per student, up 10.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Palo Alto Unified's money come from?
$384,819,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 10.7% state, 86.2% local and 3.0% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Palo Alto Unified live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 351 of the 12,058 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 2.9%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Palo Alto Unified spend on teacher salaries?
$100,241,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $9,715 per student. Divided by the 603 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $166,334 per teacher, more than 99 in 100 California districts (state median $99,744). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Palo Alto Unified do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Palo Alto Unified scored proficient or above: 82% in reading and 77% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. California's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Palo Alto Unified?
97% of the 1,044 students in Palo Alto Unified's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Palo Alto Unified's NCES district ID?
0629610. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25