Enrollment
1,002
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Palo Alto, CA
Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle
Federal NCES profile for Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062961004598
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools.
- #3 of 3
- middle schools in Palo Alto · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.9:1
- small classes for California
- 9.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle has class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle ranks #3 of 3 middle schools in Palo Alto, CA.
School address
District: Palo Alto Unified · California
NCES ID 062961004598 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
9.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-84% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle
Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle is a lower-poverty, large middle school in Palo Alto, California, enrolling 1,002 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 15.9:1, Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle is leaner than roughly 87% of California schools and 26% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 9.0% free-meal eligibility runs 84% below the California average.
Enrollment of 1,002 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 444 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #83.
Its student body is led by Asian (55%) and White (24%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 334 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Palo Alto Unified spends $27,172 per pupil, 65% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Palo Alto's middle schools, it stands alongside Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle (732 students): Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.9:1 vs 13.6:1).
Palo Alto Unified also operates Palo Alto High (1,891 students) and Henry M. Gunn High (1,643 students) alongside Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle compares
Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.9:1 | ▼ 26% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 9.0% | ▼ 84% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,002 | top 11% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.9:1
Leaner classes than 39% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,002
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
9.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 84% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.9:1
students per teacher
- 26% below state mean
Top 13% in California - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
7.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$27,172
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 334 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Asian 55.2%
White 23.7%
Two or More 9.9%
Hispanic or Latino 9.8%
African American 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: Asian at 55.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.0, Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palo Alto Unified, which includes Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle.
$27,172
Per student
+65%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+64%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 86.1%
State 11.1%
Federal 2.8%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Henry M. Gunn High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ellen Fletcher Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ohlone Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,891
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,643
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 732
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 572
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 464
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar middle schools in Palo Alto
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,002 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle's federal record.
- Compare Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Palo Alto Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle
How many students attend Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle?
Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle has 1,002 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Palo Alto, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle is 15.9:1, which is 26% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle?
9.0% of students at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle?
The largest demographic group at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle is Asian at 55.2% of enrollment, in Palo Alto, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle?
Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle rank among middle schools in Palo Alto?
By Resource Investment Index, Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle ranks #3 of 3 middle schools in Palo Alto, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Palo Alto on the city page.
Is Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle a good school?
Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Palo Alto Unified?
Besides Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle, Palo Alto Unified also operates Palo Alto High (1,891 students), Henry M. Gunn High (1,643 students), and Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle (732 students). See the Palo Alto Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.