Enrollment
1,891
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto High
Federal NCES profile for Palo Alto High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062961004596
👥 S:T ratio 36
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palo Alto High earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #5 of 17
- public schools in Palo Alto · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16:1
- small classes for California
- 9.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Palo Alto High has class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Palo Alto High ranks #5 of 17 public schools in Palo Alto, CA.
School address
District: Palo Alto Unified · California
NCES ID 062961004596 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
118.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
9.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-83% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palo Alto High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palo Alto High
Palo Alto High is a lower-poverty, large high school in Palo Alto, California, enrolling 1,891 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16:1, Palo Alto High 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, 9.3% free-meal eligibility runs 83% below the California average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,891 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 162 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #15, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Asian (38%) and White (31%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 33 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 231 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
13.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Palo Alto Unified spends $27,172 per pupil, 65% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Palo Alto's high schools, it stands alongside Henry M. Gunn High (1,643 students): Palo Alto High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16:1 vs 15.6:1).
Palo Alto Unified also operates Henry M. Gunn High (1,643 students) and Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle (1,002 students) alongside Palo Alto High.
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 Palo Alto High compares
Palo Alto High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16:1 | ▼ 26% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 9.3% | ▼ 83% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,891 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,891
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
9.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 83% 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
16:1
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
13.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
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
Counselors8.2 FTE
Per 231 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 37.5%
White 31.4%
Hispanic or Latino 15.2%
Two or More 12.3%
African American 2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.5%
Largest group: Asian at 37.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 72.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 72.2, Palo Alto High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 33
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palo Alto Unified, which includes Palo Alto High.
$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 Palo Alto High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry M. Gunn High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle | Smaller | 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 Palo Alto High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,643
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 1,002
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- 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 high schools in Palo Alto
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~1,891 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palo Alto High's federal record.
- Compare Palo Alto High 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 Palo Alto High
How many students attend Palo Alto High?
Palo Alto High has 1,891 students enrolled. It is a high school in Palo Alto, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palo Alto High?
The student-teacher ratio at Palo Alto High is 16:1, which is 26% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 2% 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 Palo Alto High?
9.3% of students at Palo Alto High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palo Alto High?
The largest demographic group at Palo Alto High is Asian at 37.5% of enrollment, in Palo Alto, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palo Alto High?
Palo Alto High has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Palo Alto High rank among public schools in Palo Alto?
By Resource Investment Index, Palo Alto High ranks #5 of 17 public 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 public schools in Palo Alto on the city page.
Is Palo Alto High a good school?
Palo Alto High earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California. 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 Palo Alto High, Palo Alto Unified also operates Henry M. Gunn High (1,643 students), Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle (1,002 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.