Palo Alto High

Public high school, grades 9 to 12 · Palo Alto, California

Palo Alto High in Palo Alto, California enrolled 1,891 students in 2024-25 with 112.7 full-time teachers, 16.8 students per teacher against the California high-school median of 19.3. It has no Title I status on file for 2021-22; it takes part in the National School Lunch Program (2024-25). On the state tests, 71% of its students tested were proficient in math in 2022-23 (California: 34.3%). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 98% (California: 86.2%).

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method

Enrollment fell 5% from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers fell 5%

1,992 students in 2022-23, 1,932 students in 2023-24, 1,891 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 118.8 to 112.7.

Students enrolled at Palo Alto High by school year2022-23: 1,992, 2023-24: 1,932, 2024-25: 1,89105001k1.5k2k2022-231,9922023-241,9322024-251,891
Students enrolled at Palo Alto High by school year2022-23: 1,992, 2023-24: 1,932, 2024-25: 1,89105001k1.5k2k2022-231,9922023-241,9322024-251,891
Students enrolled at Palo Alto High by school year2022-23: 1,992, 2023-24: 1,932, 2024-25: 1,89105001k1.5k2k2022-231,9922023-241,9322024-251,891
Students enrolled at Palo Alto High by school year2022-23: 1,992, 2023-24: 1,932, 2024-25: 1,89105001k1.5k2k2022-231,9922023-241,9322024-251,891
The numbers as a table
School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-231,992118.816.8
2023-241,932114.816.8
2024-251,891112.716.8

16.8 students per teacher, a lower ratio than 64 of every 100 California high schools

Among the 2,071 California high schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 19.3; the national median for high schools is 14.5. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.

Students per teacher, California high schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.0 to 72.2; Palo Alto High 16.8; state median 19.3.1 more above 40.0 →010203040students per full-time teacherPalo Alto High 16.8state median 19.3U.S. 14.5
Students per teacher, California high schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.0 to 72.2; Palo Alto High 16.8; state median 19.3.1 more above 40.0 →010203040students per full-time teacherPalo Alto High 16.8state median 19.3U.S. 14.5
Students per teacher, California high schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.0 to 72.2; Palo Alto High 16.8; state median 19.3.1 more above 40.0 →010203040students per full-time teacherPalo Alto High 16.8state median 19.3U.S. 14.5
Students per teacher, California high schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.0 to 72.2; Palo Alto High 16.8; state median 19.3.1 more above 40.0 →010203040students per full-time teacherPalo Alto High 16.8state median 19.3U.S. 14.5

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).

33 AP courses and one counselor per 246 students in 2021-22

In the 2021-22 civil rights collection Palo Alto High enrolled 2,020 students and had 8.2 counselors (full-time equivalent); it reported 19 out-of-school suspensions that year.

  • Advanced Placement courses33
  • Gifted and talented programNo
  • Counselors (FTE)8.2, one per 246 of the 2,020 students enrolled in 2021-22
  • Out-of-school suspensions19
  • Chronically absent14.9% (2022-23)

Who attends

37.5% of students were Asian, 31.4% White, 15.2% Hispanic in 2024-25.

  1. Asian37.5%
  2. White31.4%
  3. Hispanic15.2%
  4. Two or more races12.3%
  5. Black2.0%
  6. Pacific Islander1.5%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, the students tested at Palo Alto High scored proficient or above: 71% in math, against 34.3% in math across California. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within California, not across states. ED Data Express holds no district results after 2021-22, so the district column gives its 2021-22 figure. No whole-school reading result is shown: ED's files give none for this school for 2021-22 or 2022-23. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2022-23
SubjectThis schoolIts districtCalifornia
Math71%77% (2021-22)34.3%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive); for 2022-23 ED published math by school and reading only by state: ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

98% of the 547 students in Palo Alto High'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.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This schoolIts districtCalifornia
Four-year graduation rate98%97%86.2%
Students in the class5471,044495,492

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows school and district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

High schools in Palo Alto

2 public high schools in Palo Alto report 2024-25 enrollment; Palo Alto High is the largest.

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunch
Palo Alto High1,89116.812.3%
Henry M. Gunn High1,64316.510.9%

All public schools in Palo Alto →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.

What to look at next about Palo Alto High

  1. East Palo Alto AcademyThe nearest public high school, 2.2 miles away: 278 students, 13.0 per teacher (2024-25).2.2 mi
  2. Oxford Day AcademyThe next nearest public high school, 2.4 miles away: 108 students, 43.0 per teacher (2024-25).2.4 mi
  3. Compare Palo Alto High with East Palo Alto AcademyStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
  4. How much Palo Alto Unified spends per student$28,442 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$28,442
  5. The largest public schools in CaliforniaPalo Alto High is the number 348 by size of 2,112 California high schools open in 2024-25.#348 of 2,112
  6. California schools by students per teacher16.8 students per teacher here against the California median of 19.3 for high schools.16.8:1
  7. Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.

Questions about Palo Alto High

  1. How many students attend Palo Alto High?
    1,891 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 1,992 in 2022-23. It is a high school in Palo Alto, CA.
  2. What is the student-teacher ratio at Palo Alto High?
    16.8 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the California median for high schools is 19.3. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
  3. Is Palo Alto High a Title I school?
    Palo Alto High has no Title I status in the NCES school files, because California did not report school Title I status for 2021-22; the California Department of Education lists each school's current Title I status.
  4. How do students at Palo Alto High do on state tests?
    In 2022-23, the students tested at Palo Alto High scored proficient or above: 71% in math, against 34.3% 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, 2022-23; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.
  5. What is the graduation rate at Palo Alto High?
    98% of the 547 students in Palo Alto High's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The rate counts the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and the share of them with a regular diploma by 2023. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23; ED publishes school rates as ranges to protect small groups.
  6. What district is Palo Alto High in?
    Palo Alto Unified, NCES district ID 0629610. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 062961004596 are the district's.

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 state assessment results, 2022-23: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.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: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22

District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.

Compiled from official source data by .