Cubberley Community Center

Cubberley does not look like an attraction. It is a sprawl of low 1950s school buildings, parking lots and playing fields on Middlefield Road in south Palo Alto. But on any given day it holds more community life than almost anywhere else in town. Children take ballet in one wing. Artists paint in old classrooms. Seniors work out, nonprofits hold meetings and once a month book lovers line up for one of the best used book sales on the Peninsula.

It is also the center of one of Palo Alto's biggest civic decisions. The city has agreed to buy more of the land, has sketched a plan to rebuild much of the site and has a sales tax measure on the November 3, 2026 ballot that it links to the project. This guide covers the history, what is there now, how to rent space and the plans in general terms.

From high school to community center

Ellwood P. Cubberley High School opened in 1956 at 4000 Middlefield Road. It was named for Ellwood Patterson Cubberley, the Stanford education dean and pioneer of school administration. It was one of three public high schools in Palo Alto, alongside Palo Alto High and Gunn.

The school had an eventful run. In 1967 teacher Ron Jones staged The Third Wave there, a classroom experiment on how fascism takes hold that later inspired films and television. Student tensions in the late 1960s were the subject of a 1970 book, Hassling, which drew national attention.

Enrollment fell in the 1970s and money grew tight after Proposition 13. The district closed Cubberley in 1979. Its track team won the school's only Central Coast Section title just days before the doors shut. The district looked at selling the site, then found it could only sell to a nonprofit. Instead it leased much of the campus to the City of Palo Alto, which turned it into a community center. The city says it has run Cubberley since 1990. Over the years the district has looked at reopening it as a school as enrollment rose, which is one reason the site's future has been debated for so long.

What is there today

The city describes Cubberley as a unique facility with many long-term leases that serve the community. Tenants cover education, health, child care, dance and music instruction. You will find:

• Dance and music schools. Several studios rent space for classes and rehearsals. Our dance classes guide has options across the city.
• Artist studios. The city's Cubberley Artist Studio Program lists 17 artists working in studios on campus. The city's first King Artist-in-Residence worked from a Cubberley studio in 2022, as our King Plaza page explains.
• Child care and education. Child care and education programs lease old classrooms on long-term terms.
• Health programs and sports. Health groups hold long-term leases and the gyms and activity rooms are booked for exercise classes and athletic events.
• The library book sale. The Friends of the Palo Alto Library run a large sale most months, with main, bargain and children's rooms. The next listed sale is November 14 and 15, 2026. See our libraries guide.

Rentable spaces

The city rents Cubberley rooms by the hour, either once or on a recurring schedule, for meetings, seminars, social events, dances, theater, music rehearsals and athletic events. Its amenities sheet lists these main spaces:

The theater has a cherrywood stage and the city pitches it for dance, concerts, film screenings and lectures. Gym A does not allow food or drinks. Fees follow the city's yearly fee schedule, so check the city's Cubberley rental page for prices and availability. The administrative office is open by appointment only.

Redevelopment plans

Cubberley's buildings are old and the city has long wanted to rebuild. Ownership has been the sticking point. According to the city's Cubberley page, the city owns about 8 acres and the school district owns the portion with most of the existing buildings. In December 2024 the two agreed that the city would buy 7 acres, for 15 acres of city land in all. The city lists a price of $60.65 million in 2024 dollars, rising to $65.5 million for a 2027 purchase date.

The City Council has adopted a Cubberley Conceptual Master Plan. The city calls the scope preliminary and estimates a first phase at $300 million to $400 million. That phase could be built in pieces and includes:

1. A recreation and wellness center with a gym, with a nonprofit partner raising money toward it.
2. A theater and performing arts complex planned with TheatreWorks Silicon Valley.
3. Renovation of the buildings that stay.
4. Parking and tennis courts.
5. A new education building.

The city says it is also in talks with Avenidas, Maker Nexus, Palo Alto Community Child Care and others about space. None of this is built or funded in full. Designs, approvals and financing would come in phases, starting with the land purchase. Our guide to city government explains how such projects move through the council.

Why the plans matter

For residents the debate is about more than buildings. Cubberley is where many small groups that cannot afford commercial rent have found a home, from dance teachers to nonprofits. The old campus is cheap to use precisely because it is old. A rebuild could bring a modern gym, a new theater and better classrooms, but it would also change who can afford to be there and when. Expect the conversation to continue at council meetings and in the local press for years.

Measure J

Measure J is a city sales tax measure on the November 3, 2026 ballot that the city links to Cubberley. The city's Cubberley page says the council voted on June 8, 2026 to place a half-cent sales tax on the ballot and adopted advisory guidelines for how the money could be spent if it passes. The City Clerk's election page posts the ballot question, the City Attorney's impartial analysis and the arguments for and against. Read those before you vote. Our voting and elections guide covers how and where to cast a ballot. Results will be posted by the county after election day.

Visiting and nearby

Cubberley sits on Middlefield Road just south of Mitchell Park in south Palo Alto. Parking lots ring the campus. The Mitchell Park Library and Community Center is a short walk north on Middlefield Road and Mitchell Park with its Magical Bridge Playground is next to it. A book sale morning followed by a playground stop and lunch nearby makes an easy family Saturday.

Frequently asked questions