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Schools are one of the main reasons families move to Palo Alto and one of the most talked about subjects in town. This page sticks to facts you can check. It covers the public school district, the two main high schools, a selection of private schools, Stanford and other colleges nearby and the city's libraries. We do not publish school rankings. If you want performance data, the state's official California School Dashboard is the place to start.
School boundaries, enrollment rules and programs change from year to year. Always confirm details for a specific address directly with the district or school.
Palo Alto Unified School District
Public education in most of the city is run by the Palo Alto Unified School District, known locally as PAUSD. The district dates to March 20, 1893. Its first school opened that September. The district office is at 25 Churchill Avenue.
According to the California Department of Education, PAUSD enrolled 10,124 students in the 2025 to 2026 school year. That is well below the district's peak of more than 15,000 in 1967. Enrollment fell to a low in the late 1980s, then climbed again and has eased in recent years.
The district is run by its Board of Education. Our school board guide covers meetings and public comment. In June 2026 the board selected Dr. Jason Glass as superintendent, with a start date of July 1, 2026.
Schools at a glance
| Level | Schools |
|---|---|
| Elementary (12) | Addison, Barron Park, Duveneck, El Carmelo, Escondido, Fairmeadow, Hoover, Juana Briones, Lucille M. Nixon, Ohlone, Palo Verde, Walter Hays |
| Middle (3) | Frank S. Greene Jr., Jane Lathrop Stanford (JLS), Ellen Fletcher |
| High (3) | Palo Alto High, Henry M. Gunn High, Palo Alto Middle College |
| Adult | Palo Alto Adult School, founded in 1921 |
Two middle schools were renamed beginning in the 2018 to 2019 school year. Jordan Middle School became Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle School and Terman Middle School became Ellen Fletcher Middle School. The district made the changes because of the original namesakes' involvement in the eugenics movement.
Who attends PAUSD
Most Palo Alto addresses fall within PAUSD. One exception is the small Monroe Park area at the southern edge of the city, which is served by the Los Altos School District and the Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District. School assignment depends on address. If you are house hunting, check the district's attendance information for the exact property. Our real estate guide and neighborhoods guide cover the areas around each school.
District information
These guides cover the practical side of PAUSD for families:
- PAUSD calendar 2026 to 2027: every date on the district calendar, plus the posted 2027 to 2028 calendar.
- School board: how the Board of Education works and how to follow its meetings.
- Special education: special education and Section 504 in PAUSD.
- English learners: the home language survey, ELPAC testing and English support.
- School sports: Paly and Gunn teams, the middle school league and game schedules.
- School meals: free breakfast and lunch, menus and special diets.
- Kindergarten registration: TK and kindergarten ages, priority registration and documents.
- School transfers: moving between PAUSD schools, into the district or out of it.
- High school courses: AP, honors, dual enrollment and Middle College.
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto High School, almost always called Paly, sits at 50 Embarcadero Road on the edge of the Stanford campus. Stanford provided the land for the school. Its roots go back to the 1890s and its sports teams are the Vikings. Paly enrolled 1,932 students in the 2023 to 2024 school year.
Paly is known for student journalism. Its Media Arts Center opened in October 2014 as the hub for a group of student publications. They include The Campanile newspaper and Verde magazine, which was founded in 1999. C Magazine covers arts and culture.
The campus is an easy bike ride from much of north Palo Alto, so many students get to school without a car.
Gunn High School
Henry M. Gunn High School is at 780 Arastradero Road in the south of Palo Alto, near the foothills. It opened in August 1964 with about 600 students. The school is named for Henry Martin Gunn, who served as PAUSD superintendent from 1950 to 1961. The district bought the land from Stanford in 1963 and it was originally part of Stanford's holdings.
Gunn enrolled 1,606 students in the 2025 to 2026 school year. Its student newspaper is The Oracle. The school's robotics team competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition and has won national recognition.
Palo Alto Middle College
PAUSD's newest high school option is Palo Alto Middle College, which opened in the 2024 to 2025 school year. Classes take place at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. As the name suggests, students combine high school with college coursework. Check the district website for eligibility and how to apply.
Private schools
Palo Alto has a long list of independent and religious schools, from preschools to high schools. These are some of the established schools that operate in the city today:
- Castilleja School: An independent girls' school for grades 6 to 12 at 1310 Bryant Street, founded in 1907 by Mary Ishbel Lockey. In 2022 the City Council approved a permit for the school to grow its enrollment and modernize its campus.
- Keys School: A coeducational independent K to 8 school with a lower school campus at 2890 Middlefield Road and a middle school campus at 3981 El Camino Real.
- The Kehillah School: A high school at 3900 Fabian Way that was founded as a Jewish day school and describes itself today as culturally Jewish by design.
- The Girls' Middle School: An independent school for girls in grades 6 to 8, at 3400 West Bayshore Road at the time of writing. The school bought 3950 Fabian Way in 2025 and plans to move there in spring 2027.
The city also has Montessori, religious, language immersion and special education schools at the elementary and middle school levels. Admission, tuition and openings vary widely. The California Department of Education publishes a directory of private schools that file with the state, which is a good way to see the full range.
Stanford University
Stanford University opened on October 1, 1891 and its campus borders Palo Alto to the west. The university is tied closely to local schools. Both public high schools stand on land that came from Stanford.
For adults, Stanford Continuing Studies offers courses for adults, such as a recent class on the history of the Cantor Arts Center. The university's free museums, including the Cantor Arts Center, are learning resources for families. If you are planning a college visit, our guide to visiting Stanford explains admission tours, parking and the free shuttle.
Colleges nearby
Stanford is not the only campus within reach. These colleges each have their own guide on this site, listed roughly from nearest to farthest.
- Palo Alto University: A nonprofit university founded in 1975 that focuses on psychology and counseling. Its campus is at 1791 Arastradero Road. It offers online undergraduate degrees, master's programs and doctoral programs, including a Psy.D. through the PAU and Stanford Consortium.
- Menlo College: A small private business college on El Camino Real in Atherton, about 2 miles from downtown Palo Alto.
- Foothill College: A community college in Los Altos Hills, just south of Palo Alto. It hosts PAUSD's Middle College program and offers a wide range of courses for adults.
- Cañada College: The closest community college on the San Mateo County side, on a hilltop in Redwood City about 7.5 miles by road.
- Notre Dame de Namur University: A small graduate and degree-completion university in Belmont that sold its campus to UC Investments in 2025.
- De Anza College: Foothill's partner in the Foothill-De Anza district, a large community college in Cupertino about 14 miles by road.
- Mission College: A public community college in north Santa Clara, about 14 miles by road.
- College of San Mateo: The oldest college in the San Mateo County community college district, about 16 miles by road, with a planetarium and free public astronomy talks.
- Santa Clara University: A Jesuit university founded in 1851 around Mission Santa Clara, about 17 miles south by road.
- San José State University: The founding campus of the California State University system, in downtown San Jose about 20 miles by road.
Libraries and learning resources
The Palo Alto City Library runs five locations:
- Mitchell Park Library: The largest branch, rebuilt between 2010 and 2014, in the south of the city.
- Rinconada Library: The former Main Library, now home to a seed library.
- Children's Library: A separate library for young readers near Rinconada.
- Downtown Library: A small branch on Forest Avenue.
- College Terrace Library: A neighborhood branch near the Stanford campus.
Beyond books, the library offers technology help, digital skills programs, meeting rooms, local history collections and a Vintage Media Lab for digitizing old formats. Check the library's site for hours and the City of Palo Alto page for library card rules.
Other learning resources include the Junior Museum and Zoo, which runs science classes for thousands of students a year. The Palo Alto Adult School has offered classes since 1921. The Palo Alto Chinese School, founded in 1963, is the oldest Chinese school in the Bay Area. Cubberley Community Center, a former high school campus now owned by PAUSD, hosts classes and community groups.
Good to know
- Confirm school assignment for any address directly with PAUSD before you sign a lease or buy.
- Private schools often have application deadlines in winter for the following fall.
- Families visiting for college tours should book rooms early, since hotels near campus fill up on big university weekends. You can compare hotels near Stanford ahead of time.
- For daily life beyond schools, see our living in Palo Alto guide.
In this section
Frequently asked questions
How many schools are in the Palo Alto Unified School District?
PAUSD runs 12 elementary schools, three middle schools and three high schools: Palo Alto High, Gunn High and Palo Alto Middle College at Foothill College. It also runs the Palo Alto Adult School and preschool programs.
How many students attend PAUSD?
The California Department of Education reports 10,124 students in PAUSD for the 2025 to 2026 school year. Enrollment peaked at more than 15,000 in the late 1960s.
What is the difference between Paly and Gunn?
Palo Alto High School, or Paly, sits on Embarcadero Road next to Stanford in the north of the city. Henry M. Gunn High School opened in 1964 on Arastradero Road in the south. Both are comprehensive public high schools in PAUSD and attendance is generally based on where you live.
Does all of Palo Alto go to PAUSD schools?
Most of the city is served by PAUSD. The Monroe Park area in the far south of Palo Alto is served by the Los Altos School District and the Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District. Confirm any address with the district before you buy or rent.
Can anyone use the Palo Alto City Library?
The library has five locations and offers books, media and services such as meeting rooms and a seed library. Check the City of Palo Alto library card page for current eligibility rules before you sign up.