Juana Briones Elementary School

Juana Briones Elementary is a neighborhood school in the southwest corner of Palo Alto, among the postwar tract homes between El Camino Real and the foothills. It was the smallest of the district's 12 elementary schools in the 2025 to 2026 count from the California Department of Education, with 244 students. The school takes its name from Juana Briones, a 19th century Californio pioneer whose ranch once covered part of this land.

This page builds on our overview of PAUSD elementary schools. It covers the campus and its namesake, the school's vision, the 2026 to 2027 schedule and practical notes on attendance and arrival. We do not rank schools or quote test scores. The California School Dashboard has official results.

Location and campus

The address is 4100 Orme Street, Palo Alto 94306, a few blocks north of Arastradero Road. Our Green Acres guide places the school on the Green Acres II side. OpenStreetMap labels the surrounding blocks as part of Barron Park, a reminder that Palo Alto's neighborhood lines are informal. Juana Briones Park on Maybell Avenue is a short walk away.

PAUSD's 2018 facilities profile describes a 6.9 acre site with six single-story buildings in an elongated L around a central playground and field. It lists about 58,000 square feet of building space, which includes a specialized building at the south end of the site described below.

History and namesake

The campus

According to the facilities profile, the administration building and two classroom wings were built in 1952 and the multipurpose building in 1954. In 1969 the district built the Juana Briones Orthopedic Center at the southern end of the site, a specialized facility within the campus. The Building for Excellence program renovated the classroom wings and office in the early 2000s. A new library of about 2,700 square feet was finished in 2005 along with seismic upgrades.

Wikipedia's list of district schools says the school was formerly called Loma Vista. We could not find a district or school record that dates the change, so treat the old name as reported. The 1969 orthopedic center already carried the Juana Briones name, which suggests the change came early.

Who Juana Briones was

The school's welcome page describes its namesake as "a smart, strong, brave and kind woman who rose through adversity to become a healer and beacon of support in her community which included Palo Alto." Juana Briones de Miranda raised her family in Yerba Buena, the settlement that became San Francisco, then bought Rancho La Purísima Concepción, which took in land in today's Palo Alto and Los Altos Hills. She was known as a healer and businesswoman at a time when few women owned land. Our profile of Juana Briones tells her story in full. Our page on the Spanish and Mexican era explains the rancho system.

Vision and school life

The school builds its identity around the idea of being a beacon. Its vision is "learning and thriving as an inclusive community every day." Its mission says students, teachers, staff and families come together so that every student feels a true sense of belonging and grows socially, emotionally and academically.

The school's values put weight on creativity, academic growth and a diverse community. It lists goals for every student, including to:

• Work with determination to stretch their minds.
• Build a strong academic foundation.
• Take part in the visual and performing arts.
• Practice leadership, problem solving and decision making.
• Develop self-awareness, self-regulation and self-advocacy.
• Care about others and respect individual differences.

Music, art, physical education, the library and the performing arts are part of the program the school describes. The district provides music and physical education. Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE) helps fund art and other enrichment. PiE's back-to-school materials for Briones families are posted in English, Spanish and Mandarin. The school also shares a weekly message and a school newsletter with families.

Juana Briones has no choice or immersion program. Families interested in those apply through the district lottery in our choice programs guide.

Bell schedule basics for 2026 to 2027

Arrival and pickup rules

The school's schedule page sets out clear rules:

1. Students may not be on campus without an adult until 8:05 a.m., 10 minutes before school starts. The playground is not supervised before then.
2. Students who arrive before 8:05 must wait at the gated entry with a parent.
3. After 8:15, students get a late slip from the office before going to class.
4. Children not picked up within 15 minutes of dismissal wait at the office while staff call home. Kindergartners are walked to the office.
5. Fifteen minutes after the later dismissal, the campus opens to the community as long as visitors do not disrupt programs or meetings.

Early release days for 2026 to 2027 are September 4, October 30, November 20 and December 18, 2026, then April 2 and June 1 to 3, 2027. See the Juana Briones daily schedule page for updates.

Attendance area and feeder schools

Palo Alto Online neighborhood profiles have listed Juana Briones for Green Acres, Charleston Meadows, Greater Miranda and Palo Alto Orchards. Boundaries follow specific streets, so check any address in the School Finder linked from PAUSD's school placement and transfers page.

The same profiles list Fletcher Middle School on Arastradero Road and Gunn High School as the next steps. Both are within biking distance for most families in the area. If Briones is full in a grade, the district can overflow a new student to another school in the cluster with a place on the Briones waitlist.

Getting there

The school links the city's Walk and Roll map for Juana Briones from its schedule and after-school pages. Neighborhood streets around Orme Street and Maybell Avenue are mostly residential. Arastradero Road carries heavier traffic at school times, since Fletcher and Gunn are on the same corridor. Ride the route with younger children before they go alone. California requires riders under 18 to wear a helmet. Third graders get bike safety lessons through the district program each fall.

Drivers should plan for the 8:05 arrival window and the 15-minute pickup rule. PAUSD does not run buses for most elementary students.

PTA, PiE and after school

The Juana Briones PTA runs its own website, linked from the school's home page, with events and volunteer roles. Parents can also join the School Site Council. PiE raises money across the district for elementary staff and programs.

Independent vendors teach after-school classes on campus. The school posts a table of current offerings with contacts for each provider. Classes do not meet on school holidays. For child care options and how PAUSD's partners work, see our after-school programs guide.

Frequently asked questions