Ohlone Elementary School

Ohlone Elementary is one of two PAUSD elementary schools that families choose rather than get assigned. It sits on Amarillo Avenue in midtown Palo Alto, near Greer Park. It runs on what it calls an open school philosophy: multiage classrooms, no letter grades, teachers known by their first names and a lot of hands-on project work. It is also the home of the district's Mandarin dual immersion program. With 461 students in 2025 to 2026, according to the California Department of Education, it was the largest of the district's 12 elementary schools that year.

This page adds detail to our choice programs guide, which covers the lottery for every program and the Ohlone Farm at length. Here we focus on the school itself: its history, how the two programs fit together, the 2026 to 2027 bell schedule and the practical side of getting a child to class. We do not rank schools or report test scores. For official results, see the California School Dashboard.

Location and campus

The address is 950 Amarillo Avenue, Palo Alto 94303. The school is a short walk from Greer Park and sits among the postwar houses of Midtown, between Louis Road and Greer Road. PAUSD's 2018 facilities plan describes seven permanent single-story buildings arranged in an elongated L around a central playground and field. The site is bounded by houses and a church on the sides away from Amarillo.

The classroom wings follow a pattern common to Palo Alto's 1940s and 1950s schools. Long walls of windows face out and each room opens under a wide canopy toward the center of campus, where picnic tables serve as outdoor workspace. The newest classroom building, a two-story wing of 12 rooms, stands next to the farm and the library.

History of the school and the site

Two histories overlap here: the school and the campus. Wikipedia's list of district schools says the school was called Ohlones until 1971 and stood on East Charleston Road until 1982. That older site is where Hoover Elementary is today. District records still call it "Old Ohlone."

The Amarillo campus has its own past. PAUSD's facilities plan says its first classroom wings and administration building went up in 1949, with a multipurpose building and library added in 1962. Wikipedia lists the campus as the former Elizabeth Van Auken Elementary, later renamed Los Niños, which merged into Palo Verde in 1982. That is the year Ohlone moved in.

Later work came in stages. The Building for Excellence program added a classroom building and renovated older rooms in 2003. Modular classrooms followed in 2008. In 2011 a two-story, 12-classroom building opened, which let the school remove portables and make room for the growing Mandarin program. The 2018 plan called the administration, library and multipurpose buildings undersized and proposed replacing them, so check the district's construction pages for the current state of that work.

The open philosophy is older than the move. The school's philosophy page says that more than 50 years ago a group of Ohlone teachers spent three years in a consortium studying new approaches and came out committed to what was then called open classrooms or the developmental approach. Our history of the Ohlone people covers the original inhabitants of this area. The school's site does not explain how it chose the name.

The open school approach

PAUSD describes Ohlone's model as developmental education built on open-ended activities, personalized instruction and peer tutoring, with teachers acting as facilitators. The school's own pages fill in what that looks like day to day:

• No letter grades. The school says it wants students to focus on their own growth instead of comparing themselves with classmates. Teachers rely on ongoing assessment and aim for at least a year of progress per child per year.
• First names. Students and teachers call each other by first names. The school ties this to its view that respect is earned rather than owed to a title.
• Multiage classrooms. Classes combine grade levels. Project-based units cross subjects.
• Social and emotional learning. Each classroom teaches explicit lessons on resilience, responsibility, respect and similar topics. The school cites Carol Dweck's research on growth mindset.
• Core Values. A set of guiding principles covers trust, developmental methods, the whole child, cooperation, the parent and teacher partnership, relevant curriculum and varied assessment.

The school lists nine goals for every graduate. They include self-awareness, independent thinking, time management, democratic values, compassion, care for the environment, lifelong learning, physical awareness and comfort with creative risk.

Parent involvement is part of the model. The school names several ways to take part: the Core Values Committee, the PTA, the Site Council and the Farm Council. Families can also volunteer in classrooms and the library.

Two programs, one school

Ohlone's applying page explains that the school holds two programs: English-only Ohlone and Mandarin Immersion Ohlone. Both use the same alternative model and share the campus, the farm and the school's traditions. Each has its own lottery.

Mandarin Immersion

The Mandarin Chinese dual immersion program teaches English speakers and native Mandarin speakers together, in both languages. According to the school, it began as a three-year pilot in fall 2008 with two combined kindergarten and first grade classes. By 2012 to 2013 the program had two classes at each combined level: K and 1, 2 and 3, 4 and 5. Its stated aims match the district's for all immersion programs: bilingual proficiency and literacy, achievement at or above grade level in both languages and positive cross-cultural attitudes. Students who finish can apply to Language Bridge at Greene Middle School.

The farm

The Ohlone Farm has animals, an orchard, a native plant and pond area and large gardens. The school calls it an outdoor classroom where farm instructors work with every student on a regular basis. The farm also hosts the school's opening and closing ceremonies and a fall Harvest Festival. It is not open to the public. Its history and the twice-monthly Farmer's Market for school families are covered in our choice programs guide.

Bell schedule for 2026 to 2027

School begins at 8:15 a.m. every day for every grade. Dismissal varies by grade:

Recess runs from 10:00 to 10:20 a.m. and lunch from noon to 12:45 p.m. Children may arrive from 8:00 a.m. Anyone arriving after 8:15 checks in at the office. Absences should be reported by 8:20.

On early release days every grade leaves at 12:15 p.m. The school lists September 4, October 30, November 20 and December 18, 2026, then April 2 and June 1 to 3, 2027. Confirm on the Ohlone daily schedule page.

California now provides free brunch and lunch to all students. At Ohlone, brunch is served at the 10:00 recess with no order needed. Lunch must be ordered in the classroom during morning attendance.

Getting in: the lottery and the waitlist

Ohlone has no attendance area. A child must first be registered with PAUSD, which requires proof of residency. Then the family submits one choice program application, choosing Ohlone, Mandarin Immersion, Spanish Immersion or Hoover. For 2027 to 2028 the district's dates are:

1. Applications open January 19, 2027.
2. Applications close February 19, 2027 at 4 p.m.
3. The lottery is held February 26, 2027.
4. Families reply to an offer by March 3, 2027 at 4 p.m.

The school strongly encourages parents to attend an information session first. Last cycle it held an online session on January 27, 2026 and an in-person session with a short tour on February 10, 2026. Expect similar timing in 2027 and check the applying page from December.

Siblings still apply, but when vacancies open they get offers before the waitlist. The school says it cannot give odds, since the number of incoming siblings changes every year. A waitlist spot rolls forward each year as long as the child stays registered in PAUSD and the family applies to no other choice program. For grades 1 to 5 there is a separate waitlist application. Mandarin offers after kindergarten depend on a grade-level assessment of reading, writing and speaking. Registration steps are in our enrollment guide.

Drop-off, parking and walking routes

Ohlone draws families from across the district, so many live too far to walk. The school asks families to walk, bike or carpool when they can and to use the Walk and Roll map from the city's Safe Routes to School program. Its driving rules are specific:

• Enter the drop-off circle from the Louis Road direction and exit right toward Greer Road, slowly, since a crosswalk crosses Amarillo just past the exit.
• Pull to the farthest open space, unload at the curb only and keep the driver in the car.
• Children get out on the passenger side.
• Do not use staff parking. Street parking is available on Amarillo near Greer Park, on Greer Road and on southbound Louis Road.

The school also suggests parking on Colorado Avenue near Friends Nursery School and walking in through the nursery's lot, without driving onto that campus. Crossing guards work at Louis and Amarillo and on Colorado at the nursery driveway. On campus, bikes, scooters and skateboards are walked. Racks are by the front Friendship yard, the multipurpose room, the rear fire lane and the 4 and 5 wing.

After-school care and classes

Two child care programs run on campus. One is Ohlone Kid's Club, operated by Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC). The other is Right at School, which also offers morning care. Independent providers run fee-based classes after school. The fall 2026 list included hands-on science, tennis, basketball, soccer, dance, Spanish, clay building, LEGO robotics and game coding. The school stresses that these are separate businesses or nonprofits and that questions go to them, not the office. Most do not run on holidays or staff development days. Our after-school programs guide explains how care works across PAUSD.

Frequently asked questions