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District profile / California
Palo Alto Unified
10,209
Students
2024-25 school year
20
Schools
2024-25 school year
$24,917
Spending per student
FY2020-21 · 82% above the California median
17.1
Students per teacher
2024-25 · California median 21.7
Palo Alto Unified is a public school district based in Palo Alto, California, serving 10,209 students in 20 schools. By enrollment it ranks #140 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 75% of them. Its schools average 510 students each, about the same as the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Jason Glass. It spends about $24,917 per student on day-to-day operations, 82% more than the California median. It has roughly 17.1 students per teacher. We've matched 2 news stories to the district.
How Palo Alto compares
Palo AltoCalifornia median, districts with 1,000+ students
Spending and staffing
Where the money comes from$289.0 million in revenue · FY2020-21
Federal 3%State 12%Local 85%
| Measure | Palo Alto | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $24,917 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $16,873 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $308.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $289.0 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 597 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 1,384 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 17.1 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 486 | 474 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The California median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Jason Glass
Source: California Department of Education, School Directory, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
2 stories matchedPolicy & legislation
Palo Alto Unified sued over 2025 student field trip to local mosque
Peer districts in California
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jacinto UnifiedSan Jacinto | 10,280 | 16 | $15,212 | 21.4 | #139 |
| Palo Alto UnifiedPalo Alto · this district | 10,209 | 20 | $24,917 | 17.1 | #140 |
| Gilroy UnifiedGilroy | 10,181 | 15 | $12,571 | 22.9 | #141 |
| Palos Verdes Peninsula UnifiedPalos Verdes Estates | 10,177 | 18 | $12,873 | 21.9 | #142 |
| Milpitas UnifiedMilpitas | 10,086 | 15 | $12,354 | 23.0 | #143 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perth Amboy Public School DistrictPerth Amboy, NJ | 10,220 | $22,460 | 13.3 |
| Conway School DistrictConway, AR | 10,212 | $10,432 | 16.0 |
| Bradley CountyCleveland, TN | 10,202 | $9,788 | n/a |
| Plainfield Public School DistrictPlainfield, NJ | 10,195 | $17,472 | 13.6 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-ca-palo-alto-unified