The Palo Alto Unified School District is a public school district located near Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. It consists of twelve primary schools, three middle schools, two high schools, and an adult school.
History
The district itself was founded on March 20, 1893, with the first school opening in September of that year. Enrollment grew until it reached a peak of 15,576 students in 1967. Afterwards, enrollment declined sharply, forcing the district to close many schools. Enrollment was at its lowest in 1989 with only 7,452 students. Jordan Middle School was reopened when enrollment increased again. Barron Park Elementary School was added in 1998, and Terman Middle School was reopened in 2001. In 2013 the district had 12,268 students.
All district schools were closed on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A plan passed on September 29, 2020 to reopen elementary schools on October 12, and high schools on January 7, 2021, caused widespread debate, including criticism from teachers and staff citing safety concerns.
Cluster suicide
Palo Alto high schools received national attention in 2009 after five of its students committed suicide over a span of nine months, mainly by walking in front of trains at a local crossing. As a result, steps have been taken to limit access to the tracks. Attempts have since been made to try to improve the emotional health of students attending the schools. , cluster suicide has remained a problem in the district's high schools.
In February 2016, a team of suicide prevention specialists from Epidemiologic Assistance (Epi-Aids) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) paid a two-week visit to the area to determine risk factors. In July 2016, the Epi-Aids team released preliminary findings.
High schools
Gunn High School
Henry M. Gunn High School is one of two public high schools in Palo Alto. The school is named after Henry M. Gunn (1898–1988), who served as the Palo Alto superintendent from 1950–1961. During his tenure he saw the district expand from 5,500 students to 14,000, adding 17 new schools, and is credited with the establishment of De Anza College and Foothill College, two local community colleges. In 1964, the Palo Alto Unified School District announced it would name its third high school after him. Its first class graduated in 1966. The school's mascot is Timmy the Titan. The student newspaper is The Oracle, part of the High School National Ad Network. There is an internal student-run television news show called theTitan Broadcast Network.
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto Senior High School, known locally as Paly, is among the oldest high schools in the region. Founded in 1898, its enrollment today is over 1700 students. The school draws high-achieving and scholastically-minded students due to the demographics of its location in the heart of Silicon Valley and its proximity to Stanford University. In 2002 Newsweek ranked it among the top 200 public high schools, based on test scores. In 2007 U.S. News & World Report ranked it #85 out of over 18,000 public high schools. Palo Alto High also carries on a distinguished athletic tradition, marked in recent years by a rivalry with crosstown foe Gunn. Titles won by teams from Paly include California State Championships in Boys Varsity Basketball in 1993 (during which the team went undefeated) and 2006, and a California State Championship in Football in 2010 (as well as CCS Championships in 2006 and 2007). The Paly Girls Varsity Volleyball team won back-to-back state championships in 2010 and 2011. Palo Alto High School also received a multimillion-dollar performing arts center, officially opening on October 1, 2016.
Middle schools
Greene Middle School
Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle School, formerly David S. Jordan Middle School, is located at 750 N. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94303. The school mascot is the jaguar.
The 2018–19 school year had 1,050 students in attendance. The student population was 54% male and 46% female. Its racial makeup was 40% Caucasian, 30% Asian, 14% Hispanic, 2% African American, and 13% Other (including multiple races).
Named after Stanford University president David Starr Jordan, Jordan Middle School was founded in 1937. It was closed in 1985 due to lack of enrollment in the district, then reopened in 1991 after remodeling. A bond was approved by the city of Palo Alto in 1995 to allow for further technological upgrades to the school.