Duveneck Elementary vs Juana Briones Elementary
Juana Briones Elementary has a higher overall rating of 9.1/10 compared to 8.6/10. In math proficiency, Duveneck Elementary leads at 96.0%.
Duveneck Elementary
Palo Alto, CA
349 students
Juana Briones Elementary
Palo Alto, CA
260 students
Ratings Comparison
| Metric | Duveneck Elementary | Juana Briones Elementary |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 8.6 / 10 | 9.1 / 10 |
| Academic Score | 9.6 | 9.5 |
| Growth Score | 7.7 | 8.7 |
| Diversity Index | — | — |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 11.2% | 8.5% |
| Environment Score | 9.5 | 9.7 |
| State Rank | #729 of 9,539 | #233 of 9,539 |
| State Percentile | 92th | 98th |
Test Scores
| Subject | Duveneck Elementary | Juana Briones Elementary |
|---|---|---|
| Math Proficiency | 96.0% | 92.0% |
| Math (State Avg) | — | — |
| ELA Proficiency | 95.0% | 82.0% |
| ELA (State Avg) | — | — |
School Details
| Detail | Duveneck Elementary | Juana Briones Elementary |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Elementary School | Elementary School |
| Grades | Kindergarten – 5th | Kindergarten – 5th |
| Enrollment | 349 | 260 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 19.4:1 | 20.0:1 |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 11.2% | 8.5% |
| Chronic Absenteeism (SY 2022-23) | 25.2% | 10.0% |
| District | Palo Alto Unified | Palo Alto Unified |
| City | Palo Alto | Palo Alto |
Neighborhood
| Metric | Palo Alto (94303) | Palo Alto (94306) |
|---|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $148,031 | $186,479 |
| Median Home Value | $1,825,000 | $2,000,001 |
| Median Rent | $2,710 | $2,927 |
| College Educated (Bachelor's+) | 48.4% | 80.5% |
| Poverty Rate | 6.6% | 8.7% |
| Avg Commute | 25 min | 23 min |
The data story: Duveneck Elementary vs Juana Briones Elementary
Juana Briones Elementary holds a meaningful edge in overall rating — 9.5 out of 10 versus Duveneck Elementary's 8.8 — a gap of 0.7 points that compounds into a striking difference in California state rank. Juana Briones Elementary sits at #26 of 9,533 California schools, placing it in the top 0.3% statewide. Duveneck Elementary ranks #379 of 9,533 — still a strong top-4% placement, but well behind its Palo Alto neighbor just 3.0 miles away.
The academic scores are identical: both Duveneck Elementary and Juana Briones Elementary earn 9.5 out of 10, meaning neither school has a proficiency advantage over the other. The entire overall rating gap comes from growth. Juana Briones Elementary scores 9.6 out of 10 on growth — 1.5 points higher than Duveneck Elementary's 8.1. Growth scores measure how much students advance relative to peers with similar starting points, so Juana Briones is consistently accelerating its students faster regardless of where they enter.
Duveneck Elementary enrolls 349 students compared to 260 at Juana Briones Elementary, making it a noticeably larger campus. The student-teacher ratio at Duveneck is 19.4 students per teacher versus 20.0 at Juana Briones — a marginal difference that likely has no practical classroom impact. Both schools serve a low-poverty population: Duveneck Elementary reports 11% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, while Juana Briones Elementary sits slightly lower at 8%. Neither figure signals meaningful socioeconomic inequality between the two campuses.
Both schools serve grades KG through 05 with no differences in grade span or specialized level offerings to distinguish them on structure. The gap between them is therefore almost entirely explained by a single factor: student growth trajectory. Juana Briones Elementary's 9.6 growth score versus Duveneck Elementary's 8.1 is the clearest separating data point for parents who want to know which school pushes students furthest beyond expectations, while parents weighing pure academic proficiency will find the two schools statistically equivalent.
Editorial summary generated April 2026 · sonnet
Who each school fits
Duveneck Elementary
Duveneck Elementary suits families who prioritize a slightly larger school community — 349 students versus 260 — and for whom high academic proficiency (9.5/10, matching Juana Briones) is the primary bar. If a larger peer group or campus proximity to specific Palo Alto neighborhoods drives the choice, Duveneck delivers top-4%-in-California results at a school with a modest size advantage.
Juana Briones Elementary
Juana Briones Elementary is the stronger fit for families who want to know their child will be actively accelerated — not just taught to a high standard. Its 9.6 growth score, 1.5 points above Duveneck Elementary's 8.1, and its #26 California state rank signal a school where students consistently outpace academic expectations, making it the better choice for parents who weight trajectory over starting-point proficiency.