Juana Briones Elementary

Juana Briones Elementary is a public school in Palo Alto, California, serving students in kindergarten through fifth grade with an enrollment of 260. It earns a composite score of 9.5 out of 10, rated Exceptional across both academic achievement and student growth. The numbers behind that rating are striking.

Juana Briones ranks 26th out of 9,533 public schools statewide and 25th among 5,817 California elementary schools — placing it in a tier that outperforms effectively every school in the state. Locally, it holds the top spot among all 15 public schools in Palo Alto. Academic performance scores 9.5 out of 10, while the growth score reaches 9.6, meaning students are not only achieving at high levels but continuing to advance at an exceptional pace.

The school operates with a student-teacher ratio of 20.0 to 1, keeping class sizes manageable within a relatively small campus of 260 students. For families evaluating elementary options in Palo Alto or across California, Juana Briones sits at the top of nearly any comparison. Its combination of high absolute achievement and strong growth signals that outcomes here are consistent, not a snapshot — students arrive and keep moving forward at a rate that separates this school from the vast majority of its peers statewide.