Ohlone Elementary

Ohlone Elementary serves 448 students in kindergarten through fifth grade in Palo Alto as a regular public school. The student-teacher ratio is 19.5 to one. MySchoolScout rates the school Exceptional, assigning a composite score of 9.3 out of 10 — anchored by a 9.5 academic score and a 9.1 growth score.

The statewide standing makes that rating concrete. Ohlone ranks 85th out of 9,533 public schools in California, outperforming 99% of schools statewide. Filter to elementary schools alone, and it ranks 74th out of 5,817 — a nearly identical percentile.

When a school holds its position across both broad and narrow comparisons, that's a reliable signal rather than a quirk of category. Within Palo Alto, Ohlone claims the third spot among 15 public schools. The 9.1 growth score is worth flagging separately: growth measures year-over-year learning gains for individual students, not just aggregate proficiency.

High starting points can inflate academic scores, but growth scores are harder to inherit. Ohlone sustaining a 9.1 growth score alongside a 9.5 academic rating suggests real instructional work — not a school coasting on favorable demographics.