Athena Academy is a nonprofit private elementary school which specializes in teaching students with dyslexia. The school implements the latest teaching techniques that have a proven success rate in assisting dyslexic students to learn as fast and as average students. Athena Academy dedicates itself to supporting its students by developing their gifts in order to help them reach their academic goals.
Founded in 1992, Emerson School is a private, secular elementary and middle school with a focus on academic rigor and individualized instruction. The students follow an enriched Montessori program, which encourages self-directed learning in a number of domains of knowledge.
Palo Verde Elementary School provides instruction for children from kindergarten through 5th grade. All of the teachers at this public school are fully credentialed, and the average daily attendance exceeds 95 percent. Parent participation is encouraged through the PTA, events and fund raising.
With more than 48 years of teaching swimming, founder of C-Mac Swim School, Carol Macpherson has developed a comprehensive teaching program for children and adults. Half hour long morning and afternoon classes are taught at the Jordan Middle School pool on California Avenue. Private classes are available, too.
Hays Walter Elementary School, home of the Wildcats, is a feeder school to Jordan Junior High School and Palo Alto High School. Hays Walter School is part of the Palo Alto Unified School District. The school has high-quality playground areas and is next to a city park.
Addison Elementary has been serving the community of Palo Alto since 1925. This public school has spaces for 450 students from kindergarten through fifth grade, with class sizes in grades one to three limited to just 20 students. At Addison, teachers, students and parents work together to create an accepting community environment.
Gunn is a high school that offers a wide range of academic options for its diversified body of students. In addition to Advanced Placement and honors courses that provide rigorous preparation for college, Gunn also provides numerous resources for students with disabilities or who have limited English proficiency. The athletics program at Gunn is very robust, featuring traditionally popular sports like football and basketball in addition to badminton and golf. It also boasts numerous activities and clubs.
These offices are ground central for Palo Alto's nationally-recognized school system. In addition to housing PTA meetings, these offices are home to the Superitendent, Central Attendance, Human Resources and other important offices.
Founded in 1893, the Palo Alto school system now houses 11,000 students and 641 teachers. Palo Alto's two high schools boast an outstanding 95% graduation rate compared to the 80.2% state average and 81.9% in greater Santa Clara County.
Remarkably, 74.8% of graduating high school students have taken UC/CSU-required courses compared to only 33.9% statewide and 47.6% in the county.
The system is in the middle of an exciting and important phase of expansion and modernization, following the passage of a $378 million bond in 2008. These plans include new and modernized classrooms, installation of interactive whiteboards and upgraded athletic and theatrical facilities.
Bay Area School of Performing Arts offers courses in dance, music and theater. The school provides instruction to students in Palo Alto, San Jose and Daly City. Specific courses include Creative Drama, Acting Fundamentals, Basic Acting, Songwriting, Teen and Junior Glee, Contemporary Jazz, Break Dancing, Hip Hop and Creative Movement. Spring and summer camp opportunities are available.
Foothill College Middlefield Campus is located at the Cubberley Community Center and offers day, evening and weekend classes for students throughout the San Francisco Bay area. This campus provides various courses, including accounting, child development, paramedic training and pharmacy, as well as language courses in Spanish, Japanese and Chinese. Computers and technology classes are also available. There is a computer lab and a fitness program, in addition to a specialized program for post-stroke adults. The main campus for this school is located in Los Altos Hills.
El Carmelo is one of 12 elementary schools in the Palo Alto Unified School District. The school boasts a beautiful, tranquil reading garden, a monthly quilt project, and a large play structure. Fifth graders here are even taught to build their own web pages.
El Carmelo's mission is for students to develop self-respect, value learning and cultivate an understanding of others through a school experience, which fosters high expectations for academic, social and emotional development in a global community.
Duveneck, one of 12 elementary schools in Palo Alto, is a strongly supported neighborhood school, serving families who value education. Students engage in several school-wide programs, designed to build a sense of belonging and community. All students learn conflict-resolution skills to strengthen their interpersonal relations.
Every class is matched to an older or younger class in the "Buddies" program, so that children develop both friendship and mentoring skills. The Duveneck Book Club builds character and community through literature, as all teachers and students read and discuss books that reflect specific personal and interpersonal life-skills.