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El Carmelo Elementary

Public Grades K-5

510^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 91% of California elementary schools

Summary

El Carmelo Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 282 students within the highly-regarded Palo Alto Unified School District in California, consistently earning strong statewide ratings, including a current 5-star ranking placing it in the 91st percentile.

While El Carmelo's academic performance is solid and well above state averages, it is important for parents to know that its test scores in English, Math, and Science are typically a bit lower than those at several other high-performing elementary schools in the district, such as Herbert Hoover Elementary, Ohlone Elementary, and Juana Briones Elementary. The school serves a more economically diverse population than some of these top performers, and recent data shows a concerning drop in science proficiency and in the performance of some student subgroups compared to previous years.

Notable strengths include historically excellent support for English Language Learners and consistent performance across grade levels. The school's chronic absenteeism rate, while lower than the district and state averages, is slightly higher than at its highest-achieving neighbor schools, suggesting room for improvement. Within the context of the elite Palo Alto Unified district, El Carmelo is a strong school that faces the challenge of addressing recent performance declines while building on its proven successes.

282

Students ?

19.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,981

Per pupil spending ?

18.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3024 Bryant St.
Palo Alto, CA 94306-2335

(650) 856-0960

District: Palo Alto Unified

Students who attend El Carmelo Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

35.8%

Hispanic:

24.8%

White:

23.0%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare El Carmelo Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 99th percentile in 2015 → 91st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (72% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Near the bottom of Palo Alto Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school72%

District avg80%

California avg41%

510^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 9%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From top 1% (2015) to top 9% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 12Elementary Schools in the Palo Alto Unified

41^st of 1,543Palo Alto Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.4	510 of 5857	91.3%	★★★★★
2024	86.0	908 of 5869	84.5%	★★★★☆
2023	94.8	373 of 5859	93.6%	★★★★★
2022	94.2	419 of 5883	92.9%	★★★★★
2021	93.8	106 of 1417	92.5%	★★★★★
2019	94.1	369 of 5789	93.6%	★★★★★
2018	94.7	304 of 5662	94.6%	★★★★★
2017	95.3	307 of 5692	94.6%	★★★★★
2016	97.7	84 of 5614	98.5%	★★★★★
2015	98.3	72 of 5611	98.7%	★★★★★
2013	93.3	234 of 5530	95.8%	★★★★★
2012	93.3	208 of 5390	96.1%	★★★★★
2011	92.0	318 of 5377	94.1%	★★★★★
2010	92.9	277 of 5314	94.8%	★★★★★
2009	91.8	363 of 5193	93.0%	★★★★★
2008	95.0	190 of 5113	96.3%	★★★★★
2007	93.4	323 of 5113	93.7%	★★★★★
2006	93.8	280 of 4818	94.2%	★★★★★
2005	93.8	282 of 4822	94.2%	★★★★★
2004	91.5	422 of 4809	91.2%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.9	188 of 1203	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	69.5	419 of 1205	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	82.6	95 of 1190	92.0%	★★★★★
2022	77.0	225 of 1154	80.5%	★★★★☆
2019	83.0	66 of 1149	94.3%	★★★★★
2018	75.5	247 of 1071	76.9%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	78.6	259 of 3162	91.8%	★★★★★
2019	88.1	196 of 3275	94.0%	★★★★★
2018	92.1	147 of 3246	95.5%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.5	563 of 5597	89.9%	★★★★☆
2024	86.1	825 of 5612	85.3%	★★★★☆
2023	92.5	466 of 5609	91.7%	★★★★★
2022	91.5	552 of 5635	90.2%	★★★★★
2021	91.2	129 of 1267	89.8%	★★★★☆
2019	93.5	320 of 5492	94.2%	★★★★★
2018	96.2	140 of 5413	97.4%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.5	3130 of 5107	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.3	2251 of 5107	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.0	1403 of 5087	72.4%	★★★★☆
2022	60.5	1614 of 5084	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.7	1767 of 4963	64.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	48.1	2525 of 5517	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.3	1122 of 5173	78.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.5	610 of 5628	89.2%	★★★★☆
2024	81.7	1018 of 5643	82.0%	★★★★☆
2023	94.9	317 of 5638	94.4%	★★★★★
2022	94.0	373 of 5663	93.4%	★★★★★
2021	92.6	106 of 1272	91.7%	★★★★★
2019	92.6	404 of 5510	92.7%	★★★★★
2018	90.6	535 of 5431	90.1%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	92.7	2 of 445	99.6%	★★★★★
2018	77.9	59 of 339	82.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.5	667 of 2598	74.3%	★★★★☆
2024	43.9	1593 of 2651	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	77.6	519 of 2661	80.5%	★★★★☆
2022	86.3	221 of 2726	91.9%	★★★★★
2019	75.2	624 of 2834	78.0%	★★★★☆
2018	79.7	461 of 2737	83.2%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Multi-racial (2019)100th percentile+6 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)92nd percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)90th percentile~ school

Male (2025)89th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)84th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)74th percentile-17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)54th percentile-30 vs school

Hispanic (2025)39th percentile-53 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy74%+25 vs state

Mathematics73%+36 vs state

Science60%+27 vs state

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Schools Near El Carmelo Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
El Carmelo Elementary	Public	K-5	3024 Bryant St.	Palo Alto	94306	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 856-0960	282	15	19.2	18.4%	65 (23.0%)	9 (3.2%)	70 (24.8%)	101 (35.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	36 (12.8%)	92.4	510^th of 5857 public elementary schools	91.3%		86	908^th of 5869 public elementary schools	84.5%	398	59.6	59.6	73.8	75.8	71.7	74.0	72.7	73.4	72.3	72.9						$28,981	$1,109	$27,872
Fairmeadow Elementary	Public	K-5	500 East Meadow Dr.	Palo Alto	94306	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 856-0845	425	21	19.9	12.2%	123 (28.9%)	2 (0.5%)	68 (16.0%)	204 (48.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	26 (6.1%)	98	71^st of 5857 public elementary schools	98.8%		96.8	184^th of 5869 public elementary schools	96.9%	113	80.0	80.0	77.8	92.7	89.6	86.9	82.8	87.0	87.1	85.7	88.3	96.7	93.3	96.7		$28,121	$1,040	$27,081
Barron Park Elementary	Public	K-5	800 Barron Ave.	Palo Alto	94306	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 858-0508	278	15	18.2	29.9%	75 (27.0%)	6 (2.2%)	78 (28.1%)	95 (34.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.8%)	19 (6.8%)	81.8	1088^th of 5857 public elementary schools	81.4%		84	996^th of 5869 public elementary schools	83.0%	92	50.0	50.0	66.7	53.1	63.6	61.9	66.7	69.7	54.6	63.0	93.9	93.9		93.9		$33,280	$1,200	$32,080
Palo Verde Elementary	Public	K-5	3450 Louis Rd.	Palo Alto	94303	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 856-1672	334	18	18.8	12.6%	89 (26.6%)	4 (1.2%)	44 (13.2%)	173 (51.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	21 (6.3%)	96.4	201^st of 5857 public elementary schools	96.6%		97.2	141^st of 5869 public elementary schools	97.6%	60	78.6	78.6	71.4	79.7	82.6	77.8	90.0	80.0	78.6	83.0	96.3					$26,913	$947	$25,966
Herbert Hoover Elementary	Public	K-5	445 East Charleston Rd.	Palo Alto	94306	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 320-8106	389	20	19.4	6.7%	32 (8.2%)	5 (1.3%)	20 (5.1%)	301 (77.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.7%)	99.1	10^th of 5857 public elementary schools	99.8%		99.2	9^th of 5869 public elementary schools	99.8%	1	91.3	91.3	91.2	88.6	95.6	91.8	91.3	91.4	95.6	92.8	93.0				96.5	$25,865	$1,147	$24,718
Ohlone Elementary	Public	K-5	950 Amarillo Ave.	Palo Alto	94303	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 856-1726	464	21	21.8	8.4%	121 (26.1%)	5 (1.1%)	47 (10.1%)	226 (48.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (14.0%)	98.3	46^th of 5857 public elementary schools	99.2%		97.8	94^th of 5869 public elementary schools	98.4%	48	81.1	81.1	77.8	88.9	88.0	84.7	91.4	91.8	90.7	91.3	94.7	96.0	96.0	94.7		$27,283	$947	$26,336
Juana Briones Elementary	Public	K-5	4100 Orme St.	Palo Alto	94306	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 856-0877	260	13	19.4	10.8%	79 (30.4%)	3 (1.2%)	20 (7.7%)	127 (48.8%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.2%)	27 (10.4%)	98.7	23^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	99.6%		97.1	152^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	97.4%	129	83.0	83.0	83.3	95.6	91.3	90.2	91.3	87.2	89.4	89.3						$30,804	$947	$29,857
Walter Hays Elementary	Public	K-5	1525 Middlefield Rd.	Palo Alto	94301	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 322-5956	305	15	20.5	17.0%	71 (23.3%)	6 (2.0%)	60 (19.7%)	131 (43.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	32 (10.5%)	94.6	361^st of 5857 public elementary schools	93.8%		96.3	239^th of 5869 public elementary schools	95.9%	122	65.8	65.8	68.9	83.7	75.7	76.0	78.7	80.0	79.0	79.2	90.5				92.9	$30,130	$947	$29,183
Escondido Elementary	Public	K-5	890 Escondido Rd.	Stanford	94305	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 856-1337	432	24	17.8	20.6%	144 (33.3%)	14 (3.2%)	143 (33.1%)	91 (21.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (9.0%)	94.6	367^th of 5857 public elementary schools	93.7%		94.2	419^th of 5869 public elementary schools	92.9%	52	75.9	75.9	73.0	72.9	82.8	75.7	71.6	83.3	82.8	78.7	93.3		95.6			$28,136	$1,155	$26,981
Greendell	Public	K	4120 Middlefield Rd.	Palo Alto	94306	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 856-0833	26	2	13.0	11.5%	9 (34.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (15.4%)	10 (38.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (11.5%)								(n/a)																$182,618	$3,153	$179,465

Frequently Asked Questions about El Carmelo Elementary

What is the racial makeup of El Carmelo Elementary?

Students at El Carmelo Elementary are 36% Asian, 25% Hispanic, 23% White, 13% Two or more races, 3% African American.

What schools do graduates of El Carmelo Elementary attend?

Students who attend El Carmelo Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle

How many students attend El Carmelo Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 282 students attended El Carmelo Elementary.

What district is El Carmelo Elementary in?

Palo Alto Unified

Is El Carmelo Elementary a good school?

Yes. El Carmelo Elementary ranks in the top 8.7% of California elementary schools.

Rate El Carmelo Elementary!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.