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Henry M. Gunn High

Public Grades 9-12

42^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 98% of California high schools

Summary

Henry M. Gunn High is a public high school located in Palo Alto, California, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,713 students. The school is part of the Palo Alto Unified School District, which is ranked 41 out of 1,543 districts in California and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Henry M. Gunn High consistently ranks among the top high schools in California, with a statewide ranking between 12th and 88th over the past 10 years. The school's students perform exceptionally well on standardized tests, with 84.35% of 11th-grade students and 80.37% of all students proficient or better in English Language Arts and Mathematics, respectively, in the 2024-2025 school year. These scores are significantly higher than the Palo Alto Unified School District and the state of California averages. The school's performance on the California Science Test (CAST) is also impressive, with 80.32% of 10th-grade students and 78.61% of all students proficient or better in 2024-2025.

In addition to its strong academic performance, Henry M. Gunn High has consistently high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 86.2% to 97.1% over the past few years, and relatively low dropout rates, ranging from 2.3% to 8.9% during the same period. The school's per-student spending of $30,704 in the 2023-2024 school year is significantly higher than the state average, and it maintains a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 16.9, which may contribute to its exceptional educational outcomes. While the school has experienced some fluctuations in chronic absenteeism rates, its overall performance in this area is still better than the state average.

1,643

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$30,704

Per pupil spending ?

11.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

780 Arastradero Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94306-3827

(650) 354-8200

District: Palo Alto Unified

Feeder schools for Henry M. Gunn High:

Elementary:	Barron Park Elementary
	Fairmeadow Elementary
	Juana Briones Elementary
	Lucille M. Nixon Elementary
Middle:	Ellen Fletcher Middle
	Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

46.6%

White:

27.4%

Hispanic:

13.1%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Henry M. Gunn High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 97th percentile in 2015 → 98th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (81% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 2% of California high schools

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school81%

District avg80%

California avg41%

42^nd of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 2%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High 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	97.6	42 of 2162	98.1%	★★★★★
2024	97.8	47 of 2159	97.8%	★★★★★
2023	97.5	65 of 2170	97.0%	★★★★★
2022	98.8	22 of 2123	99.0%	★★★★★
2021	98.2	12 of 1290	99.1%	★★★★★
2019	98.2	33 of 2133	98.5%	★★★★★
2018	97.8	27 of 2017	98.7%	★★★★★
2017	94.8	88 of 2021	95.6%	★★★★★
2016	97.9	18 of 2039	99.1%	★★★★★
2015	95.8	58 of 1994	97.1%	★★★★★
2013	87.3	52 of 2426	97.9%	★★★★★
2012	88.1	45 of 2354	98.1%	★★★★★
2011	85.3	72 of 2367	97.0%	★★★★★
2010	89.9	34 of 2281	98.5%	★★★★★
2009	86.3	35 of 2238	98.4%	★★★★★
2008	87.4	39 of 2117	98.2%	★★★★★
2007	87.1	55 of 2063	97.3%	★★★★★
2006	91.9	18 of 1968	99.1%	★★★★★
2005	90.4	24 of 1901	98.7%	★★★★★
2004	92.1	9 of 1653	99.5%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.8	38 of 585	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	85.3	62 of 573	89.2%	★★★★☆
2023	86.2	48 of 591	91.9%	★★★★★
2022	91.1	17 of 581	97.1%	★★★★★
2019	86.8	55 of 582	90.5%	★★★★★
2018	87.7	38 of 581	93.5%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	98.5	25 of 1161	97.8%	★★★★★
2021	98.0	15 of 555	97.3%	★★★★★
2019	93.7	53 of 1117	95.3%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	100.0	1 of 1085	99.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	97.3	34 of 1906	98.2%	★★★★★
2024	97.0	45 of 1915	97.7%	★★★★★
2023	96.6	57 of 1915	97.0%	★★★★★
2022	97.7	33 of 1858	98.2%	★★★★★
2021	97.7	9 of 1054	99.1%	★★★★★
2019	97.4	36 of 1833	98.0%	★★★★★
2018	96.7	27 of 1760	98.5%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.7	123 of 1900	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	88.7	158 of 1902	91.7%	★★★★★
2023	93.4	100 of 1917	94.8%	★★★★★
2022	92.1	104 of 1861	94.4%	★★★★★
2019	67.0	490 of 1814	73.0%	★★★★☆
2018	93.7	93 of 1742	94.7%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.7	88 of 2013	95.6%	★★★★★
2024	89.7	167 of 2026	91.8%	★★★★★
2023	95.3	86 of 2030	95.8%	★★★★★
2022	93.1	104 of 1943	94.6%	★★★★★
2021	93.9	51 of 1126	95.5%	★★★★★
2019	80.7	278 of 1937	85.6%	★★★★☆
2018	92.7	110 of 1862	94.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	97.4	48 of 1942	97.5%	★★★★★
2024	98.1	44 of 1948	97.7%	★★★★★
2023	97.6	61 of 1963	96.9%	★★★★★
2022	99.3	14 of 1916	99.3%	★★★★★
2021	98.2	20 of 1122	98.2%	★★★★★
2019	98.4	38 of 1880	98.0%	★★★★★
2018	98.2	34 of 1834	98.1%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.2	15 of 577	97.4%	★★★★★
2024	92.6	25 of 574	95.6%	★★★★★
2023	94.1	16 of 541	97.0%	★★★★★
2022	96.7	4 of 515	99.2%	★★★★★
2019	92.6	13 of 422	96.9%	★★★★★
2018	94.9	6 of 366	98.4%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	99.8	10 of 1252	99.2%	★★★★★
2024	99.4	12 of 1216	99.0%	★★★★★
2023	99.6	13 of 1197	98.9%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.8	34 of 1155	97.1%	★★★★★
2024	94.2	36 of 1173	96.9%	★★★★★
2023	92.4	68 of 1193	94.3%	★★★★★
2022	97.1	16 of 1204	98.7%	★★★★★
2019	97.0	12 of 1222	99.0%	★★★★★
2018	95.0	23 of 1173	98.0%	★★★★★

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)

English Language Learner (2024)100th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)99th percentile~ school

Female (2025)98th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)98th percentile~ school

Male (2025)98th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)97th percentile~ school

White (2025)97th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)96th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)94th percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2025)94th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy84%+36 vs state

Mathematics80%+43 vs state

Science79%+46 vs state

★

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Schools Near Henry M. Gunn High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores 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)		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 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Henry M. Gunn High	Public	9-12	780 Arastradero Rd.	Palo Alto	94306	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 354-8200	1,643	100	16.4	11.7%	450 (27.4%)	20 (1.2%)	215 (13.1%)	765 (46.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.2%)	188 (11.4%)	97.6	42^nd of 2162 public high schools	98.1%		97.8	47^th of 2159 public high schools	97.8%	5	80.3		41.2	78.6	84.4	84.4	80.4	80.4	$30,704	$1,048	$29,656
Los Altos High	Public	9-12	201 Almond Ave.	Los Altos	94022	Santa Clara County	Mountain View-Los Altos Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 940-8812	2,170	120	18.1	16.5%	630 (29.0%)	13 (0.6%)	607 (28.0%)	660 (30.4%)	4 (0.2%)	9 (0.4%)	226 (10.4%)	95.8	83^rd of 2162 public high schools	96.2%		95.8	92^nd of 2159 public high schools	95.7%	9			56.6	56.6	78.8	78.8	68.8	68.8	$32,915	$1,283	$31,632
Palo Alto Middle College High	Public	9-12	12345 El Monte Rd.	Los Altos Hills	94022	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 949-7771	45	4	11.2	13.3%	9 (20.0%)	1 (2.2%)	7 (15.6%)	22 (48.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (11.1%)								(n/a)					87.5	87.5	68.8	68.8
Palo Alto High	Public	9-12	50 Embarcadero Rd.	Palo Alto	94301	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 329-3701	1,891	113	16.7	13.3%	594 (31.4%)	37 (2.0%)	287 (15.2%)	709 (37.5%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (1.5%)	233 (12.3%)	95.4	88^th of 2162 public high schools	95.9%		94.9	116^th of 2159 public high schools	94.6%	28	68.5		42.3	66.8	75.8	75.8	73.7	73.7	$30,046	$1,022	$29,024
East Palo Alto Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	1050 Myrtle St.	East Palo Alto	94303	San Mateo County	East Palo Alto Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 893-8900	278	21	12.9	63.3%	2 (0.7%)	7 (2.5%)	251 (90.3%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.4%)	10 (3.6%)	3 (1.1%)	22.8	1632^nd of 2162 public high schools	24.5%		29.8	1494^th of 2159 public high schools	30.8%	138		8.6		9.3	39.4	39.4	4.3	4.3	$21,846	$2,547	$19,299
Oxford Day Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	763 Green St.	East Palo Alto	94303	San Mateo County	Oxford Day Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 260-3152	108	3	43.0	66.7%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	107 (99.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	17.5	1731^st of 2162 public high schools	19.9%		8.8	2129^th of 2159 public high schools	1.4%	398					11.8	11.8	12.5	12.5	$17,593	$3,788	$13,805
KIPP Esperanza High	Public, Charter	9-12	1039 Garden St.	East Palo Alto	94303	San Mateo County	KIPP Esperanza High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 528-1546	194	19	10.2	95.9%	1 (0.5%)	5 (2.6%)	185 (95.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52.8	973^rd of 2162 public high schools	55.0%		41.1	1220^th of 2159 public high schools	43.5%	247	20.6			21.6	47.5	47.5	32.5	32.5	$42,398	$2,676	$39,722
Mountain View High	Public	9-12	3535 Truman Ave.	Mountain View	94040	Santa Clara County	Mountain View-Los Altos Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 940-4602	2,187	118	18.4	12.7%	729 (33.3%)	31 (1.4%)	469 (21.4%)	661 (30.2%)	1 (0.0%)	11 (0.5%)	264 (12.1%)	96.5	70^th of 2162 public high schools	96.8%		97.3	60^th of 2159 public high schools	97.2%	10			66.7	66.7	80.1	80.1	68.6	68.6	$31,795	$1,081	$30,714
Alta Vista High	Public	9-12	1325 Bryant Ave.	Mountain View	94040	Santa Clara County	Mountain View-Los Altos Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 691-2433	78	6	13.7	50.0%	6 (7.7%)	2 (2.6%)	51 (65.4%)	7 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (7.7%)	5 (6.4%)	28.1	1523^rd of 2162 public high schools	29.6%		26.8	1555^th of 2159 public high schools	28.0%	32			15.4	15.4	35.0	35.0	5.3	5.3	$53,369	$9,330	$44,039
Menlo-Atherton High	Public	9-12	555 Middlefield Rd.	Atherton	94027	San Mateo County	Sequoia Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 322-5311	2,158	120	17.9	33.0%	747 (34.6%)	69 (3.2%)	918 (42.5%)	180 (8.3%)	36 (1.7%)	96 (4.4%)	111 (5.1%)	87	264^th of 2162 public high schools	87.8%		90.7	207^th of 2159 public high schools	90.4%	57		52.6	7.1	51.2	69.3	69.3	50.9	50.9	$18,820	$876	$17,944

Frequently Asked Questions about Henry M. Gunn High

How many students attend Henry M. Gunn High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,643 students attended Henry M. Gunn High.

What is the racial makeup of Henry M. Gunn High?

Students at Henry M. Gunn High are 47% Asian, 27% White, 13% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools feed into Henry M. Gunn High?

Henry M. Gunn High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Barron Park Elementary
Elementary : Fairmeadow Elementary
Elementary : Juana Briones Elementary
Elementary : Lucille M. Nixon Elementary
Middle : Ellen Fletcher Middle
Middle : Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle

Is Henry M. Gunn High a good school?

Yes! Henry M. Gunn High is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 42^nd of 2162 California high schools.

What district is Henry M. Gunn High in?

Palo Alto Unified

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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.