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Walter Hays Elementary

Public Grades K-5

361^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 94% of California elementary schools

Summary

Walter Hays Elementary is a highly-rated K-5 public school serving about 305 students in the top-tier Palo Alto Unified school district, consistently ranking among the best elementary schools in California.

Academically, the school is very strong, with student proficiency in English and Math significantly above state averages. However, within the high-achieving Palo Alto Unified district, its scores are solid but not the highest, placing below some nearby schools like Fairmeadow Elementary and Ohlone Elementary. Two areas that stand out for potential attention are its chronic absenteeism rate, which is the highest among its district peers, and a notable performance gap where male students at the school outperform female students, which is an unusual pattern.

Perhaps the most striking insight is the extreme contrast between schools in this immediate area. Just a couple of miles away, schools like Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy and Aspire East Palo Alto Charter have profoundly different academic outcomes, highlighting how district boundaries can create vastly different educational experiences for neighboring communities. Overall, Walter Hays is an excellent school, but within its exceptional district, it has specific opportunities to improve attendance and ensure its high per-student spending translates into top-tier results.

305

Students ?

20.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$30,130

Per pupil spending ?

17%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1525 Middlefield Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94301-3353

(650) 322-5956

District: Palo Alto Unified

Students who attend Walter Hays Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Frank S. Greene Junior Middle
High:	Palo Alto High

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

43.0%

White:

23.3%

Hispanic:

19.7%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 98th percentile in 2015 → 94th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (76% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 6% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school76%

District avg80%

California avg41%

361^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 6%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 2% (2015) to top 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^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	94.6	361 of 5857	93.8%	★★★★★
2024	96.3	239 of 5869	95.9%	★★★★★
2023	95.1	347 of 5859	94.1%	★★★★★
2022	94.1	434 of 5883	92.6%	★★★★★
2021	93.7	107 of 1417	92.4%	★★★★★
2019	96.4	191 of 5789	96.7%	★★★★★
2018	95.4	255 of 5662	95.5%	★★★★★
2017	96.8	190 of 5692	96.7%	★★★★★
2016	97.8	79 of 5614	98.6%	★★★★★
2015	98.1	96 of 5611	98.3%	★★★★★
2013	92.5	286 of 5530	94.8%	★★★★★
2012	91.4	344 of 5390	93.6%	★★★★★
2011	92.1	309 of 5377	94.3%	★★★★★
2010	93.4	235 of 5314	95.6%	★★★★★
2009	91.7	371 of 5193	92.9%	★★★★★
2008	94.2	233 of 5113	95.4%	★★★★★
2007	95.7	184 of 5113	96.4%	★★★★★
2006	97.1	98 of 4818	98.0%	★★★★★
2005	96.6	131 of 4822	97.3%	★★★★★
2004	97.1	124 of 4809	97.4%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.2	158 of 1203	86.9%	★★★★☆
2024	84.6	62 of 1205	94.9%	★★★★★
2023	89.5	5 of 1190	99.6%	★★★★★
2022	86.5	26 of 1154	97.7%	★★★★★
2019	74.1	272 of 1149	76.3%	★★★★☆
2018	77.0	213 of 1071	80.1%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	70.5	498 of 2585	80.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.8	650 of 5597	88.4%	★★★★☆
2024	92.0	497 of 5612	91.1%	★★★★★
2023	89.6	652 of 5609	88.4%	★★★★☆
2022	95.2	287 of 5635	94.9%	★★★★★
2021	94.2	78 of 1267	93.8%	★★★★★
2019	95.0	224 of 5492	95.9%	★★★★★
2018	94.0	282 of 5413	94.8%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	66.9	1318 of 5087	74.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	95.7	213 of 5628	96.2%	★★★★★
2024	96.6	155 of 5643	97.3%	★★★★★
2023	95.5	264 of 5638	95.3%	★★★★★
2022	91.4	542 of 5663	90.4%	★★★★★
2021	91.0	126 of 1272	90.1%	★★★★★
2019	96.2	167 of 5510	97.0%	★★★★★
2018	94.8	265 of 5431	95.1%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.4	187 of 2598	92.8%	★★★★★
2024	91.6	56 of 2651	97.9%	★★★★★
2023	88.0	163 of 2661	93.9%	★★★★★
2022	84.9	273 of 2726	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	90.2	92 of 2834	96.8%	★★★★★
2018	87.5	172 of 2737	93.7%	★★★★★

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)

Male (2025)96th percentile~ school

White (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)88th percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2025)87th percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2019)81st percentile-16 vs school

Hispanic (2023)74th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics79%+42 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy76%+27 vs state

Science66%+33 vs state

★

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Schools Near Walter Hays 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 8th 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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th 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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th 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
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
Addison Elementary	Public	K-5	650 Addison Ave.	Palo Alto	94301	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 322-5935	366	19	19.6	17.2%	124 (33.9%)	8 (2.2%)	82 (22.4%)	85 (23.2%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (1.9%)	58 (15.8%)	93.5	438^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.5%		91.7	594^th of 5869 public elementary schools	89.9%	156	67.2		67.2	76.3	72.1	80.3				76.1	70.0	80.6	67.2				73.1	96.2		96.2	96.2	96.2	$27,941	$1,120	$26,821
Duveneck Elementary	Public	K-5	705 Alester Ave.	Palo Alto	94303	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 322-5946	376	18	21.2	13.6%	75 (19.9%)	6 (1.6%)	74 (19.7%)	167 (44.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	45 (12.0%)	95.8	257^th of 5857 public elementary schools	95.6%		97	161^st of 5869 public elementary schools	97.3%	96	69.0		69.0	80.4	78.1	85.7				81.7	76.6	72.7	80.3				76.6	94.6		96.4		96.4	$29,186	$947	$28,239
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
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
Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy	Public	K-5	2033 Pulgas Ave.	East Palo Alto	94303	San Mateo County	Ravenswood City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 329-2888	276	15	18.3	89.1%	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	263 (95.3%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.4%)	3 (1.1%)	4.5	5845^th of 5857 public elementary schools	0.2%		5.2	5856^th of 5869 public elementary schools	0.2%	11	2.8		2.8	7.3	6.3	5.9				6.5	13.3	4.1	0.0				6.2	94.4		94.4			$30,376	$1,664	$28,712
KIPP Valiant Community Prep	Public, Charter	K-8	620 Willow Rd	Menlo Park	94025	San Mateo County	KIPP Valiant Community Prep District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 422-4022	587	31	19.0	90.8%	4 (0.7%)	13 (2.2%)	545 (92.8%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.6%)	6 (1.0%)	10.9	5575^th of 5857 public elementary schools	4.8%		14	5395^th of 5869 public elementary schools	8.1%	180	0.0	14.8	8.7	9.3	21.4	10.5	11.9	37.2	29.1	21.5	30.2	21.4	12.3	12.1	20.9	25.9	20.0	93.0	95.8	93.0	95.8	93.0	$44,090	$3,942	$40,148
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
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
Aspire East Palo Alto Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	1286 Runnymede St.	East Palo Alto	94303	San Mateo County	Aspire East Palo Alto Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 614-9100	496	20	24.5	90.7%	3 (0.6%)	29 (5.8%)	428 (86.3%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.8%)	18 (3.6%)	9.5	5661^st of 5857 public elementary schools	3.3%		9.1	5727^th of 5869 public elementary schools	2.4%	66	7.4	16.0	11.5	22.2	10.9	9.3	5.0	15.8	30.0	15.2	31.5	7.3	1.9	10.2	5.5	26.0	13.5						$20,815	$2,465	$18,350

Frequently Asked Questions about Walter Hays Elementary

What schools do graduates of Walter Hays Elementary attend?

Students who attend Walter Hays Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Frank S. Greene Junior Middle
High : Palo Alto High

What district is Walter Hays Elementary in?

Palo Alto Unified

How many students attend Walter Hays Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 305 students attended Walter Hays Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Walter Hays Elementary?

Students at Walter Hays Elementary are 43% Asian, 23% White, 20% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Pacific Islander.

Is Walter Hays Elementary a good school?

Yes. Walter Hays Elementary ranks in the top 6.2% of California elementary schools.

Rate Walter Hays 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.