Is Barron Park Elementary a good school?

Barron Park Elementary ranks 993 rd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Barron Park Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 211 students attended Barron Park Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Barron Park Elementary?

Students at Barron Park Elementary are 32% Asian, 30% White, 27% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Barron Park Elementary attend?

Students who attend Barron Park Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Ellen Fletcher Middle High : Henry M. Gunn High

Barron Park Elementary

Summary:

Barron Park Elementary is a public elementary school in Palo Alto, California, serving 211 students in grades K-5. It is part of the Palo Alto Unified School District, which is ranked 39th out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Barron Park Elementary consistently performs above the state average in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics, its academic performance lags behind the district average, particularly in the higher grade levels. For example, in 2023-2024, the school's proficiency rate in English Language Arts was 64.95%, compared to the district's 80.52% and the state's 47.04%. In Mathematics, the school's proficiency rate was 60.55%, compared to the district's 78.15% and the state's 35.54%. The school's diverse student population, with significant representation of Asian, Hispanic, and White students, also shows varying performance across different subgroups, with Asian students consistently ranking higher than other subgroups.

Interestingly, Barron Park Elementary's performance is more comparable to schools outside the Palo Alto Unified School District, such as Santa Rita Elementary in the Los Altos Elementary School District, rather than other high-performing schools within the district. Additionally, the school's relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, at 24.17% in the 2022-2023 school year, may be a contributing factor to its lower academic performance. The school has also experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 6.7% in 2018-2019 to 20.9% in 2022-2023, which may be impacting its academic outcomes.

Detail:

Public K-5

800 Barron Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94306-2610

(650) 858-0508

District: Palo Alto Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
993^rd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $20,964

Students who attend Barron Park Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Ellen Fletcher Middle
High:	Henry M. Gunn High

Student/teacher ratio: 19.5

Number of students: 211

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

31.8%

White:

30.3%

Hispanic:

27.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 24.2%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Barron Park Elementary ranks better than 83.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks last among 12 ranked elementary schools in the Palo Alto Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 83.99. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Barron Park Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: Asian (31.8%), White (30.3%), Hispanic (27.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 24.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Palo Alto Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Barron Park Elementary is 19.5. 8 elementary schools in the Palo Alto Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Barron Park Elementary employs 10.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Barron Park Elementary is $20,964, which is the highest among 13 elementary schools in the Palo Alto Unified School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Barron Park Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Barron Park Elementary 993^rd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Barron Park Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Palo Alto Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Palo Alto Unified 39^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Barron Park Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Barron Park Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	85.54	690^th	4809	85.7%
2005	80.16	919^th	4822	80.9%
2006	80.27	955^th	4818	80.2%
2007	76.13	1132^nd	5113	77.9%
2008	72.48	1307^th	5113	74.4%
2009	74.11	1245^th	5193	76.0%
2010	76.65	1149^th	5314	78.4%
2011	73.70	1314^th	5377	75.6%
2012	72.92	1383^rd	5390	74.3%
2013	72.34	1460^th	5530	73.6%
2015	88.34	704^th	5611	87.5%
2016	72.44	1420^th	5614	74.7%
2017	69.61	1582^nd	5692	72.2%
2018	66.98	1722^nd	5662	69.6%
2019	88.52	726^th	5789	87.5%
2021	79.89	274^th	1417	80.7%
2022	89.97	688^th	5883	88.3%
2023	87.60	843^rd	5874	85.6%
2024	83.99	993^rd	5862	83.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Barron Park Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.43	3516^th	5084	30.8%
2019	64.79	1468^th	5173	71.6%
2024	74.54	1073^rd	5511	80.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Barron Park Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	60.40	1959^th	5413	63.8%
2019	89.52	589^th	5492	89.3%
2021	88.44	152^nd	1267	88.0%
2022	88.30	726^th	5635	87.1%
2023	75.08	1283^rd	5617	77.2%
2024	68.88	1536^th	5605	72.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Barron Park Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	70.98	1445^th	5431	73.4%
2019	83.12	911^th	5510	83.5%
2021	79.46	256^th	1272	79.9%
2022	87.32	766^th	5663	86.5%
2023	92.08	495^th	5650	91.2%
2024	86.84	774^th	5636	86.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Barron Park Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	85.92	22^nd	1149	98.1%
2023	67.38	467^th	1190	60.8%
2024	75.08	290^th	1203	75.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Barron Park Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.30	3951^st	4830	18.2%
2019	70.09	1172^nd	4963	76.4%
2022	66.80	1304^th	5084	74.4%
2024	88.60	407^th	5102	92.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Barron Park Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	69.24	853^rd	2737	68.8%
2019	81.02	436^th	2834	84.6%
2024	36.78	1784^th	2647	32.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Great School! We love it! Close Quote

Enrollment information for Barron Park Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1999	84	1	26	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	125
2000	139	5	31	18	1	n/a	n/a	0	194
2001	118	5	45	30	0	n/a	n/a	0	198
2002	116	6	38	50	0	n/a	n/a	11	221
2003	116	6	38	50	0	n/a	n/a	11	221
2004	131	6	39	57	0	n/a	n/a	11	244
2005	132	5	56	72	1	n/a	n/a	26	292
2006	116	9	62	76	0	n/a	n/a	28	291
2007	126	12	60	83	1	n/a	n/a	33	315
2008	106	11	88	87	2	n/a	n/a	0	294
2009	115	15	75	91	1	2	44	0	343
2010	119	15	66	105	0	1	16	0	322
2011	119	17	74	93	1	3	9	0	316
2012	121	13	74	108	0	2	17	0	335
2013	133	12	76	102	1	3	19	0	346
2014	129	12	83	100	0	1	21	0	346
2015	135	9	79	93	0	6	16	0	338
2016	95	11	71	84	0	7	21	0	289
2017	102	13	46	95	0	8	21	0	285
2018	87	10	44	90	0	7	21	0	259
2019	73	8	46	81	0	5	31	0	244
2020	76	8	48	68	0	5	35	0	240
2021	58	3	49	66	0	2	25	0	203
2022	66	2	46	61	0	2	21	0	198
2023	64	0	67	58	1	0	21	0	211

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Barron Park Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1999	125	7.0	17.9	8
2000	194	11.4	17.0	16
2001	198	13.5	14.7	20.2
2002	221	14.4	15.3	25.2
2003	221	14.4	15.3	25.2
2004	244	16.1	15.2	24.5
2005	292	19.1	15.3	29.7
2006	291	21.5	13.5	30
2007	315	22.0	14.3	28
2008	294	28.0	10.5	31.3
2009	343	23.0	12.3	29.4
2010	322	21.0	15.3	31.4
2011	316	n/a	n/a	31.3
2012	335	19.1	17.4	n/a
2013	346	18.5	18.6	25.1
2014	346	17.3	19.9	26.6
2015	338	19.0	17.7	25.1
2016	289	18.0	16.0	29.1
2017	285	18.5	15.4	33.3
2018	259	15.7	16.4	36.7
2019	244	15.8	15.4	30.7
2020	240	n/a	n/a	30
2021	203	14.1	14.3	27.1
2022	198	11.2	17.6	26.8
2023	211	10.8	19.5	24.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Barron Park Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1999	125	7.0	17.9	8
2000	194	11.4	17.0	16
2001	198	13.5	14.7	20.2
2002	221	14.4	15.3	25.2
2003	221	14.4	15.3	25.2
2004	244	16.1	15.2	24.5
2005	292	19.1	15.3	29.7
2006	291	21.5	13.5	30
2007	315	22.0	14.3	28
2008	294	28.0	10.5	31.3
2009	343	23.0	12.3	29.4
2010	322	21.0	15.3	31.4
2011	316	n/a	n/a	31.3
2012	335	19.1	17.4	n/a
2013	346	18.5	18.6	25.1
2014	346	17.3	19.9	26.6
2015	338	19.0	17.7	25.1
2016	289	18.0	16.0	29.1
2017	285	18.5	15.4	33.3
2018	259	15.7	16.4	36.7
2019	244	15.8	15.4	30.7
2020	240	n/a	n/a	30
2021	203	14.1	14.3	27.1
2022	198	11.2	17.6	26.8
2023	211	10.8	19.5	24.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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