Our office is available to assist you in finding information on local public schools and school-age aftercare programs.
The public school system in California provides free education for children, grades K-12, with school districts assigned by neighborhood of residence. In some school districts, such as Palo Alto, residency documentation is required to enroll. For students coming from other countries or states, checking with the new school district as soon as possible to enroll is recommended, as districts in close proximity to Stanford are often impacted and children may be sent to overflow schools when necessary.
In California, a child must be five years old BEFORE September 1 in order to enroll in kindergarten. Elementary school is kindergarten through 5th grade (ages 5-10), middle school is grades 6-8 (ages 11-13), and high school is grades 9-12 (ages 14-18).
We offer the resources below to assist you with information on local area public schools and aftercare programs.
After School Care
Stanford has its own K-2 afterschool care center called Pepper Tree which serves the Stanford community at Escondido Elementary. In Palo Alto, every elementary school has a fee based, after-school care program on-site.
Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD)
If you live on the Stanford campus, you are a part of the Palo Alto Unified School District. Find information about:
- Registering your child for school
- Boundary maps (or you can enter your address into the School Finder)
Additional Public and Private Schools
You can find ratings of schools at California School Ratings.
If you live off-campus and not in Palo Alto, you may be in one of these school districts:
- Cupertino School District
- Fremont School District
- Los Altos School District
- Los Gatos School District
- Menlo Park City School District
- Mountain View Whisman School District
- Ravenswood City School District
- Redwood City School District
- Saratoga School District
- Sunnyvale School District
If you are considering private school, Private School Review can help you find one in your area.
Transportation Services
To find Shuttle Services to assist with getting your child off to school, home from school, and to extra-curricular activities:
This list is provided as a service only. The WorkLife Office and Stanford University do not endorse any of these references. These resources are not exhaustive but a sample of local resources.
