EDUCATION & SCHOOLS

Photo Courtesy of Pinewood School

Local public school districts are all highly regarded for their fine academic programs. Most elementary students in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills attend schools in the Los Altos School District which serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade and is comprised of seven elementary schools-Almond, Gardner Bullis, Covington, Loyola, Oak, Santa Rita, and Springer-and two junior high schools-Egan and Blach.

Well-known for academic excellence, all nine of the Los Altos School District schools are among the top half of one percent of schools in the state of California, as ranked by the state's Academic Performance Index.  The district as a whole has received among the highest standardized test scores of all districts in California for eight years in a row, according to the Associated Press. All nine of the schools are California Distinguished Schools, and two are National Blue Ribbon Schools. Elementary students receive a rigorous academic program in self-contained classrooms, supplemented by instruction from specialists in music, art, physical education and computers. Intermediate school students are able to take seven subjects, including a choice of two languages, honors algebra, industrial technology, computer programming, art, music, drama and journalism.

The district received votes of confidence from the community in 1989, 1993, 1997 2002 and 2006 with the passage of a parcel tax, and in 2011 for an additional parcel tax to be used to balance the school budget and restore previously cut programs. A bond for modernization and new construction at district schools was passed in 1998.  Phase I construction projects have been completed at all nine school sites.  District enrollment is projected to be 4,480 for the 2011-2012 school year.  

At the high school level, students attend Alta Vista High School, Los Altos High School or Mountain View High School, part of the Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District serving students in grades nine through twelve from Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View. All three high schools have been named California Distinguished Schools while Mountain View High has also been selected as a National Distinguished School.

Students living in the most Southern part of Los Altos attend Montclaire Elementary School and Cupertino Junior High, both part of Cupertino Union School District, and Homestead High School, part of Fremont Union High School District.

Students from some sections of Los Altos Hills are assigned to schools in Palo Alto Unified School District: Lucille Nixon Elementary School, Terman Middle School and Gunn High School.

Private Schools

A wide variety of private schools, ranging from nursery school through high school, are available in Los Altos or nearby. These include both secular and parochial schools. Day care centers are also available.

The Mountain View Los Altos Adult Education program offers many classes for adults and seniors.  For information call (650) 940-1333 orwww.mvlaae.net.

For education beyond high school, students have a choice of several universities and colleges located in the area including Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, De Anza College in Cupertino, both two-year community colleges; and Menlo College in Atherton. Three major universities are nearby: San Jose State University, part of the California State University system; Stanford University and Santa Clara University, renowned private institutions.

Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills
www.foothill.edu • (650) 949-7777

Foothill College Photo Courtesy of Foothill College

The physical beauty, architectural ingenuity, and hilltop location of Foothill College symbolize the distinction and innovation that is the essence of the college's academic programs and services. Each quarter, Foothill College offers more than 1,000 class sections, and serves approximately 18,000 day, evening and online students. The college also hosts dance, drama and music performances, and guest lectures throughout the year.

Foothill’s diverse student population is comprised of recent high school graduates, university-transfer students, working adults and career-changing professionals. For more than five decades, Foothill has provided Los Altos with quality education at an affordable price. Numerous student support services are available, including financial aid, tutoring, and academic and career counseling. Foothill College faculty and staff challenge and inspire all students, and support and nurture them in a campus environment that is personal and serene.

The campus has won numerous architectural design awards and the San Francisco Chronicle cited Foothill as “the most beautiful community college ever built”. The college’s newest facilities include a two-building Campus Center, Lower Campus Complex and Lohman Theatre. These thoroughly modern buildings join Foothill’s other facilities, including the Krause Center for Innovation, student-operated KFJC-FM, Dental Health Clinic, Japanese Cultural Center, Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis courts, football stadium, Wellness Center and golf complex.

Child/Day Care

The Community Coordinated Child Development Council of Santa Clara County (4-C Council) is a state funded referral service listing all licensed family and childcare centers in Santa Clara County.  For information on this free service: call (408) 487-0747.

Extended Day Programs

Please contact the Los Altos School District for more information at 947-1150.

Arts Education
The Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) at Finn Center provides ARTS FOR ALL.  CSMA provides art and music programs for all ages, skill levels and interests year-round. Programs include private and group music instruction, visual arts classes and vacation camps, digital arts courses, free concerts and art exhibitions, preschool music and art for children 18 months – 4 years of age. For more info, call (650) 917-6800 or visit www.arts4all.org.

AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Los Altos School District

201 Covington Road
(650) 947-1150
www.lasdschools.org

Almond School (K-6)
550 Almond Avenue
(650) 917-5400

Blach Intermediate School (7-8)
1120 Covington Road
(650) 934-3800

Covington School (K-6)
205 Covington Road
(650) 947-1100

Egan Intermediate School (7-8)
100 W. Portola Avenue
(650) 917-2200

Gardner Bullis School (K-5)
25890 Fremont Rd.
(650) 559-3200

Loyola School (K-6)
770 Berry Avenue
(650) 254-2400

Oak School (K-6)
1501 Oak Avenue
(650) 237-3900

Santa Rita School (K-6)
700 Los Altos Avenue
(650) 559-1600

Springer School (K-6)
1120 Rose Avenue, Mountain View
(650) 943-4200

Mountain View/Los Altos Union High School District

1299 Bryant Avenue
Mountain View
(650) 940-4650
www.mvla.net

Los Altos High School (9-12)
201 Almond Avenue, Los Altos
(650) 960-8811

Mountain View High School (9-12)
3535 Truman Avenue
Mountain View
(650) 940-4600

Alta Vista High School (9-12)
1325 Bryant Avenue
Mountain View
(650) 691-2433

MV-LA Adult Education                                                           
333 Moffet Blvd.,
Mountain View
(650) 940-1333
www.mvlaae.net

Cupertino Union School District                                   

10301 Vista Dr., Cupertino
(408) 252-3000
www.cupertino.k12.ca.us

Cupertino Middle School (6-8)
1650 S. Bernardo Avenue, Sunnyvale
(408) 245-0303

Montclaire School (K-5)
1160 St. Joseph Avenue, Los Altos
(650) 967-9388

West Valley School (K-5)
1635 Belleville Way, Sunnyvale
(408) 245-0148

Fremont Union High School District

589 W. Fremont Avenue, Sunnyvale
(408) 522-2200
www.fuhsd.org

Homestead High School (9-12)
21370 Homestead Road, Cupertino
(408) 522-2500

Palo Alto Unified School District

25 Churchill Avenue, Palo Alto
(650) 329-3700
www.pausd.org

Gunn High School (9-12)
780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto
(650) 354-8200

Lucille Nixon School (K-5)
1711 Stanford Avenue, Stanford
(650) 856-1622

Terman Middle School (6-8)
655 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto
(650) 856-9810

Charter Schools

Bullis Charter School
102 W. Portola Ave., Los Altos
(650) 947-4939
www.bullischarterschool.com

Private Schools

Canterbury Christian School (K-6)
101 N. El Monte, Los Altos
(650) 949-0909

Childrens' Creative Learning Centers (Pre-K)
2410 Homestead Road, Los Altos
(408) 732-2500

Childrens' House of Los Altos
770 Berry Ave., Los Altos
(650) 968-9052

Harker School 
500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose
(408) 249-2510  

Heritage Academy
858 University Ave., Los Altos
(650) 641-0280                                

Kehillah Jewish High School
3900 Fabian Way, Palo Alto
(650) 213-9600

Los Altos Christian School (K-6)
625 Magdelena Avenue, Los Altos
(650) 948-3738

Miramonte School of Los Altos (Pre-K-8)
1175 Altamead Drive, Los Altos
(650) 967-2783

Monarch Christian Schools
2420 N. Foothill Blvd., Los Altos
(408) 735-9409

Montecito School
1468 Grant Rd., Los Altos
(650) 968-5957

Pinewood School
      Lower Campus (K-2)
      477 Fremont Avenue, Los Altos
      (650) 209-3050

      Middle Campus (3-6)
      327 Fremont Avenue. Los Altos
      (650) 209-3030

      Upper Campus (7-12)
      26800 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills
      (650) 209-3010

St. Francis High School Photo Courtesy of St. Francis High School

School for Independent Learners
909 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos
(650) 941-4350

St. Francis High School
1885 Miramonte Avenue, Mountain View
(650) 968-1213

St. Joseph Catholic School (K-8)
1120 Miramonte Avenue, Mountain View
(650) 967-1839

St. Nicholas Catholic School (K-8)
12816 S. El Monte Avenue, Los Altos Hills
(650) 941-4056

St. Simon Catholic School (K-8)
1840 Grant Road, Los Altos
(650) 968-9952

Waldorf School of the Peninsula (K-8)
11311 Mora Drive, Los Altos
(650) 948-8433

Woodside Priory School
302 Portola Rd., Portola Valley
(650) 851-8221

Universities and Colleges

De Anza College
21250 Stevens Creek Boulevard, Cupertino
(408) 864-5678

Foothill College
12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills
(650) 949-7777

San Jose State University
One Washington Square, San Jose
(408) 924-1000

Santa Clara University
500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
(408) 554-4000

Stanford University
Stanford
(650) 723-2300

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updated 11.09.2011