Tour Introduction
Welcome to the Palo Alto High School Campus Tour! The campus map lists tour locations. Move to a location and click on the corresponding information on the map to learn more about Paly’s past, present, and future. But first, a little history. Palo Alto was incorporated in 1894 and owes its existence to Stanford University, so it’s no surprise that its earliest residents sought the best education for their children. Palo Alto High School marched to the new school at its current location on December 24, 1918. Watch the video for some history!
Stop #1: Tower Building
The Tower Building and Haymarket Theater are the only original buildings on campus. New and remodeled buildings reflect their distinctive architectural details. Learn more about Paly's past present and future by listening to this history of the Tower Building.
Stop #2: Anna Zschokke
Anna Zschokke is often referred to as the "mother of Palo Alto schools." Paly honors her pioneering commitment to community supported public education.
Stop #3: Performing Arts
Paly is known for its high quality visual and performing arts programs. The Haymarket Theater (1918) served as the primary performance venue before the spectacular Performing Arts Center opened in 2016. Explore the history of visual and performing arts at Paly including history of the Haymarket Theater.
Stop #4: Media Arts
Paly's first newspaper, The Campanile, started when Paly moved to Embarcadero Road. Paly journalism excellence continues today with a greatly expanded program that now includes new publications and media pathways.
Stop #5: Classrooms & Library
Paly's strong and varied academic offerings, including dozens of AP and honors classes for various core and electives among others, offer students many opportunities to prepare for college and careers after graduation. They also provide the foundation for global citizenship.
Stop #6: Science & CTE
Paly's science program provides a firm foundation for many curricular and career pathways. Paly's many career technical education pathways involve active learning in many diverse fields, from programming to business to design.
Stop #7: Athletic Fields
Paly's first athletic director, Hod Ray, created excellent athletics and physical education programs for Paly students. His legacy continues today.
Stop #8: Peery Center Athletics
The spectacular Peery Family Center expands student opportunities to participate in sports and engage in fitness and wellness activities. It replaces Paly's first gym designed by Paly alum and famous Palo Alto architect Birge Clark.
Stop #9: Quad
The Paly Quad is the center of student life at Paly. Student leadership hosts many fun and educational events that encourage student engagement and build community.
Tour End
Paly thanks you for spending time to explore our history today.
Acknowledgements
This website was created by Paly students Zage Strassberg-Phillips (), Shantelle Toh (), and David Wei, and is a product of the Centennial Committee, 2018-19.
Palo Alto Senior High School, commonly referred to locally as "Paly", is a comprehensive public high school in Palo Alto, California. Operated by the Palo Alto Unified School District, the school is one of two schools in the district, the other being crosstown Gunn High School, for which the school has a rivalry with.
Photo: Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0.
- Type: School
- Description: public high school in Palo Alto, California, United States
- Categories: high school, state school and education
- Location: California, United States, North America
- Address: 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Notable Places in the Area
Localities in the Area
Palo Alto High School
Latitude
37.43581° or 37° 26' 9" north
Longitude
-122.15577° or 122° 9' 21" west
Elevation
16 metres (52 feet)
Open Location Code
849VCRPV+8M
Maps of Palo Alto High School
Also Known As
- Armenian: Պալո Ալտոյի ավագ դպրոց
- Catalan: Palo Alto High School
- Chinese: 帕羅奧圖高中
- Dutch: Palo Alto High School
- English: Palo Alto Union High School
- English: Paly
- French: Palo Alto High School
- German: Palo Alto High School
- Hebrew: תיכון פאלו אלטו
- Japanese: パロ・アルト高校
- Japanese: パロ・アルト高等学校
- Korean: 팰로앨토 고등학교
- Korean: 팰리
- Spanish: Escuela Secundaria Palo Alto
- Spanish: Escuela Secundaria Palo Alto Union
- Swedish: Palo Alto High School
- Palo Alto Senior High School
In the Area
Localities
- SouthgateNeighbourhood
- University SouthNeighbourhood
- Old Palo AltoNeighbourhood
- Evergreen ParkNeighbourhood
Landmarks
- El Camino FieldPark, 160 metres south
- Ray FieldStadium, 210 metres east
- Laird Q. Cagan StadiumStadium, 370 metres southwest
- ProfessorvilleMemorial, 420 metres north
Other Places
- Science BuildingSchool building
- WoodshopSchool building
- Small GymBuilding
- Shop BuildingBuilding
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