Palo Alto Middle School
Public middle school in Killeen, Texas · Killeen ISD · Grades 6–8
Palo Alto Middle School serves 781 students in grades 6–8 in Killeen (Bell County). It is one of 54 schools in Killeen ISD. By enrollment it is the 595th largest of 1,719 public middle schools in Texas (median 639 students). With 16.3 students per full-time teacher, it has more students per teacher than the typical Texas middle school (14.4).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 1,719 Texas middle schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 47.85 full-time-equivalent teachers.
Killeen ISD calendar 2026–2027
Palo Alto Middle School follows the district calendar. First day Mon, Aug 17. Spring break Mon, Mar 15 – Fri, Mar 19. Last day Thu, May 27.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | Middle |
| Grades | 6–8 |
| District | Killeen ISD |
| County | Bell County |
| Area type | City, midsize |
| School meals | Free meals for every student (Community Eligibility Provision) |
| NCES school ID | 482566005918 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Texas
| This school | Killeen ISD | Texas middle schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 781 | 42,883 | 639 |
| Students per teacher | 16.3 | 15.8 | 14.4 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 76.7% | 61.8% | 65.6% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 78% of Texas middle schools have fewer students per teacher than this school (share of schools with a lower ratio). State test results aren't published here yet.
Palo Alto Middle School in context
Size
Palo Alto Middle School is the 3rd largest of Killeen ISD's 13 middle schools; its 781 students are 1.8% of district enrollment. Its 8 closest middle schools sit a median 3.7 miles away with a median enrollment of 706; Palo Alto Middle School is close to their typical size.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment and school type. Share of district students = this school's students ÷ the district's students. Nearest schools by straight-line distance between NCES EDGE locations.
Grades
Its largest grade is grade 6 with 298 students, and its smallest is grade 8 with 233, against an average of 260 per grade. This year grade 8 has 22% fewer students than grade 6 (233 against 298). Each grade is a different group of students, so the gap is not a dropout or growth rate.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
The largest group is Black students: 49.9% here and 33.8% across Killeen ISD. Hispanic students are next, at 31.1%. Students from all 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
76.7% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, against 61.8% across Killeen ISD and a median of 65.6% for Texas middle schools. Under the Community Eligibility Provision, every student can eat breakfast and lunch at no charge, and families fill out no meal application.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
With 47.85 full-time-equivalent teachers for 781 students, Palo Alto Middle School has 16.3 students per teacher. At the median Texas middle school ratio of 14.4, a school with 781 students would have about 54.2 teachers, so Palo Alto Middle School has 6.4 fewer.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Texas middle schools (14.4).
Location
Palo Alto Middle School is inside a principal city of 100,000 to 250,000 people, which NCES calls city, midsize. The nearest other middle school is Live Oak Ridge Middle School, 1.3 miles away in the same district. Within 10 miles there are 14 other middle schools, 6 of them within 5 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| Black | 49.9% |
| Hispanic | 31.1% |
| White | 9.5% |
| Two or more races | 5.4% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 2.3% |
| Asian | 1.5% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.3% |
51.5% of students are girls and 48.5% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Grade 6 | 298 |
| Grade 7 | 250 |
| Grade 8 | 233 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
2301 W Elms Rd, Killeen, TX 76549
Phone: (254)336-1200
Website: killeenisd.org
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: Palo Alto Middle School. Blue: the nearest middle schools.
Nearby middle schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live Oak Ridge Middle School | Killeen ISD | 1.3 mi | 676 | 17.5 | 68.3% |
| Roy J Smith Middle School | Killeen ISD | 1.5 mi | 1,135 | 17.4 | 57.8% |
| Manor Middle School | Killeen ISD | 3.0 mi | 592 | 14.4 | 73.3% |
| Charles E Patterson Middle School | Killeen ISD | 3.2 mi | 746 | 15.6 | 57.1% |
| Gateway Middle School | Killeen ISD | 4.2 mi | 48 | 3.3 | 79.2% |
| Liberty Hill Middle School | Killeen ISD | 4.8 mi | 674 | 16.2 | 61% |
| Audie Murphy Middle School | Killeen ISD | 5.4 mi | 768 | 17.4 | 51.3% |
| Rancier Middle School | Killeen ISD | 5.6 mi | 735 | 17.2 | 80% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.