About PAAS

Palo Alto Adult School was established by the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) in 1921. The adult school offers a robust program and annually serves a student population of approximately 5400 students. Our school is committed to excellence by providing a broad range of affordable, high quality education programs. Our goal is to meet the diverse lifelong learning needs of our community.

We provide classes for English learners, parents, job seekers, travelers, hobbyists, and others who want to expand their skills. Whether you want to learn to cook, try your hand at something new or enhance your skills, let us meet your lifelong learning needs.

Most of our instructors are credentialed. Credentialing involves having studied or worked with the subject matter being taught and obtaining education related to adult learning theory. Students are thus assured that their instructors have the skills to guide students appropriately.

English as a second language and citizenship classes are free and other classes have affordable prices, offering you excellent value for your time.

The majority of funding for state-mandated classes is provided by state tax money and is based on student attendance hours. As a result, the class fees for students are significantly less for these state-supported classes. All other Adult School classes are supported entirely by enrollment and lab fees.

Questions? Call 650-329-3752 or send an email to adultschool@pausd.org.