The student population at Palo Alto College is 12,395 (all undergraduate). The number of students has increased by 3,724 (42.95%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 10,346 where 12,395 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 8 year-over-year increases and 1 decrease. It peaked at 12,395 students in 2025 and was lowest at 8,671 in 2016. Overall, enrollment rose from 8,671 to 12,395 students, a net gain of 3,724 (42.9%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Palo Alto College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 8,671 | 3,380 | 5,291 |
| 2016-17 | 9,108 437 | 3,661 281 | 5,447 156 |
| 2017-18 | 9,368 260 | 3,800 139 | 5,568 121 |
| 2018-19 | 9,852 484 | 3,874 74 | 5,978 410 |
| 2019-20 | 10,763 911 | 4,185 311 | 6,578 600 |
| 2020-21 | 11,193 430 | 4,295 110 | 6,898 320 |
| 2021-22 | 10,559 -634 | 4,026 -269 | 6,533 -365 |
| 2022-23 | 10,641 82 | 4,129 103 | 6,512 -21 |
| 2023-24 | 10,908 267 | 4,340 211 | 6,568 56 |
| 2024-25 | 12,395 1,487 | 4,762 422 | 7,633 1,065 |
| Average | 10,346 | 4,045 | 6,301 |
The percentage of white students is 12.19% and the percentage of black students is 4.79% at Palo Alto College. 1.31% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 76.17% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 18.56% to 12.19%. Asian enrollment grew from 0.81% to 1.31%. Black student enrollment increased from 3.06% to 4.79%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 75.35% to 76.17%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.4020 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.3965 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Palo Alto College over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
| Year | American Indian or Native American | Asian | Black | Hispanic | Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | White | Two or More Races |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 15 | 70 | 265 | 6,534 | 8 | 1,609 | 132 |
| 2016-17 | 16 | 55 | 234 | 7,086 | 11 | 1,522 | 156 |
| 2017-18 | 20 | 72 | 243 | 7,341 | 7 | 1,431 | 138 |
| 2018-19 | 19 | 77 | 345 | 7,694 | 1 | 1,415 | 163 |
| 2019-20 | 21 | 80 | 410 | 8,445 | 7 | 1,483 | 216 |
| 2020-21 | 20 | 107 | 481 | 8,585 | 14 | 1,679 | 279 |
| 2021-22 | 19 | 120 | 528 | 8,127 | 10 | 1,472 | 226 |
| 2022-23 | 19 | 128 | 474 | 8,232 | 7 | 1,386 | 216 |
| 2023-24 | 10 | 134 | 500 | 8,439 | 9 | 1,322 | 236 |
| 2024-25 | 17 | 162 | 594 | 9,441 | 12 | 1,511 | 289 |
| Average | 18 | 101 | 407 | 7,992 | 9 | 1,483 | 205 |
4,882 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 39% of total students. The number of online students has increased 78.83% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Palo Alto College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 8,671 | 2,730 | 1,580 | 4,361 |
| 2016-17 | 9,108 | 2,451 | 1,679 | 4,978 |
| 2017-18 | 9,368 | 2,426 | 1,856 | 5,086 |
| 2018-19 | 9,852 | 2,748 | 1,820 | 5,284 |
| 2019-20 | 10,763 | 2,855 | 1,955 | 5,953 |
| 2020-21 | 11,193 | 4,084 | 2,426 | 4,683 |
| 2021-22 | 10,559 | 5,802 | 1,619 | 3,138 |
| 2022-23 | 10,641 | 3,632 | 3,207 | 3,802 |
| 2023-24 | 10,908 | 4,224 | 3,316 | 3,368 |
| 2024-25 | 12,395 | 4,882 | 3,726 | 3,787 |
| Average | 10,346 | 3,583 | 2,318 | 4,444 |
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