Palo Alto School Fined $300k for Enrollment Violations

A Palo Alto private school was hit with a $300,000 fine by the city for exceeding an enrollment cap, the Palo Alto Daily News reports.

Castilleja School officials have acknowledged failing to comply with a 415-student enrollment limit mandated by a city-issued conditional use permit since the 2010-11 school year, the report said.

Palo Alto officials say the school has exceeded its enrollment each year since 2002, according to the report.

Castilleja is a private all-girls school for grades 6 to 12. It's annual tuition is $38,200 per student, the report said.

Steven Turner, the city's advance planning manager, said Castilleja's enrollment for this school year is 448 according to the report.

Turner said the city became aware of the enrollment-cap violations by a neighbor who complained that the increased student population exacerbated traffic and parking problems, the report said.

Turner told the Daily News that Castilleja can't appeal the fine, the report said.

The city fined the school $500 per pupil for each day in which the school was in violation of the conditional use permit, the report said.

Turner told the Daily News that the city could continue fining the school if it can't maintain an effective program to reduce traffic.

Castilleja officials say immediately cutting enrollment would create “hardship,” according to the report.

They say the school is doing what it can to develop plans to reduce traffic and management enrollment, noting two shuttles were launched last month that taxi students from the Menlo Park-Atherton and Los Altos areas.