Las Lomitas Elementary School District / Sequoia Union HSDThe Quiet Estate
Las Lomitas K-8 feeding Menlo-Atherton or private schools (Menlo, Sacred Heart). The estate-privacy end of the Peninsula.
№ 01Overview
Why Atherton.
Inventory is consistently tight in Atherton, and home values vary materially across attendance areas inside the same district. Confirming the feeder pattern at the address level — before writing an offer — is the single most consequential step.
Atherton is an unincorporated, residential-only town with no commercial businesses and one of the highest median home prices in the United States. The town does not operate its own school district — children attend either Las Lomitas Elementary School District (K-8) or Menlo Park City School District (MPCSD), depending on address.
Public high school students are zoned to Menlo-Atherton High School (M-A) in Sequoia Union HSD. In practice, however, a large share of Atherton families choose private high schools — Menlo School, Sacred Heart Schools, and Crystal Springs Uplands all draw heavily from the town. Tuition is not the binding constraint here.
Atherton's residential character is the product: very large lots (one-acre minimum in most zones), no sidewalks, gated estates, and median home prices around $8M with frequent $15–30M+ sales. The town is the estate-privacy end of the Peninsula — older families, multi-decade tenures, and very low transactional volume.
№ 02Feeder Pattern
Paths to High School.
The elementary → middle → high school chain is determined by home address. Verify the assigned feeder for any specific property before writing an offer.
Menlo-Atherton High School (M-A)
- Elementary
- La Entrada Middle School
- Menlo-Atherton High School (M-A)
Feeder elementaries: Las Lomitas Elementary, Selby Lane Elementary
Not sure which feeder a specific address belongs to? Marie Wang and Kevin Mo can verify the assigned schools for any property in the district.
№ 03High Schools
The top public high school.
Each high school is its own version of the same age range. Read past the rating: AP load, STEM and arts depth, college-pipeline pattern, and culture all vary.
№ 04Middle Schools
Core middle schools.
Middle school sets the foundation for high school placement. Pace and academic culture differ from one school to the next.
№ 05Elementary
2 elementary schools.
Elementary is the start of the feeder chain; the choice of school here implicitly chooses middle and high too. Surrounding home prices and feeder destinations differ school by school.
№ 06Housing & Schools
Different neighborhoods,
different schools, different prices.
Prices vary materially by neighborhood, and each neighborhood maps to a specific school assignment. Below are the working ranges and feeder destinations.
Central Atherton
$8M – $30M+
Las Lomitas → La Entrada → M-A attendance area.
West Atherton / Lindenwood
$7M – $20M+
Las Lomitas → La Entrada → M-A attendance area.
Lloyden Park
$6M – $15M
Selby Lane → La Entrada → M-A attendance area.
East Atherton / Fair Oaks
$5M – $10M
Selby Lane → La Entrada → M-A attendance area.
Compiled by Marie Wang and Kevin Mo, MK Group. Reach out for current listings and the latest comparable sales.
№ 07Private Schools
Private alternatives.
The Atherton catchment includes several leading independent schools. Many families combine public K-8 with private high school; some run private throughout.
№ 08Questions
Frequently asked.
The most common questions families bring us about Atherton, answered with data and examples.
Las Lomitas vs. MPCSD — which side of Atherton is which?
Las Lomitas Elementary School District serves western Atherton and parts of Menlo Park; MPCSD serves central and southeastern Atherton. Both are top-tier K-8 districts with similar academic outcomes. Address determines which one a student attends; families should verify before writing an offer.
Is the public M-A track viable for Atherton families?
Absolutely. M-A is one of the strongest comprehensive public high schools on the Peninsula, with strong academics, athletics, and arts. Many Atherton families do choose the public path. Others choose private — usually Menlo, Sacred Heart, or Crystal Springs — for cohort fit, smaller class size, or a specific program.
What is the practical entry price for Atherton?
Median single-family home is around $8M, but smaller, older homes on smaller (sub-acre) lots can be found in the $5–6M range. Genuine estate-grade properties on full one-acre+ lots typically clear $15M and routinely reach $30M+. The market is illiquid; off-market matters here more than in most Peninsula cities.
Lock the school,
then the home.
MK Group works Las Lomitas Elementary School District / Sequoia Union HSD day to day — every school, every neighborhood, every recent sale. Marie and Kevin handle the address-level feeder verification, offer strategy, and escrow personally.
