Hundreds of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park elementary and high school students may have to leave their charter schools next year after the Ravenswood City School District board decided not to renew Stanford New Schools' application for a new five-year charter Wednesday night.

Trustees spent about three hours discussing the application and hearing numerous comments from parents, children and community members at the standing-room-only meeting before voting 3-2 against the new charter at about 9:30 p.m., School Board Member Larry Moody said Thursday. Board members John Bostic and Marcelino Lopez voted to grant the application from Stanford, which runs East Palo Alto Academy Elementary School and East Palo Alto Academy High School in Menlo Park.

"The elementary school just has poor data," Moody said. "The charter school petition says you've got five years to demonstrate that you are providing equal to or greater service than the local public schools — with that provision they failed."

However, board members directed Superintendent Maria De La Vega to work with Stanford officials on a proposal