Is John F. Kennedy Elementary a good school?

John F. Kennedy Elementary ranks in the bottom 11.7% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend John F. Kennedy Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 441 students attended John F. Kennedy Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of John F. Kennedy Elementary?

Students at John F. Kennedy Elementary are 98% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of John F. Kennedy Elementary attend?

Students who attend John F. Kennedy Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Century High

John F. Kennedy Elementary

Summary:

John F. Kennedy Elementary is a public elementary school in Santa Ana, California, serving 441 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Santa Ana Unified School District, which is ranked 1241 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

John F. Kennedy Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 20-25% of California elementary schools based on the statewide SchoolDigger rankings. The school's proficiency rates in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics are significantly lower than the Santa Ana Unified and California state averages across all grade levels. For example, in 2023-2024, only 23.76% of students at John F. Kennedy Elementary were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 30.96% for the district and 47.04% for the state. The school's performance in Science (CAST) is also well below the district and state averages. However, the school performs better in the Special Education and English Language Learner subgroups, ranking in the top 25% and top 35% of California elementary schools, respectively, in recent years.

Interestingly, the nearby schools within the Santa Ana Unified District, such as Roosevelt Walker Academy, Franklin Elementary, and Madison Elementary, generally perform better than John F. Kennedy Elementary on academic measures, but still struggle to meet state averages. In contrast, the nearby Robert Heideman Elementary, which is part of the Tustin Unified School District, outperforms John F. Kennedy Elementary and the Santa Ana Unified schools on most academic metrics, despite having a similar high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The Edward B. Cole Academy, a charter school, also outperforms John F. Kennedy Elementary and the other Santa Ana Unified schools on academic measures.

Detail:

Public K-5

1300 East McFadden
Santa Ana, CA 92705-4104

(714) 972-5700

District: Santa Ana Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5176^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,843

Students who attend John F. Kennedy Elementary usually attend:

High:

Century High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.3

Number of students: 441

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.2%

American Indian:

0.9%

Asian:

0.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 81.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare John F. Kennedy Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details John F. Kennedy Elementary ranks worse than 88.3% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 25^th among 34 ranked elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 16.35. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (98.2%), American Indian (0.9%), Asian (0.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 81.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at John F. Kennedy Elementary is 20.3. 22 elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare John F. Kennedy Elementary employs 21.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at John F. Kennedy Elementary is $7,843, which is the 11^th highest among 34 elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

John F. Kennedy Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks John F. Kennedy Elementary 5176^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See John F. Kennedy Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Santa Ana Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Ana Unified 1241^st of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for John F. Kennedy Elementary

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Rank History for all students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	8.63	4731^st	4809	1.6%
2005	4.89	4799^th	4822	0.5%
2006	7.19	4739^th	4818	1.6%
2007	6.66	5054^th	5113	1.2%
2008	6.89	5042^nd	5113	1.4%
2009	8.99	5042^nd	5193	2.9%
2010	15.90	4857^th	5314	8.6%
2011	15.70	4915^th	5377	8.6%
2012	19.57	4673^rd	5390	13.3%
2013	8.02	5375^th	5530	2.8%
2015	19.75	4658^th	5611	17.0%
2016	20.34	4586^th	5614	18.3%
2017	21.26	4579^th	5692	19.6%
2018	28.65	3932^nd	5662	30.6%
2019	23.89	4454^th	5789	23.1%
2022	24.94	4346^th	5883	26.1%
2023	26.65	4214^th	5874	28.3%
2024	16.35	5176^th	5862	11.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	32.03	2250^th	3246	30.7%
2019	25.89	2791^st	3275	14.8%
2022	41.43	1711^th	3311	48.3%
2023	50.32	1188^th	3250	63.4%
2024	29.92	2556^th	3160	19.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	27.65	1768^th	2420	26.9%
2024	61.44	690^th	2634	73.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	39.64	3040^th	5084	40.2%
2019	34.94	3514^th	5173	32.1%
2022	40.23	2992^nd	5264	43.2%
2023	40.21	3048^th	5374	43.3%
2024	21.43	4672^nd	5511	15.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	41.98	209^th	364	42.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	29.57	3789^th	5413	30.0%
2019	25.80	4170^th	5492	24.1%
2022	27.53	3974^th	5635	29.5%
2023	30.19	3746^th	5617	33.3%
2024	13.65	5220^th	5605	6.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	40.12	1036^th	2128	51.3%
2019	42.85	1198^th	2585	53.7%
2022	26.32	1675^th	2227	24.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	28.60	3806^th	5431	29.9%
2019	23.31	4355^th	5510	21.0%
2022	23.90	4332^nd	5663	23.5%
2023	24.31	4321^st	5650	23.5%
2024	21.32	4581^st	5636	18.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	39.72	2890^th	4830	40.2%
2019	33.85	3399^th	4963	31.5%
2022	35.16	3276^th	5084	35.6%
2023	37.44	3111^th	5098	39.0%
2024	22.27	4322^nd	5102	15.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for John F. Kennedy Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	1	0	238	136	0	n/a	n/a	0	375
1990	0	0	237	169	0	n/a	n/a	0	406
1991	0	3	264	568	0	n/a	n/a	0	835
1992	1	1	242	591	0	n/a	n/a	0	835
1993	6	1	199	677	0	n/a	n/a	0	883
1994	1	1	152	623	0	n/a	n/a	0	777
1995	2	0	110	659	0	n/a	n/a	0	771
1996	2	0	110	659	0	n/a	n/a	0	771
1997	0	0	94	667	0	n/a	n/a	0	761
1998	5	0	56	734	0	n/a	n/a	0	795
1999	10	3	44	808	0	n/a	n/a	0	865
2000	5	0	17	935	0	n/a	n/a	13	970
2001	3	0	14	1030	1	n/a	n/a	2	1050
2002	3	0	10	1003	1	n/a	n/a	0	1017
2003	3	0	10	1003	1	n/a	n/a	0	1017
2004	2	0	8	956	1	n/a	n/a	2	969
2005	1	0	2	927	1	n/a	n/a	2	933
2006	1	0	2	866	0	n/a	n/a	2	871
2007	2	0	6	832	0	n/a	n/a	0	840
2008	2	n/a	5	779	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	786
2009	1	0	5	788	0	0	0	0	794
2010	3	0	2	774	0	0	0	0	779
2011	3	0	2	793	1	0	0	0	799
2012	1	0	1	797	0	0	0	0	799
2013	1	0	0	818	0	0	0	0	819
2014	1	0	0	831	1	0	0	0	833
2015	1	1	0	814	1	0	0	0	817
2016	1	0	2	787	3	0	1	0	794
2017	1	1	4	747	2	0	1	0	756
2018	0	0	6	684	2	0	1	0	693
2019	0	0	2	615	2	0	0	0	619
2020	0	1	2	576	2	0	0	0	581
2021	0	0	3	526	3	0	0	0	532
2022	0	0	2	472	3	0	6	0	483
2023	0	0	3	433	4	0	1	0	441

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at John F. Kennedy Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	375	13.0	28.8	n/a
1990	406	14.0	29.0	n/a
1991	835	30.0	27.8	n/a
1992	835	30.5	27.3	89.5
1993	883	31.0	28.5	90
1994	777	26.0	29.9	91.8
1995	771	29.0	26.6	94.9
1996	771	29.0	26.6	94.9
1997	761	33.0	23.1	94.9
1998	795	38.0	20.9	95
1999	865	38.0	22.8	93.9
2000	970	46.0	21.1	88.4
2001	1050	52.0	20.2	91.9
2002	1017	46.5	21.9	92
2003	1017	46.5	21.9	92
2004	969	44.5	21.8	92
2005	933	40.0	23.3	94.2
2006	871	39.0	22.3	90.8
2007	840	41.0	20.5	90.5
2008	786	43.0	18.3	96.3
2009	794	41.0	18.9	96.2
2010	779	36.0	21.6	97.2
2011	799	n/a	n/a	97.5
2012	799	34.0	23.5	n/a
2013	819	29.0	28.2	99.5
2014	833	30.0	27.7	98.2
2015	817	32.0	25.5	92.9
2016	794	29.0	27.3	96.3
2017	756	26.0	29.0	93.4
2018	693	26.0	26.6	92.9
2019	619	24.0	25.7	94.3
2020	581	n/a	n/a	94.7
2021	532	21.0	25.3	92.7
2022	483	23.3	20.6	67.7
2023	441	21.6	20.3	81.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio John F. Kennedy Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	375	13.0	28.8	n/a
1990	406	14.0	29.0	n/a
1991	835	30.0	27.8	n/a
1992	835	30.5	27.3	89.5
1993	883	31.0	28.5	90
1994	777	26.0	29.9	91.8
1995	771	29.0	26.6	94.9
1996	771	29.0	26.6	94.9
1997	761	33.0	23.1	94.9
1998	795	38.0	20.9	95
1999	865	38.0	22.8	93.9
2000	970	46.0	21.1	88.4
2001	1050	52.0	20.2	91.9
2002	1017	46.5	21.9	92
2003	1017	46.5	21.9	92
2004	969	44.5	21.8	92
2005	933	40.0	23.3	94.2
2006	871	39.0	22.3	90.8
2007	840	41.0	20.5	90.5
2008	786	43.0	18.3	96.3
2009	794	41.0	18.9	96.2
2010	779	36.0	21.6	97.2
2011	799	n/a	n/a	97.5
2012	799	34.0	23.5	n/a
2013	819	29.0	28.2	99.5
2014	833	30.0	27.7	98.2
2015	817	32.0	25.5	92.9
2016	794	29.0	27.3	96.3
2017	756	26.0	29.0	93.4
2018	693	26.0	26.6	92.9
2019	619	24.0	25.7	94.3
2020	581	n/a	n/a	94.7
2021	532	21.0	25.3	92.7
2022	483	23.3	20.6	67.7
2023	441	21.6	20.3	81.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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