Is Kennedy Middle School a good school?

Kennedy Middle School ranks in the bottom 0.9% of Illinois middle schools.

How many students attend Kennedy Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 366 students attended Kennedy Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Kennedy Middle School?

Students at Kennedy Middle School are 62% African American, 15% Hispanic, 13% White, 9% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Kennedy Middle School attend?

Students who attend Kennedy Middle School usually go on to attend Auburn High School

Kennedy Middle School

Summary:

Kennedy Middle School is a public middle school located in Rockford, Illinois, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 380 students. The school is part of the Rockford School District 205, which is ranked 737 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Unfortunately, Kennedy Middle School has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing middle schools in the state, with a ranking between 1217 and 1362 out of around 1,300 Illinois middle schools over the past several years.

The school faces significant challenges, including extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 47% in 2019-2020 to a staggering 93.9% in 2020-2021. This is significantly higher than the district and state averages, indicating a major issue with student attendance. Academically, Kennedy Middle School's performance is alarmingly low across all subject areas and grade levels, with only 8.1% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 0% proficient or better in Mathematics in the 2023-2024 school year. These percentages are far below the district and state averages, placing Kennedy Middle School among the lowest-performing schools in Illinois.

In contrast to the low-performing Kennedy Middle School, some nearby middle schools in other districts, such as Pecatonica Community Middle School, Stephen Mack Middle School, and Winnebago Middle School, demonstrate much higher academic achievement, with proficiency rates well above the state averages. This highlights the potential for improvement at Kennedy Middle School if the right strategies and resources are implemented, particularly in addressing the root causes of the school's high chronic absenteeism rates.

Detail:

Public 6-8

520 N Pierpont Ave
Rockford, IL 61101-5037

(815) 654-4880

District: Rockford School District 205

SchoolDigger Rank:
1351^st of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $26,207

Students who attend Kennedy Middle School usually attend:

High:

Auburn High School

Feeder schools for Kennedy Middle School:

Elementary:	Ellis Elementary School
	Lewis Lemon Elementary
	McIntosh Elementary

Student/teacher ratio: 12.1

Number of students: 366

Racial breakdown:

African American:

62.3%

Hispanic:

15.3%

White:

12.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 91%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Kennedy Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Kennedy Middle School ranks worse than 99.1% of middle schools in Illinois. It also ranks last among 7 ranked middle schools in the Rockford School District 205. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.16. (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 Kennedy Middle School has the smallest middle school student body size in the Rockford School District 205. Student population at Kennedy Middle School is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (62.3%), Hispanic (15.3%), White (12.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 91% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Rockford School District 205. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Kennedy Middle School is 12.1, which is the lowest among 7 middle schools in the Rockford School District 205! (See more...)

Compare Kennedy Middle School employs 30.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Kennedy Middle School is $26,207, which is the highest among 7 middle schools in the Rockford School District 205!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Kennedy Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Kennedy Middle School 1351^st of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Kennedy Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Rockford School District 205:

SchoolDigger ranks Rockford School District 205 737^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Kennedy Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Kennedy Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	15.12	998^th	1185	15.8%
2004	16.20	994^th	1204	17.4%
2005	11.26	1049^th	1209	13.2%
2006	13.29	1109^th	1272	12.8%
2007	14.97	1113^th	1287	13.5%
2008	19.74	1080^th	1293	16.5%
2009	12.75	1178^th	1318	10.6%
2010	9.90	1220^th	1327	8.1%
2011	5.20	1300^th	1344	3.3%
2012	0.99	1361^st	1365	0.3%
2013	1.87	1362^nd	1367	0.4%
2014	1.98	1314^th	1322	0.6%
2016	8.03	1277^th	1294	1.3%
2017	8.94	1266^th	1293	2.1%
2018	8.83	1269^th	1293	1.9%
2019	9.36	1313^th	1356	3.2%
2021	10.92	1217^th	1241	1.9%
2022	10.05	1361^st	1369	0.6%
2023	8.98	1357^th	1367	0.7%
2024	9.16	1351^st	1363	0.9%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Kennedy Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	11.21	157^th	164	4.3%
2019	8.64	171^st	179	4.5%
2024	8.46	183^rd	184	0.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Kennedy Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	24.79	496^th	602	17.6%
2019	27.69	649^th	792	18.1%
2021	25.59	501^st	548	8.6%
2022	26.86	654^th	781	16.3%
2023	20.09	754^th	805	6.3%
2024	19.41	747^th	802	6.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Kennedy Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	10.51	1146^th	1161	1.3%
2019	12.11	1176^th	1217	3.4%
2021	14.79	991^st	1019	2.7%
2022	12.70	1211^th	1221	0.8%
2023	10.90	1226^th	1234	0.6%
2024	11.45	1206^th	1219	1.1%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Kennedy Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	26.06	32^nd	36	11.1%
2022	21.30	34^th	34	0.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Kennedy Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	7.95	1198^th	1226	2.3%
2019	9.65	1224^th	1276	4.1%
2021	9.37	1003^rd	1017	1.4%
2022	9.72	1274^th	1286	0.9%
2023	8.55	1262^nd	1275	1.0%
2024	10.26	1214^th	1251	3.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Kennedy Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	23.70	591^st	674	12.3%
2024	25.63	546^th	639	14.6%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Kennedy Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	10.66	1198^th	1223	2.0%
2019	10.28	1268^th	1296	2.2%
2021	10.77	1035^th	1048	1.2%
2022	11.73	1255^th	1286	2.4%
2023	10.40	1271^st	1292	1.6%
2024	8.75	1258^th	1264	0.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Kennedy Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	17.50	502^nd	511	1.8%
2019	18.66	545^th	565	3.5%
2021	23.44	360^th	385	6.5%
2022	19.49	568^th	573	0.9%
2023	17.75	557^th	569	2.1%
2024	17.66	531^st	548	3.1%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Kennedy Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	16.89	554^th	590	6.1%
2019	18.15	585^th	639	8.5%
2021	20.71	459^th	517	11.2%
2022	8.68	661^st	662	0.2%
2023	8.63	661^st	661	0.0%
2024	9.76	640^th	643	0.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Kennedy Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	3.93	885^th	889	0.4%
2019	5.31	898^th	905	0.8%
2021	5.16	813^th	813	0.0%
2022	4.87	894^th	898	0.4%
2023	4.26	891^st	895	0.4%
2024	4.70	866^th	875	1.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board 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: Illinois State Board of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 2)

100%

Reviews:

by a student
Thursday, April 8, 2010

I think the school is okay but if the school board would let us not to wear uniforms we would be better,we wouldnt get distracted by our clothes.The school board hasn't heard our side of the story and is making us tuck in our shorts we dont think its right to us as a school . Close Quote

Enrollment information for Kennedy Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2000	196	149	7	29	1	n/a	n/a	0	382
2001	321	207	11	49	1	n/a	n/a	0	589
2002	366	234	9	61	1	n/a	n/a	0	671
2003	366	234	9	61	1	n/a	n/a	0	671
2004	362	261	10	68	2	n/a	n/a	0	703
2005	317	303	3	83	1	n/a	n/a	2	709
2006	317	274	4	93	1	n/a	n/a	8	697
2007	306	260	6	109	1	n/a	n/a	19	701
2008	339	323	7	132	1	n/a	n/a	34	836
2009	283	345	4	129	2	n/a	n/a	39	802
2010	246	357	4	113	0	n/a	n/a	35	755
2011	206	344	2	110	3	0	33	0	698
2012	139	414	2	114	6	0	42	0	717
2013	113	426	1	115	2	0	40	0	697
2014	74	426	0	118	1	0	36	0	655
2015	77	338	1	107	1	0	32	0	556
2016	76	323	1	105	2	0	40	0	547
2017	67	313	1	88	5	0	46	0	520
2018	70	318	1	62	2	0	49	0	502
2019	63	315	1	56	2	0	49	0	486
2020	76	316	1	52	1	0	41	0	487
2021	74	320	0	49	0	0	38	0	481
2022	68	289	1	71	1	0	33	0	463
2023	55	242	1	53	0	0	29	0	380
2024	47	228	1	56	1	0	33	0	366

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 Kennedy Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2000	382	21.3	17.9	n/a
2001	589	40.1	14.7	n/a
2002	671	40.0	16.8	67.5
2003	671	40.0	16.8	67.5
2004	703	41.8	16.8	70.6
2005	709	38.8	18.3	75
2006	697	39.0	17.9	76.3
2007	701	34.0	20.6	81.8
2008	836	41.0	20.4	86.5
2009	802	46.0	17.4	88.2
2010	755	49.0	15.4	93.9
2011	698	42.6	16.3	90.3
2012	717	41.7	17.1	93.7
2013	697	40.3	17.2	94.4
2014	655	46.5	14.0	96.6
2015	556	44.0	12.6	98.2
2016	547	40.0	13.6	78.6
2017	520	37.5	13.8	71.3
2018	502	33.2	15.1	78.7
2019	486	28.1	17.2	88.7
2020	487	30.0	16.2	86.7
2021	481	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	463	34.1	13.5	71.5
2023	380	27.2	13.9	87.6
2024	366	30.2	12.1	91

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 Kennedy Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2000	382	21.3	17.9	n/a
2001	589	40.1	14.7	n/a
2002	671	40.0	16.8	67.5
2003	671	40.0	16.8	67.5
2004	703	41.8	16.8	70.6
2005	709	38.8	18.3	75
2006	697	39.0	17.9	76.3
2007	701	34.0	20.6	81.8
2008	836	41.0	20.4	86.5
2009	802	46.0	17.4	88.2
2010	755	49.0	15.4	93.9
2011	698	42.6	16.3	90.3
2012	717	41.7	17.1	93.7
2013	697	40.3	17.2	94.4
2014	655	46.5	14.0	96.6
2015	556	44.0	12.6	98.2
2016	547	40.0	13.6	78.6
2017	520	37.5	13.8	71.3
2018	502	33.2	15.1	78.7
2019	486	28.1	17.2	88.7
2020	487	30.0	16.2	86.7
2021	481	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	463	34.1	13.5	71.5
2023	380	27.2	13.9	87.6
2024	366	30.2	12.1	91

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.

Immunization Rates