Is John F. Kennedy High School a good school?

John F. Kennedy High School ranks in the bottom 2.6% of New Jersey high schools.

How many students attend John F. Kennedy High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 2,053 students attended John F. Kennedy High School.

What is the racial makeup of John F. Kennedy High School?

Students at John F. Kennedy High School are 68% Hispanic, 17% African American, 8% Asian, 7% White.

John F. Kennedy High School

Summary:

John F. Kennedy High School is a public high school in Paterson, New Jersey, serving 2,053 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Paterson Public School District, which is ranked 573 out of 615 school districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite serving a predominantly Hispanic (67.8%) and economically disadvantaged student population, with 51.63% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, John F. Kennedy High School consistently ranks among the lowest-performing high schools in New Jersey. Only 14.6% of 9th-grade students are proficient or better in English Language Arts, and just 1.4% are proficient or better in Algebra I. The school's four-year graduation rate, while improving, is still below the state average at 92.1%, and its chronic absenteeism rate is exceptionally high at 73.3%.

When compared to nearby schools within the Paterson Public School District, such as Rosa L. Parks School of Fine and Performing Arts and International High School, John F. Kennedy High School lags behind in academic performance and graduation rates. However, the contrast is even more stark when comparing the school to high-performing institutions outside the district, like Passaic County-Manchester Regional High School and the Passaic County Technical-Vocational School District, which include schools like Diana C. Lobosco STEM Academy and Passaic County Technical Institute.

Detail:

Public 9-12

61-127 Preakness Avenue
Paterson, NJ 07502

(973) 321-0500

District: Paterson Public School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
411^th of 422 New Jersey High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,588

Student/teacher ratio: 14.5

Number of students: 2,053

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

67.8%

African American:

17.1%

Asian:

8.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 51.6%

See top rated New Jersey high schools

Compare John F. Kennedy High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details John F. Kennedy High School ranks worse than 97.4% of high schools in New Jersey. It also ranks last among 5 ranked high schools in the Paterson Public School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.62. (See more...)

The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of John F. Kennedy High School freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a high 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 John F. Kennedy High School has the largest high school student body size in the Paterson Public School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (67.8%), African American (17.1%), Asian (8.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 51.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at John F. Kennedy High School is 14.5, which is the highest among 7 high schools in the Paterson Public School District! (See more...)

Compare John F. Kennedy High School employs 141 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at John F. Kennedy High School is $11,588. 5 high schools in the Paterson Public School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

John F. Kennedy High School:

SchoolDigger ranks John F. Kennedy High School 411^th of 422 New Jersey public high schools. (See John F. Kennedy High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Paterson Public School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Paterson Public School District 573^rd of 615 New Jersey school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for John F. Kennedy High School

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Rank History for all students at John F. Kennedy High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2014	0.29	402^nd	411	2.2%
2015	15.07	388^th	406	4.4%
2016	11.19	401^st	409	2.0%
2017	10.33	403^rd	411	1.9%
2018	9.70	408^th	415	1.7%
2019	7.75	409^th	416	1.7%
2021	4.72	404^th	405	0.2%
2022	9.64	406^th	415	2.2%
2023	9.62	411^th	422	2.6%

See the entire list of New Jersey High School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2018	23.22	133^rd	146	8.9%
2019	22.46	131^st	138	5.1%
2022	25.82	118^th	137	13.9%
2023	27.40	129^th	161	19.9%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at John F. Kennedy High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2018	20.03	335^th	355	5.6%
2019	17.91	324^th	349	7.2%
2021	18.83	295^th	333	11.4%
2022	24.99	283^rd	344	17.7%
2023	17.47	325^th	339	4.1%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Special Education Students!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2018	11.09	339^th	345	1.7%
2019	9.92	337^th	347	2.9%
2021	9.59	322^nd	326	1.2%
2022	15.21	305^th	324	5.9%
2023	16.17	322^nd	344	6.4%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at John F. Kennedy High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2018	5.08	402^nd	403	0.2%
2019	4.80	400^th	408	2.0%
2021	7.48	394^th	402	2.0%
2022	7.56	409^th	414	1.2%
2023	7.75	408^th	416	1.9%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at John F. Kennedy High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2018	7.88	401^st	405	1.0%
2019	6.14	401^st	407	1.5%
2021	6.03	401^st	402	0.2%
2022	7.80	395^th	410	3.7%
2023	9.72	388^th	414	6.3%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at John F. Kennedy High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	0.54	175^th	175	0.0%
2023	0.66	164^th	172	4.7%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at John F. Kennedy High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2018	10.94	265^th	266	0.4%
2019	12.49	252^nd	254	0.8%
2021	13.42	246^th	247	0.4%
2022	17.01	248^th	256	3.1%
2023	17.17	239^th	250	4.4%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at John F. Kennedy High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2018	9.88	359^th	368	2.4%
2019	8.78	354^th	364	2.7%
2021	7.22	373^rd	374	0.3%
2022	13.67	368^th	382	3.7%
2023	13.20	364^th	385	5.5%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at John F. Kennedy High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	4.90	328^th	335	2.1%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: New Jersey 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: New Jersey Department of Education

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Enrollment information for John F. Kennedy High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2012	24	105	10	344	0	2	0	0	485
2013	24	110	16	320	0	0	0	0	470
2014	22	113	19	329	0	1	0	0	484
2015	30	111	22	361	1	1	3	0	529
2016	25	104	22	375	0	1	5	0	532
2017	34	98	24	383	0	1	0	0	540
2018	32	100	13	421	0	0	0	0	566
2019	32	98	8	441	0	0	0	0	579
2020	25	100	9	450	0	0	0	0	584
2021	23	102	11	447	0	0	0	0	583
2022	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2202	2202
2023	137	352	170	1392	0	0	2	0	2053

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 High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2012	485	47.9	10.1	72.4
2013	470	n/a	n/a	77.7
2014	484	62.0	7.8	87.2
2015	529	61.0	8.6	1.3
2016	532	47.0	11.3	62.8
2017	540	54.0	10.0	65.7
2018	566	53.0	10.6	72.8
2019	579	54.0	10.7	58.7
2020	584	50.0	11.6	65.2
2021	583	48.5	12.0	54.2
2022	2202	168.0	13.1	56.2
2023	2053	141.0	14.5	51.6

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 High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2012	485	47.9	10.1	72.4
2013	470	n/a	n/a	77.7
2014	484	62.0	7.8	87.2
2015	529	61.0	8.6	1.3
2016	532	47.0	11.3	62.8
2017	540	54.0	10.0	65.7
2018	566	53.0	10.6	72.8
2019	579	54.0	10.7	58.7
2020	584	50.0	11.6	65.2
2021	583	48.5	12.0	54.2
2022	2202	168.0	13.1	56.2
2023	2053	141.0	14.5	51.6

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.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for John F. Kennedy High School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$11,588

Data source: New Jersey Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on John F. Kennedy High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 409^th of 416 High schools	Ranks 411^th of 422 High schools	0.9%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
9th Grade English Language Arts (John F. Kennedy High School)	6.3	14.6	8.3%
9th Grade English Language Arts (Paterson Public School District)	12.6	14	1.4%
9th Grade English Language Arts (New Jersey)	55.9	52.1	3.8%
9th Grade Algebra I (John F. Kennedy High School)	0.8	1.4	0.6%
9th Grade Algebra I (Paterson Public School District)	3	1.5	1.5%
9th Grade Algebra I (New Jersey)	27.2	19.2	8%
End of Course Algebra I (John F. Kennedy High School)	0.8	1.4	0.6%
End of Course Algebra I (Paterson Public School District)	15.4	8.9	6.5%
End of Course Algebra I (New Jersey)	43.3	35.1	8.2%
End of Course Geometry (John F. Kennedy High School)	0.7	10	9.3%
End of Course Geometry (Paterson Public School District)	2.9	20.6	17.7%
End of Course Geometry (New Jersey)	32.2	51.2	19%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	579	2053	254.6%
African American	98	352	259.2%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	8	170	2025%
Hispanic	441	1392	215.6%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	32	137	328.1%
Two or More Races	0	2
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	58.7%	51.6%	7.1%

Schools Near John F. Kennedy High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				NJSLA-S Science (2023)	NJSLA English Language Arts (2023)	NJSLA Algebra I (2023)			NJSLA Geometry (2023)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NJSLA-S Science 11th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 10th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	NJSLA Geometry 9th Grade	NJSLA Geometry End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
John F. Kennedy High School	Public	9-12	61-127 Preakness Avenue	Paterson	07502	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-0500	2,053	141	14.5	51.6%	137 (6.7%)	352 (17.1%)	1,392 (67.8%)	170 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	9.6	411^th of 422 public high schools	2.6%		9.6	406^th of 415 public high schools	2.2%	5	3.4	14.6	1.4		1.4	10.0	10.0	$11,588		$11,588
International High School	Public	9-12	200 Grand Street	Paterson	07501	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-2280	694	49	14.1	61.7%	27 (3.9%)	113 (16.3%)	522 (75.2%)	32 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12.8	382^nd of 422 public high schools	9.5%		13.5	378^th of 415 public high schools	8.9%	4	9.3	24.3	4.5		4.5	2.9	2.9	$10,505		$10,505
Newcomers High School	Public	9-12	151 Ellison Street	Paterson	07501	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(973) 321-0760	37	1	37.0	24.3%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7.7	419^th of 422 public high schools	0.7%					(n/a)		0.0	0.0		0.0
Paterson P-Technical High School	Public	9-12	201 Memorial Drive	Paterson	07505	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-2292	202	17	11.8	46.0%	2 (1.0%)	56 (27.7%)	138 (68.3%)	6 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15	365^th of 422 public high schools	13.5%		17.7	351^st of 415 public high schools	15.4%	14	10.4	28.3	5.9		5.9			$14,806		$14,806
Alternative High School	Public	9-12	350 Market Street	Paterson	07501	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-0110	125	25	5.0	65.6%	2 (1.6%)	68 (54.4%)	54 (43.2%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								$15,582		$15,582
Diana C. Lobosco STEM Academy	Public	9-12	45 Reinhardt Road	Wayne	07470	Passaic County	Passaic County Technical-Vocational School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 790-6000	1,034	80	12.9	40.6%	283 (27.4%)	76 (7.4%)	450 (43.5%)	193 (18.7%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	28 (2.7%)	93.3	11^th of 422 public high schools	97.4%		95.4	7^th of 415 public high schools	98.3%	4	74.9	93.1	76.4		75.4	100.0	100.0
Passaic County Technical Institute	Public	9-12	45 Reinhardt Road	Wayne	07470	Passaic County	Passaic County Technical-Vocational School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 790-6000	3,359	286	11.7	57.1%	652 (19.4%)	302 (9.0%)	2,039 (60.7%)	296 (8.8%)	1 (0.0%)	1 (0.0%)	63 (1.9%)	67.6	87^th of 422 public high schools	79.4%		66.7	82^nd of 415 public high schools	80.2%	5	36.2	63.1	50.4	0.0	48.7			$17,412	$1,035	$16,377
Eastside High School	Public	9-12	150 Park Avenue	Paterson	07501	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-2354	2,323	133	17.4	52.7%	18 (0.8%)	405 (17.4%)	1,895 (81.6%)	3 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.0%)	7.8	417^th of 422 public high schools	1.2%					(n/a)		6.3	0.6		0.6	0.0	0.0
Passaic County-Manchester Regional High School	Public	9-12	70 Church Street	Haledon	07508	Passaic County	Passaic County Manchester Regional High School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 389-2821	811	62	13.1	68.7%	97 (12.0%)	130 (16.0%)	549 (67.7%)	24 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	15	364^th of 422 public high schools	13.7%		16.1	365^th of 415 public high schools	12.0%	1	10.4	23.4	5.4	6.3	5.5			$13,765	$898	$12,867
Rosa L. Parks School of Fine and Performing Arts	Public	9-12	413 12th Avenue	Paterson	07514	Passaic County	Paterson Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 321-0520	252	27	9.3	53.2%	5 (2.0%)	95 (37.7%)	151 (59.9%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9.7	409^th of 422 public high schools	3.1%		12.8	381^st of 415 public high schools	8.2%	28	1.8	18.8	1.3		1.3			$17,357		$17,357

John F. Kennedy High School

John F. Kennedy High School:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Paterson Public School District:

What do you think?

Rank History for John F. Kennedy High School

Rank History for all students at John F. Kennedy High School

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

Rank History for Special Education students at John F. Kennedy High School

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

Rank History for Female students at John F. Kennedy High School

Rank History for Male students at John F. Kennedy High School

Rank History for Asian students at John F. Kennedy High School

Rank History for African American students at John F. Kennedy High School

Rank History for Hispanic students at John F. Kennedy High School

Rank History for White students at John F. Kennedy High School

Enrollment information for John F. Kennedy High School

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

Student/Teacher Ratio John F. Kennedy High School

Per Pupil Expenditures for John F. Kennedy High School

Impact of COVID-19 on John F. Kennedy High School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near John F. Kennedy High School

Frequently Asked Questions about John F. Kennedy High School

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