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John F Kennedy High School

Q: Is John F Kennedy High School a good school?

John F Kennedy High School ranks 205 th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

205^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 40% of Iowa high schools

Summary

John F Kennedy High School is a public high school in Cedar Rapids Community School District, serving 1,719 students in grades 9-12. While the school has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the years, dropping from 68th out of 327 Iowa high schools in 2018-2019 to 205th out of 340 in 2024-2025, it generally outperforms other high schools in the district in terms of test scores and graduation rates.

John F Kennedy High School's four-year graduation rate has fluctuated between 77.5% and 90.2% in recent years, and its test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are above the district and state averages, with particularly strong performance in 9th and 10th grade English Language Arts. However, the school's Mathematics proficiency rates, while still above the district, are lower than the state averages, especially in 11th grade. Additionally, the school has relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 35.7% in recent years, which may be impacting its overall performance.

Interestingly, while John F Kennedy High School outperforms other high schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District, it lags behind nearby schools in other districts, such as Mount Vernon High School and Center Point-Urbana High School, which significantly outperform John F Kennedy High School across various metrics, including test scores, graduation rates, and statewide rankings.

1,648

Students ?

17.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,742

Per pupil spending ?

36%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4545 Wenig RD NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52405

(319) 558-2251

District: Cedar Rapids Community School District

Feeder schools for John F Kennedy High School:

Elementary:	Hiawatha Elementary School
	Madison Elementary School
	Maple Grove Elementary
	Nixon Elementary School
	More...
	Pierce Elementary School
	Viola Gibson Elementary School
Middle:	Harding Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.2%

African American:

9.6%

Two or more races:

8.0%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare John F Kennedy High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 83rd percentile in 2015 → 40th in 2025

Strengths

✓92% graduate in 4 years — above the Iowa average (89%)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Cedar Rapids Community School District

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 22% Iowa)

!Ranking has slipped — down 43 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school69%

District avg62%

Iowa avg69%

205^th of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Bottom 40%▼ down 43 pts since 2015

From top 17% (2015) to bottom 40% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4High Schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District

279^th of 313Cedar Rapids Community School District among Iowa districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	47.9	205 of 340	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.3	176 of 338	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.6	170 of 336	49.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.3	147 of 332	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.3	135 of 327	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.4	68 of 327	79.2%	★★★★☆
2018	54.4	171 of 320	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.8	224 of 325	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	69.6	98 of 320	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	77.3	55 of 324	83.0%	★★★★☆
2014	69.3	103 of 322	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	75.2	55 of 351	84.3%	★★★★☆
2012	72.5	75 of 351	78.6%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts74%~ state avg

Mathematics67%~ state avg

Science62%-4 vs state

2.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Thursday, April 30, 2009

This school is overcrowded, and students go to school fearful of what might happen at the school. There is constant fighting, drugs, and violence which take place here. The administration does a very good job of keeping this negative publicity from being released to the public, however the police are at the school on a daily basis because of some type of disruption. Close Quote

Schools Near John F Kennedy High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISASP English Language Arts (2025)					ISASP Mathematics (2025)					ISASP Science (2025)		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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 9th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 10th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
John F Kennedy High School	Public	9-12	4545 Wenig RD NE	Cedar Rapids	52405	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 558-2251	1,648	93	17.7	36.0%	1,174 (71.2%)	159 (9.6%)	126 (7.6%)	46 (2.8%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	132 (8.0%)	47.9	205^th of 340 public high schools	39.7%		53.3	176^th of 338 public high schools	47.9%	29			79.0	74.7	68.3			67.1	67.6	65.1		62.4	$14,742	$564	$14,177
Empowering Excellence Charter School	Public, Charter	9-12	1800 1st Ave NE # 201	Cedar Rapids	52402	Linn County	Charter Organization: Empowering Youths of Iowa	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(319) 451-9243	120	1	120.0	86.7%	32 (26.7%)	61 (50.8%)	8 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (13.3%)								(n/a)
George Washington High School	Public	9-12	2205 Forest DR SE	Cedar Rapids	52403	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 558-2161	1,182	77	15.2	54.7%	636 (53.8%)	294 (24.9%)	100 (8.5%)	16 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.3%)	122 (10.3%)	32.8	267^th of 340 public high schools	21.5%		24.2	283^rd of 338 public high schools	16.3%	16			67.5	73.7	65.6			49.6	62.5	60.0		62.0	$16,333	$764	$15,569
Metro High School	Public	9-12	1212 7th ST SE	Cedar Rapids	52401	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 558-3100	288	25	11.3	79.2%	146 (50.7%)	60 (20.8%)	26 (9.0%)	2 (0.7%)	3 (1.0%)	4 (1.4%)	46 (16.0%)	0.9	332^nd of 340 public high schools	2.4%		0.1	337^th of 338 public high schools	0.3%	5			42.9	43.8	20.6			17.2	38.2	14.7		35.3	$17,640	$336	$17,305
Thomas Jefferson High School	Public	9-12	1243 20th ST SW	Cedar Rapids	52404	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 558-2435	1,501	85	17.6	60.5%	736 (49.0%)	424 (28.2%)	172 (11.5%)	23 (1.5%)	1 (0.1%)	15 (1.0%)	126 (8.4%)	18.9	296^th of 340 public high schools	12.9%		8.8	315^th of 338 public high schools	6.8%	19			68.1	65.2	57.7			52.6	48.5	44.5		57.6	$15,251	$1,064	$14,187
Marion High School	Public	9-12	675 S 15th St	Marion	52302	Linn County	Marion Independent School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 377-9891	735	45	16.2	27.2%	605 (82.3%)	32 (4.4%)	42 (5.7%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	50 (6.8%)	51.6	193^rd of 340 public high schools	43.2%		42	233^rd of 338 public high schools	31.1%	40			82.1	72.9	75.4			66.1	63.7	63.7		69.9	$13,802	$140	$13,663
Linn-Mar High School	Public	9-12	3111 N 10th St	Marion	52302	Linn County	Linn-Mar Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 447-3040	2,229	130	17.1	23.1%	1,657 (74.3%)	151 (6.8%)	136 (6.1%)	130 (5.8%)	4 (0.2%)	5 (0.2%)	129 (5.8%)	61.6	145^th of 340 public high schools	57.4%		66.5	109^th of 338 public high schools	67.8%	36			81.6	77.7	70.8			73.2	76.7	68.8		73.5	$13,871	$299	$13,571
Prairie High School	Public	9-12	401 76th Ave SW	Cedar Rapids	52404	Linn County	College Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 848-5340	1,766	95	18.5	29.8%	1,243 (70.4%)	225 (12.7%)	123 (7.0%)	27 (1.5%)	2 (0.1%)	14 (0.8%)	128 (7.2%)	54.9	177^th of 340 public high schools	47.9%		22.6	288^th of 338 public high schools	14.8%	111			79.3	81.4	69.7			69.3	70.6	60.3		71.1	$14,453	$304	$14,149
Alburnett Senior High School	Public	9-12	131 Roosevelt Street	Alburnett	52202	Linn County	Alburnett Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 842-2263	293	19	15.6	7.5%	278 (94.9%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.1%)	74.4	62^nd of 340 public high schools	81.8%		78	41^st of 338 public high schools	87.9%	21			86.5	83.8	83.8			74.3	75.7	88.2		72.6	$15,024	$123	$14,901
Springville Secondary School	Public	7-12	400 Academy St	Springville	52336	Linn County	Springville Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 854-6196	184	16	11.7	23.9%	169 (91.8%)	1 (0.5%)	5 (2.7%)	2 (1.1%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.3%)	64.3	125^th of 340 public high schools	63.2%		73.3	70^th of 338 public high schools	79.3%	55	92.3	93.8	82.8	84.8	83.3	88.5	75.0	48.3	72.7	73.3	78.1	81.8	$16,663	$277	$16,386

Frequently Asked Questions about John F Kennedy High School

How many students attend John F Kennedy High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,648 students attended John F Kennedy High School.

What district is John F Kennedy High School in?

Cedar Rapids Community School District

What schools feed into John F Kennedy High School?

John F Kennedy High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Hiawatha Elementary School
Elementary : Madison Elementary School
Elementary : Maple Grove Elementary
Elementary : Nixon Elementary School
Elementary : Pierce Elementary School
Elementary : Viola Gibson Elementary School
Middle : Harding Middle School

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

Students at John F Kennedy High School are 71% White, 10% African American, 8% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic, 3% Asian.

Is John F Kennedy High School a good school?

John F Kennedy High School ranks 205^th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate John F Kennedy High School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.