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John F. Kennedy Elementary

Public Grades K-5
1162nd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,804 California Elementary Schools
Better than 80% of California elementary schools
Summary

John F. Kennedy Elementary in Newark, California, serves 455 students in grades K–5, in an area with nearby schools in Newark Unified and Fremont Unified. Its 2025–2026 results are above state and district levels in all three tested subjects, and it stands out most in comparisons within its district. Most importantly, it scored higher than the other nearby Newark Unified elementary schools in English language arts (ELA), math, and science.

Math is JFK’s strongest result against the state and district, while science is closest to the nearby-school average. The school scored 61% in ELA, 60% in math, and 49% in science—about 12, 22, and 13 percentage points above state results, and 12, 19, and 17 points above district results, respectively. Compared with the ten nearby schools’ averages, JFK was ahead by about 6 points in ELA, 6 in math, and 3 in science; across all eleven schools, it ranked sixth in each subject. Grade 5 is a relative soft spot: math results were 51%, compared with 69% in grade 3, and ELA results were 56%, compared with 65% in grade 4. Even so, grade 5 results remained above state and district levels.

All three subjects improved from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026: ELA rose 9 points, math 7, and science 7, although science dipped before its latest increase. SchoolDigger’s overall ranking rose from the 72nd percentile to the 80th, with a 4-star rating; five nearby schools ranked higher. Its statewide ranking for White Students was notably lower, at the 27th percentile versus 80th overall, and varied from the 18th percentile in 2021–2022 to the 74th in 2022–2023. JFK’s student–teacher ratio was 26.7:1 in 2024–2025, above the nearby average of 24.8:1. In that same school year, 31% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, below the nearby average of 38%. Chronic absenteeism improved from 23% in 2024–2025 to 11% in 2025–2026, below the latest district and state rates of 15% and 18%.

455
Students ?
26.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$20,818
Per pupil spending ?
31.0%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
 35430 Blackburn Dr.
       Newark, CA  94560-1312

(510) 818-3400

District: Newark Unified


Students who attend John F. Kennedy Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Newark Middle
High:    Newark Memorial High
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
41.8%
Asian:
25.9%
White:
14.9%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare John F. Kennedy Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 82nd percentile in 2015 → 80th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the California average (59% vs 42% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 20% of California elementary schools
✓Among the top-ranked schools in Newark Unified
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Large classes — about 27 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school59%
District avg43%
California avg42%
1,162nd of 5,804
California public elementary schools ?
Top 20%▲ up 2 pts since 2016
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 5Elementary Schools in the Newark Unified
447th of 968Newark Unified among California 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202679.31162 of 580480.0%★★★★☆
202568.61663 of 585771.6%★★★★☆
202468.41668 of 586971.6%★★★★☆
202370.11568 of 585973.2%★★★★☆
202275.01403 of 588376.2%★★★★☆
201971.31541 of 578973.4%★★★★☆
201857.92143 of 566262.2%★★★☆☆
201768.81622 of 569271.5%★★★★☆
201677.01240 of 561477.9%★★★★☆
201582.11029 of 561181.7%★★★★☆
201374.31355 of 553075.5%★★★★☆
201262.41917 of 539064.4%★★★☆☆
201159.02090 of 537761.1%★★★☆☆
201064.71743 of 531467.2%★★★☆☆
200952.82323 of 519355.3%★★★☆☆
200860.41832 of 511364.2%★★★☆☆
200767.51485 of 511371.0%★★★★☆
200672.21251 of 481874.0%★★★★☆
200575.11121 of 482276.8%★★★★☆
200468.51349 of 480971.9%★★★★☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202658.5633 of 120747.6%★★☆☆☆
202551.4745 of 120338.1%★★☆☆☆
202448.7773 of 120535.9%★★☆☆☆
202349.2756 of 119036.5%★★☆☆☆
201968.0419 of 114963.5%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202456.7851 of 316273.1%★★★★☆
202340.81746 of 324546.2%★★☆☆☆
201989.1184 of 327594.4%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202684.5848 of 556984.8%★★★★☆
202575.01286 of 559777.0%★★★★☆
202471.81419 of 561274.7%★★★★☆
202375.51265 of 560977.4%★★★★☆
202282.11010 of 563582.1%★★★★☆
201976.11257 of 549277.1%★★★★☆
201857.32110 of 541361.0%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202669.01258 of 508575.3%★★★★☆
202548.52395 of 510753.1%★★★☆☆
202456.91851 of 510763.8%★★★☆☆
202353.52033 of 508760.0%★★★☆☆
202270.01158 of 508477.2%★★★★☆
201961.51607 of 496367.6%★★★☆☆
201842.82680 of 483044.5%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202663.91641 of 541269.7%★★★☆☆
202545.52767 of 546049.3%★★☆☆☆
202457.81925 of 551765.1%★★★☆☆
202351.72250 of 536358.0%★★★☆☆
202252.72108 of 526460.0%★★★☆☆
201961.61663 of 517367.9%★★★☆☆
201856.81917 of 508462.3%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202670.71474 of 559073.6%★★★★☆
202559.81983 of 562864.8%★★★☆☆
202461.11925 of 564365.9%★★★☆☆
202361.51879 of 563866.7%★★★☆☆
202263.31811 of 566368.0%★★★☆☆
201963.61791 of 551067.5%★★★☆☆
201856.32110 of 543161.1%★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202664.6295 of 75260.8%★★★☆☆
202464.0285 of 67057.5%★★★☆☆
202359.3305 of 66954.4%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202658.5844 of 292071.1%★★★★☆
202534.71728 of 284739.3%★★☆☆☆
202454.1854 of 263567.6%★★★☆☆
202365.7544 of 242077.5%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202630.71861 of 253226.5%★☆☆☆☆
202373.3683 of 266174.3%★★★★☆
202221.22240 of 272617.8%★☆☆☆☆
201818.82356 of 273713.9%★☆☆☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Female (2026)85th percentile+5 vs school
Hispanic (2026)75th percentile-5 vs school
Male (2026)74th percentile-6 vs school
English Language Learner (2024)73rd percentile~ school
Special Education (2026)71st percentile-9 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)70th percentile-10 vs school
Multi-racial (2026)61st percentile-19 vs school
Asian (2026)48th percentile-32 vs school
White (2026)27th percentile-53 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy61%+12 vs state
Mathematics60%+22 vs state
Science49%+13 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about John F. Kennedy Elementary

John F. Kennedy Elementary ranks 1162nd of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 455 students attended John F. Kennedy Elementary.

Students at John F. Kennedy Elementary are 42% Hispanic, 26% Asian, 15% White, 15% Two or more races, 2% African American.

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

Middle : Newark Middle
High : Newark Memorial High

Rate John F. Kennedy Elementary!



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Latest California data All new data »
2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026
2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026
2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026


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

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