Summary:
ZIP code 94804 has two Richmond High and John F. Kennedy High, both serving grades 9–12 in West Contra Costa Unified. The clearest area-wide concern is that both schools are below state proficiency rates in all three tested subjects: their strongest results are 28% in ELA at Richmond and 23% in math at Kennedy, compared with state rates of 49% and 38%, respectively.
Richmond stands out in ELA and science, while Kennedy is the clear math leader: Richmond scores 28% in ELA and 12% in science, versus Kennedy’s 14% and 10%; Kennedy scores 23% in math, compared with Richmond’s 5%. The school-to-school gaps are 14 percentage points in ELA, 2 in science and 17 in math. Richmond also has stronger reported graduation and attendance-related outcomes: 84% graduate, compared with 76% at Kennedy, while dropout rates are 9% versus 15% and chronic absenteeism is 44% versus 56%. Both schools’ graduation rates are below the state’s 88%, and their absenteeism rates are well above the state’s 18%.
Recent results show different patterns rather than one school improving across the board. From 2024–25 to 2025–26, Richmond’s ELA, math and science proficiency fell by 12, 3 and 5 points; Kennedy’s ELA fell by 2 points, while its math rose by 14 and science by 9. SchoolDigger gives both schools one star; Kennedy ranks 1,608th of 2,137 (25th percentile), ahead of Richmond at 1,698th (21st percentile). Richmond enrolls 1,280 students and has a 22.3 student–teacher ratio; Kennedy enrolls 740 and has a 19.2 ratio. For 2024–25, free/reduced lunch eligible figures are 97% at Richmond and 60% at Kennedy. These differences are useful context, not explanations for school results; the test-score trends cover only two school years.
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