Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Connecticut rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

John F. Kennedy High School

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

John F. Kennedy High School ranks in the bottom 7.4% of Connecticut high schools.

Q: How many students attend John F. Kennedy High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,391 students attended John F. Kennedy High School.

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

Students at John F. Kennedy High School are 63% Hispanic, 23% African American, 10% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Q: What schools feed into John F. Kennedy High School?

John F. Kennedy High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : B. W. Tinker School Elementary : Bunker Hill School Elementary : Driggs School Elementary : Duggan School Elementary : Gilmartin School Elementary : Hopeville School Middle : West Side Middle School

Public Grades 9-12

125^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 135 Connecticut High Schools

Better than 7% of Connecticut high schools

Summary

John F. Kennedy High School in Waterbury, CT, is a comprehensive public high school serving about 1,391 students in grades 9–12 in a high-poverty urban area, with roughly 82% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. It ranks in the bottom 6% of Connecticut high schools (125th out of 133), among the lowest-performing in the state. Within the Waterbury School District, only Wilby High School ranks lower; Crosby High School is slightly higher, while Waterbury Career Academy and Waterbury Arts Magnet School rank far above.

Chronic absenteeism is one of JFK's most pressing challenges: 35.7% of students were chronically absent in 2025-2026, more than double the state average of 16.4% and well above the district average of 23.1%. Only Wilby High School (49.8%) has a worse rate among nearby schools. Test scores are also far below state averages, with 22% of students proficient in ELA, 12.8% in math, and 11.7% in science, compared to 55.3%, 31.3%, and 50.5% statewide. The 84.8% graduation rate trails the state average (91.2%) and is second-lowest among nearby schools, ahead of only Wilby High School (82.7%). JFK's student-teacher ratio of 14.2:1 is higher than most higher-performing schools nearby, and per-pupil spending of about $15,700 is lower than the Watertown School District and Naugatuck School District.

There are encouraging signs. Chronic absenteeism has dropped from 54.1% in 2021-2022 to 35.7% in 2025-2026, and test scores have risen from very low levels—ELA from 17.9% to 22.0%, math from 6.7% to 12.8%, science from 6.4% to 11.7%. JFK also showed notable strength supporting English Language Learners, ranking in the 71st percentile statewide in 2021-2022. The most striking contrast within Waterbury is Waterbury Career Academy, which serves a similar share of low-income students (78%) but achieves a 97.8% graduation rate, 8.9% chronic absenteeism, and 58% ELA proficiency. While application-based and not an apples-to-apples comparison, it shows high-poverty schools in Waterbury can achieve much stronger results. JFK's most urgent priorities remain improving attendance, raising math and science proficiency, and closing the gaps for its most vulnerable students—low-income and special education students remain among the most underserved in the state.

1,391

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,813

Per pupil spending ?

81.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

422 Highland Ave.
Waterbury, CT 06708

(203) 574-8153

District: Waterbury School District

Feeder schools for John F. Kennedy High School:

Elementary:	B. W. Tinker School
	Bunker Hill School
	Driggs School
	Duggan School
	More...
	Gilmartin School
	Hopeville School
Middle:	West Side Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

63.0%

African American:

22.6%

White:

9.8%

See top rated Connecticut high schools

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

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 10th percentile in 2015 → 7th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Connecticut average (15% vs 46% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Connecticut average (85% vs 91%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg20%

Connecticut avg46%

125^th of 135

Connecticut public high schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5High Schools in the Waterbury School District

144^th of 153Waterbury School District among Connecticut 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	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	10.8	125 of 135	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.9	132 of 141	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.0	137 of 145	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.2	132 of 142	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.7	131 of 139	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.7	161 of 200	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.7	114 of 121	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.3	131 of 140	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	9.1	120 of 132	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	13.3	177 of 196	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	10.3	171 of 193	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	17.4	163 of 188	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	14.0	168 of 189	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	20.9	157 of 186	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	28.2	146 of 176	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	9.7	161 of 176	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	16.7	151 of 176	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	24.4	27 of 31	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.2	28 of 31	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.0	22 of 25	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.0	32 of 58	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2022	13.0	5 of 17	70.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	11.8	96 of 111	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.5	92 of 104	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.5	94 of 102	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.8	98 of 103	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.1	98 of 106	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.4	138 of 189	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	23.6	54 of 67	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.4	53 of 63	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.2	60 of 63	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.5	59 of 63	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.8	47 of 59	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.0	61 of 104	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.8	19 of 20	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2024	7.2	64 of 65	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	68 of 70	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.2	62 of 63	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.0	115 of 155	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	37 of 37	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	8.7	108 of 115	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.9	107 of 111	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.1	99 of 100	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.2	95 of 100	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.3	99 of 102	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.2	157 of 182	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	4.4	79 of 80	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.8	78 of 78	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2024	17.1	10 of 11	9.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	6.3	14 of 14	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.2	133 of 175	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	0.9	116 of 116	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	0.1	116 of 116	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.5	135 of 155	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2022)71st percentile+65 vs school

Hispanic (2026)19th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2026)14th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2026)13th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2024)9th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)6th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)2nd percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)<1st percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts22%-33 vs state

Math13%-18 vs state

Science12%-39 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate John F. Kennedy High School and help other families decide.

Rate John F. Kennedy High School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near John F. Kennedy High School

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				NGSS Science (2026)		SAT English Language Arts (2026)	SAT Math (2026)	SBAC English Language Arts (2026)			SBAC Mathematics (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NGSS Science 8th Grade	NGSS Science 11th Grade	SAT English Language Arts 11th Grade	SAT Math 11th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	Total
John F. Kennedy High School	Public	9-12	422 Highland Ave.	Waterbury	06708	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8153	1,391	98	14.2	81.8%	137 (9.8%)	314 (22.6%)	876 (63.0%)	22 (1.6%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (2.7%)	10.8	125^th of 135 public high schools	7.4%		8.9	132^nd of 141 public high schools	6.4%	7		11.7	22.0	12.8							$18,813
Waterbury Arts Magnet School	Public, Magnet	6-12	16 South Elm St.	Waterbury	06706	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(203) 573-6300	820	68	12.0	68.0%	234 (28.5%)	151 (18.4%)	378 (46.1%)	12 (1.5%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (5.2%)	24.2	94^th of 135 public high schools	30.4%		22.7	103^rd of 141 public high schools	27.0%	9	53.2	1094.0	42.9	13.4	57.4	57.3	73.0	38.0	27.3	40.5	$22,835
REGIONS staff secure Waterbury	Public	6-12	80 Prospect Street	Waterbury	06702	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Judicial Centers	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(203) 757-9939	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Waterbury Career Academy	Public	9-12	175 Birch Street	Waterbury	06704	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8000	709	59	11.9	78.0%	92 (13.0%)	184 (26.0%)	387 (54.6%)	19 (2.7%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.0%)	44.5	69^th of 135 public high schools	48.9%		28	91^st of 141 public high schools	35.5%	22		47.8	58.0	19.3							$21,089
W. F. Kaynor Technical High School	Public	9-12	43 Tompkins St.	Waterbury	06708	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 596-4302	831	71	11.6	51.7%	231 (27.8%)	133 (16.0%)	401 (48.3%)	10 (1.2%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	42 (5.1%)	31.3	82^nd of 135 public high schools	39.3%		27.7	93^rd of 141 public high schools	34.0%	11		45.8	42.0	14.6							$28,587
Naugatuck High School	Public	9-12	543 Rubber Ave.	Naugatuck	06770	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Naugatuck School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 720-5400	1,202	79	15.2	54.2%	453 (37.7%)	165 (13.7%)	490 (40.8%)	35 (2.9%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	51 (4.2%)								(n/a)		42.0									$20,990
Watertown High School	Public	9-12	324 French St.	Watertown	06795	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Watertown School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 945-4810	693	66	10.5	40.4%	539 (77.8%)	27 (3.9%)	93 (13.4%)	10 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	21 (3.0%)	50.9	66^th of 135 public high schools	51.1%					(n/a)		47.7	57.6	29.1							$26,352
Wilby High School	Public	9-12	568 Bucks Hill Rd.	Waterbury	06704	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8100	1,196	83	14.4	84.9%	60 (5.0%)	307 (25.7%)	764 (63.9%)	7 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (4.6%)	7.9	130^th of 135 public high schools	3.7%		6.6	137^th of 141 public high schools	2.8%	7		13.0	14.2	8.1							$19,547
Crosby High School	Public	9-12	300 Pierpont Rd.	Waterbury	06705	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8061	1,453	85	17.0	83.0%	90 (6.2%)	344 (23.7%)	942 (64.8%)	16 (1.1%)	12 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (3.4%)	11.9	123^rd of 135 public high schools	8.9%		8.6	133^rd of 141 public high schools	5.7%	10		8.2	26.1	14.0							$16,885
Wolcott High School	Public	9-12	457 Bound Line Rd.	Wolcott	06716	Capitol Planning Region	Wolcott School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 879-8164	611	60	10.1	30.9%	445 (72.8%)	33 (5.4%)	96 (15.7%)	17 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.3%)	51.6	64^th of 135 public high schools	52.6%					(n/a)		36.1	64.6	33.3							$21,527

Frequently Asked Questions about John F. Kennedy High School

What schools feed into John F. Kennedy High School?

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

Elementary : B. W. Tinker School
Elementary : Bunker Hill School
Elementary : Driggs School
Elementary : Duggan School
Elementary : Gilmartin School
Elementary : Hopeville School
Middle : West Side Middle School

Is John F. Kennedy High School a good school?

John F. Kennedy High School ranks in the bottom 7.4% of Connecticut high schools.

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

Students at John F. Kennedy High School are 63% Hispanic, 23% African American, 10% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is John F. Kennedy High School in?

Waterbury School District

How many students attend John F. Kennedy High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,391 students attended John F. Kennedy High School.

Rate John F. Kennedy High School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CTConnecticut High School Rankings

CTConnecticut District Rankings

Schools in Waterbury, CT

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for John F. Kennedy High School!

Latest Connecticut data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesAug 31, 2026

2025–26 NGSS, SAT & SBAC test scoresAug 31, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataApr 2, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataNov 6, 2025

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