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John F. Kennedy High School

Public Grades 9-12

428^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 434 New Jersey High Schools

Better than 1% of New Jersey high schools

Summary

John F. Kennedy High School is a public high school in Paterson, New Jersey, serving 1,794 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Paterson Public School District, which is ranked 561 out of 609 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

John F. Kennedy High School consistently ranks among the lowest-performing high schools in New Jersey, with a statewide ranking between 400-430 out of over 400 high schools in recent years. The school's performance on standardized tests is significantly below the state and district averages across all subject areas and grade levels. Its four-year graduation rate has fluctuated between 75.2% and 91.3%, which is lower than the state average, and its dropout rate has ranged from 1.0% to 6.9%, which is higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has a very high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 14.9% to 48.1% in recent years, significantly higher than the state and district averages.

The challenges facing John F. Kennedy High School appear to be systemic within the Paterson Public School District, as nearby schools such as Rosa L. Parks School of Fine and Performing Arts, International High School, and Eastside High School also perform poorly on academic measures and face similar challenges. The school's spending per student of $11,588 in the 2018-2019 school year is lower than the state average, which may contribute to the difficulties the school faces.

1,846

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,588

Per pupil spending ?

60.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

61-127 Preakness Avenue
Paterson, NJ 07502

(973) 321-0500

District: Paterson Public School District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

70.2%

African American:

15.3%

Asian:

8.3%

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

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 4th percentile in 2015 → 1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Jersey average (12% vs 49% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!Graduation rate below the New Jersey average (79% vs 91%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school12%

District avg17%

New Jersey avg49%

428^th of 434

New Jersey public high schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 4% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5High Schools in the Paterson Public School District

561^st of 609Paterson Public School District among New Jersey 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	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	6.6	428 of 434	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.1	422 of 429	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	411 of 422	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.6	406 of 415	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.7	404 of 405	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.8	409 of 416	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.7	408 of 415	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	10.3	403 of 411	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	11.2	401 of 409	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	15.1	388 of 406	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	0.3	402 of 411	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	15.5	266 of 283	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.7	266 of 282	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.2	239 of 250	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.0	248 of 256	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.4	246 of 247	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.5	252 of 254	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.9	265 of 266	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	0.4	175 of 190	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	0.3	191 of 191	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	0.7	164 of 172	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	0.5	175 of 175	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	17.7	207 of 215	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	167 of 191	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.4	129 of 161	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.8	118 of 137	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.5	131 of 138	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.2	133 of 146	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	5.1	415 of 426	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.6	409 of 420	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.7	408 of 416	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.6	409 of 414	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.5	394 of 402	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.8	400 of 408	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.1	402 of 403	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	8.2	397 of 406	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.8	391 of 403	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.2	364 of 385	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.7	368 of 382	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.2	373 of 374	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.8	354 of 364	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.9	359 of 368	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	9.2	364 of 377	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.8	347 of 358	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.2	322 of 344	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.2	305 of 324	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.6	322 of 326	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.9	337 of 347	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	339 of 345	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	5.9	413 of 426	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.9	412 of 419	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.7	388 of 414	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.8	395 of 410	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.0	401 of 402	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.1	401 of 407	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.9	401 of 405	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	15.8	343 of 359	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.5	350 of 361	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	325 of 339	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	25.0	283 of 344	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.8	295 of 333	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.9	324 of 349	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	335 of 355	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	1.4	342 of 347	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	0.1	338 of 345	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.9	328 of 335	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Asian (2025)8th percentile+7 vs school

African American (2025)6th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2025)4th percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)2nd percentile~ school

White (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics15%-43 vs state

English Language Arts8%-42 vs state

Science6%-25 vs state

Algebra I2%-30 vs state

Geometry0%-56 vs state

★

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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)				NJGPA English Language Arts (2025)	NJGPA Mathematics (2025)	NJSLA-S Science (2025)	NJSLA English Language Arts (2025)	NJSLA Algebra I (2025)			NJSLA Geometry (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	NJGPA English Language Arts 11th Grade	NJGPA Mathematics 11th Grade	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	1,846	138	13.3	60.2%	106 (5.7%)	282 (15.3%)	1,296 (70.2%)	154 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (0.4%)	6.6	428^th of 434 public high schools	1.4%		6.1	422^nd of 429 public high schools	1.6%	6	40.5	15.4	5.9	7.9	1.8		1.8		0.0	$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	650	52	12.5	76.6%	32 (4.9%)	100 (15.4%)	478 (73.5%)	39 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25.7	334^th of 434 public high schools	23.0%		18.3	367^th of 429 public high schools	14.5%	33	73.2	41.3	7.0	33.9	19.8		19.8	12.2	12.2	$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	106	6	17.6	49.1%	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	105 (99.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9.4	419^th of 434 public high schools	3.5%		6.4	420^th of 429 public high schools	2.1%	1			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	193	16	12.0	54.4%	9 (4.7%)	49 (25.4%)	130 (67.4%)	5 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34.2	296^th of 434 public high schools	31.8%		19.6	360^th of 429 public high schools	16.1%	64	81.0	35.7	39.1	29.4	7.8		7.8			$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	81	21	3.8	69.1%	0 (0.0%)	47 (58.0%)	34 (42.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	21.9									$15,582		$15,582
Passaic County Technical Institute 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	1,040	83	12.5	42.6%	290 (27.9%)	68 (6.5%)	443 (42.6%)	211 (20.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	25 (2.4%)	92.8	5^th of 434 public high schools	98.8%		93.6	5^th of 429 public high schools	98.8%				75.3	91.2	78.8		78.8	94.7	94.7
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	3,565	322	11.0	59.8%	676 (19.0%)	339 (9.5%)	2,169 (60.8%)	306 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	70 (2.0%)	70.5	93^rd of 434 public high schools	78.6%		65	126^th of 429 public high schools	70.6%	33		72.2	41.2	63.8	53.0	0.0	52.1	78.5	78.5	$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	2,073	130	15.9	58.3%	24 (1.2%)	327 (15.8%)	1,717 (82.8%)	4 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.0%)	6.1	429^th of 434 public high schools	1.2%		4.6	428^th of 429 public high schools	0.2%	1	33.3	10.1	3.8	3.1	3.6		3.6		9.1
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	803	67	12.0	62.8%	73 (9.1%)	122 (15.2%)	561 (69.9%)	31 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.7%)	16.3	380^th of 434 public high schools	12.4%		17	373^rd of 429 public high schools	13.1%	7	69.0	26.9	8.2	19.4	8.4		8.3			$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	258	26	9.9	59.7%	2 (0.8%)	96 (37.2%)	159 (61.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12.2	407^th of 434 public high schools	6.2%		12.8	394^th of 429 public high schools	8.2%	13	63.1	26.2	10.6	7.5	4.4		4.3			$17,357		$17,357

Frequently Asked Questions about John F. Kennedy High School

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

Students at John F. Kennedy High School are 70% Hispanic, 15% African American, 8% Asian, 6% White.

How many students attend John F. Kennedy High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,846 students attended John F. Kennedy High School.

Is John F. Kennedy High School a good school?

John F. Kennedy High School ranks in the bottom 1.4% of New Jersey high schools.

What district is John F. Kennedy High School in?

Paterson Public School District

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