Elementary school (grades K-5) · Riverside, CA

John F. Kennedy Elementary

Federal NCES profile for John F. Kennedy Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063315010585
0/100100/10026/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

John F. Kennedy Elementary earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#10 of 43
elementary schools in Riverside · Resource Index
26
Resource Index · Lower
26.2:1
large classes for California
39.8%
free-lunch eligible

John F. Kennedy Elementary has class sizes larger than 86% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, John F. Kennedy Elementary ranks #10 of 43 elementary schools in Riverside, CA.

School address

Enrollment

864

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

33.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

26.2:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+22% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

39.8%

vs 55.5% California avg

-28% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How John F. Kennedy Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at John F. Kennedy Elementary

John F. Kennedy Elementary is a large elementary school in Riverside, California, enrolling 864 students.

Class loads run heavy: 26.2:1 is larger than about 86% of California schools and 22% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 39.8% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 864 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,030 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #633.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (51%) and White (23%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1728 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Riverside's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mark Twain Elementary (1,033 students): John F. Kennedy Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (26.2:1 vs 26.5:1).

Riverside Unified also operates Martin Luther King Jr. High (2,699 students) and Polytechnic High (2,484 students) alongside John F. Kennedy Elementary.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How John F. Kennedy Elementary compares

John F. Kennedy Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 26.2:1 ▲ 22% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 39.8% ▼ 28% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 864 top 15% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

26.2:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
864
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
39.8%
free-lunch eligible - 28% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
26.2:1
students per teacher - 22% above state mean
Top 86% in California - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
25.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,545
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

Hispanic or Latino 50.8%
White 23.3%
Asian 10.9%
African American 8.4%
Two or More 6.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 50.8% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 66.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 66.4, John F. Kennedy Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Riverside Unified, which includes John F. Kennedy Elementary.

$14,545
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.1%
State 64.5%
Federal 11.4%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How John F. Kennedy Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Martin Luther King Jr. High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Polytechnic High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Ramona High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
John W. North High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Arlington High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to John F. Kennedy Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Riverside Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Riverside

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on John F. Kennedy Elementary's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about John F. Kennedy Elementary

How many students attend John F. Kennedy Elementary?

John F. Kennedy Elementary has 864 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Riverside, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at John F. Kennedy Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at John F. Kennedy Elementary is 26.2:1, which is 22% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 67% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at John F. Kennedy Elementary?

39.8% of students at John F. Kennedy Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of John F. Kennedy Elementary?

The largest demographic group at John F. Kennedy Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 50.8% of enrollment, in Riverside, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for John F. Kennedy Elementary?

John F. Kennedy Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does John F. Kennedy Elementary rank among elementary schools in Riverside?

By Resource Investment Index, John F. Kennedy Elementary ranks #10 of 43 elementary schools in Riverside, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Riverside on the city page.

Is John F. Kennedy Elementary a good school?

John F. Kennedy Elementary earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Riverside Unified?

Besides John F. Kennedy Elementary, Riverside Unified also operates Martin Luther King Jr. High (2,699 students), Polytechnic High (2,484 students), and Ramona High (2,142 students). See the Riverside Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.