Enrollment
1,846
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 341269003171
John F. Kennedy High School — Paterson, NJ
Federal NCES profile for John F. Kennedy High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 42
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 66
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Paterson Public School District · New Jersey
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
141.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.4%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+70% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How John F. Kennedy High School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
John F. Kennedy High School reports 1,846 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 141.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 23% above the New Jersey state mean of 11.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 8% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 70% above the New Jersey average and 3% below the national baseline. The school offers 37 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 168 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Paterson Public School District spends $31,953 per pupil district-wide, above the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 8.8% from local sources (property taxes), 79.8% from the state, and 11.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How John F. Kennedy High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against New Jersey state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.6:1 | ▲ 23% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.4% | ▲ 70% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,846 | top 98% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
50.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 70% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.6:1
students per teacher
— 23% above state mean
Top 90% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$31,953
per pupil, district-wide
— above New Jersey avg of $29,189
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors11.0 FTE
Per 168 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
492
in-school suspensions + 293 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 26.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 42.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,846 Top 98% in New Jersey — larger than 2% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 141.0
Students per teacher 14.6:1 +23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.4% +70% vs state
NCES ID 341269003171
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 70.2%
African American 15.3%
Asian 8.3%
White 5.7%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 70.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 37
Counselors (FTE) 11.0
Students per counselor 168:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 492
Out-of-school suspensions 293
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paterson Public School District, which includes John F. Kennedy High School.
$31,953
Per student
+9%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+64%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 8.8%
State 79.8%
Federal 11.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,073
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 813
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 682
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
Similar high schools in Paterson
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Eastside High School
Standard public school
2,073 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
International High School
Standard public school
650 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Paterson Steam High School
Standard public school
379 students 9.5:1 students per teacher
Rosa L. Parks School of Fine and Performing Arts
Standard public school
258 students 9.3:1 students per teacher
Paterson P-Tech
Standard public school
193 students 11.9:1 students per teacher
Students Transitioning and Achieving Real Success
Special-education school
112 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about John F. Kennedy High School
How many students attend John F. Kennedy High School?
John F. Kennedy High School has 1,846 students enrolled. It is a high school in PATERSON, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John F. Kennedy High School?
The student-teacher ratio at John F. Kennedy High School is 14.6:1, which is 23% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at John F. Kennedy High School?
50.4% of students at John F. Kennedy High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of John F. Kennedy High School?
The largest demographic group at John F. Kennedy High School is Hispanic or Latino at 70.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in PATERSON, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for John F. Kennedy High School?
John F. Kennedy High School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.