Enrollment
1,846
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Paterson, NJ
John F. Kennedy High School
Federal NCES profile for John F. Kennedy High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 341269003171
👥 S:T ratio 48
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
John F. Kennedy High School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of New Jersey schools. It is also one of the largest schools in New Jersey.
- #2 of 8
- high schools in Paterson · Resource Index
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.1:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 50.4%
- free-lunch eligible
John F. Kennedy High School has class sizes larger than 76% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, John F. Kennedy High School ranks #2 of 8 high schools in Paterson, NJ.
School address
District: Paterson Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341269003171 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
141.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+11% 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
What stands out at John F. Kennedy High School
John F. Kennedy High School is a higher-need, large high school in Paterson, New Jersey, enrolling 1,846 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.1:1 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 50.4% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New Jersey, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,846 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 44 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #17.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (70%) and African American (15%) (diversity index 47/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 37 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 168 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Discipline events run high: 785 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,846 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Paterson's high schools, it stands alongside Newcomers High School (106 students): John F. Kennedy High School is larger than that campus by headcount.
Paterson Public School District also operates Eastside High School (2,073 students) and Joseph a. Taub School (976 students) alongside John F. Kennedy High School.
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 High School compares
John F. Kennedy High School on the metrics families compare, against New Jersey and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.1:1 | ▲ 11% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.4% | ▲ 70% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,846 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,846
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 76% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Funding equity
$23,944
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Jersey avg of $24,984
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 47.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.4, John F. Kennedy High School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 37
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paterson Public School District, which includes John F. Kennedy High School.
$23,944
Per student
-4%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+44%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How John F. Kennedy High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastside High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Joseph a. Taub School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| School 16 | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| School 5 | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Charles J. Riley School 9 | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to John F. Kennedy High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,073
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 813
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 682
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar high schools in Paterson
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New Jersey, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,846 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on John F. Kennedy High School's federal record.
- Compare John F. Kennedy High School against another school. Compare schools
- Paterson Public School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 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 13.1:1, which is 11% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, 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 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does John F. Kennedy High School rank among high schools in Paterson?
By Resource Investment Index, John F. Kennedy High School ranks #2 of 8 high schools in Paterson, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Paterson on the city page.
Is John F. Kennedy High School a good school?
John F. Kennedy High School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of New Jersey schools. It is also one of the largest schools in New Jersey. 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 Paterson Public School District?
Besides John F. Kennedy High School, Paterson Public School District also operates Eastside High School (2,073 students), Joseph a. Taub School (976 students), and School 16 (813 students). See the Paterson Public School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.