John F. Kennedy Educational Complex (or John F. Kennedy High School) is a four-year public high school in Paterson, United States, that serves the western section of Paterson. Kennedy High School, which serves students in ninth through twelfth grade, is a part of the Paterson Public Schools. 93% of the students are of minority races, and a majority of them speak either a non-English language at home or are very limited in English. The school uses the Infinite Campus school management system for tasks such as student attendance and grading, and full online grade access is available online.
In 2011, the school was split into theme schools, with four smaller academies operating within the high school, in order to give students a choice in areas they wanted to pursue.Brody, Leslie. "Paterson to split JFK high school into four academies", The Record, March 7, 2011. Accessed November 14, 2011. "Paterson school officials will split the troubled John F. Kennedy High School into four smaller academies so that starting next fall, all public high school students in the city will be enrolled in a 'choice' magnet school." These schools are: School of Architecture and Construction Trades (ACT) School of Business, Technology, Marketing and Finance (BTMF) School of Education and Training (SET) School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1928.John F. Kennedy High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed June 17, 2011. It has suffered low rankings when it comes to official lists of top public schools in New Jersey, as well as accusations of violence and poor conduct by the school's instructors and the Paterson Education Association.
As of the 2024–25 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,846 students and 138.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.4:1. There were 1,089 students (59.0% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 22 (1.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for John F. Kennedy High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
History The school was constructed at a cost of $7 million (equivalent to $ million in ) and named in memory of President John F. Kennedy. The school opened with an enrollment of 2,800 and could accommodate up to 3,500 students.Sotnick, Bart. "Called Paterson Milestone; 1,000 See Kennedy High Dedicated", The Morning Call, June 2, 1965. Accessed April 7, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The immense John F. Kennedy High School was dedicated yesterday at ceremonies attended by an estimated 1,000 persons. The $7-million school, at Totowa and Preakness Avenues in Westside Park, was called a milestone in the City's history.... Graves noted the school will open with 2,800 students in the fall, and has a capacity of 3,500 students without expansion."
Demographics and achievement Kennedy High School is 54% Hispanic of various Latin American nationalities, 34% Black, 7% White American, and 5% Asian. 35% of the school speaks Spanish in their homes, 3% speak Bengali, 2% speak Arabic, 2% speak Turkish, 0.2% speak Italian and 0.1% speak Albanian. There are also limited English proficient students or LEPs who compose 11% of the school. Limited English Proficient students cannot speak, read, or write in English. 50% of the students participate in the free or reduced price lunch program.GreatSchools.net: John F. Kennedy High School, accessed July 12, 2006. The average class size is 25 students, excluding special education. The school's ratio of computers to students is 7 to 1 while the state average is 4 to 1.
Based on data from the 2010 New Jersey School Report Card, on the Language Arts section of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), 2010 graduates scored 43.3% proficient and 55.6% scored partial. On the Math section of the test, 28.5% scored proficient and 69.4% scored partial. The average SAT score is 1139 out of 2400. The Advanced Placement (AP) participation rate is 4.6%. The average attendance rate is 87.2%. As of the 2010 school year, Kennedy High School had a suspension rate of 47%. 71.1% of John F. Kennedy High School seniors graduated. Roughly 20.0% of the graduating seniors planned to go on to four-year colleges and another 49.3% of the graduating seniors go on to two year colleges.John F. Kennedy High School's 2010 School Report Card, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 17, 2011.
The student to faculty ratio is 7.3 to 1. The faculty gets paid $56,733 a year while the state average is $61,840. The administrators get paid $108,105 as the state average is $117,895.
The school is in a "special needs" or one of the Abbott Districts.Abbott School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 1, 2016. The district receives 82% of its budget from the state and spends an average of $16,575 per pupil.
The school is home to the JFK Robotics/College Prep Team. To join, one must have a GPA of 3.5; have a desire to go to college, be motivated and most of all respectful to teachers and fellow students, though less than 1% make it into the team. The sole purpose of the program designed by teachers and staff is to get every child to college. While its membership is limited to only high achievers in terms of grades and merit, the team recruits from every academy in the school. Numbering around 25 students the team is filled with children that are given extra educational work and enrichment programs to boost their chances in getting into college, with the opportunity to participate in Upward Bound programs, to college credit classes at Passaic County Community College.
Athletics The John F. Kennedy High School KnightsJohn F. Kennedy High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Big North Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Bergen and Passaic counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. For the 2009–10 season, the school competed in the North Jersey Tri-County Conference, an interim conference established to facilitate realignment.League Memberships - 2009-1010, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 24, 2011. Accessed September 20, 2014. Prior to that, the school had previously participated in Division C of the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL), an athletic conference consisting of public and private high schools located in Bergen County and Passaic County.Home Page, Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 9, 2009. Accessed November 19, 2014. With 2,478 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range.NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The football team competes in the Liberty Blue division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league.Cooper, Darren. "Here's what we know about the new Super Football Conference 2020 schedule", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference (SFC) is a 112-team group, the largest high school football-only conference in America, and is comprised of teams from five different counties."Cooper, Darren. "NJ football: Super Football Conference revised schedules for 2020 regular season", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference has 112 teams that will play across 20 divisions." The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 1,317 to 5,409 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The football team won the North I Group IV state sectional championships in 1987 with a 13–7 win against Bayonne High School, finishing the season undefeated for the first time.Harvin, Al. "School Sports; Adams Captures Title, 20-17", The New York Times, December 6, 1987. Accessed August 28, 2019. "Paterson Kennedy High School defeated Bayonne yesterday in the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 final at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, N.J. The victory gave the school, which was once called Paterson Central, the first sectional football championship in its 63-year history. It also ended the school's first undefeated season. Paterson Kennedy's record was 10-0-1."NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022. Kennedy plays an annual Thanksgiving Day football game against Eastside High School. The days leading up to the game are filled with school spirit as the Knights and Ghosts prepare to face off. Not only do the football players practice, but so do the band, cheerleaders, and color guard of both schools. In 2011, Eastside won the 87th annual match-up between the two schools by a score of 17–12.Staff. "Paterson Kennedy (12) at Paterson Eastside (17) - Football", The Star-Ledger, November 24, 2011. Accessed January 2, 2012. "Cequan Wharton and Jaron Addison each scored first-half touchdowns for Paterson Eastside, which held off a late rally to defeat Paterson Kennedy, 17-12, yesterday in Paterson. The Eastside victory evened the Thanksgiving series at 40-40-7." NJ.com listed the rivalry at 21st on its 2017 list "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football", with Kennedy leading the series by a 43-42-7 margin.Stypulkoski, Matt. "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 27, 2017, updated May 15, 2019. Accessed December 1, 2020. "21-Paterson Eastside vs. Paterson Kennedy Kennedy have played 92 times as part of a Thanksgiving Day tradition since 1925 in Silk City, with Kennedy holding the narrowest of edges, leading the all-time series, 43-42-7."