John F. Kennedy High School (Paterson, New Jersey)

Infobox_School
name = John F. Kennedy High School


imagesize =
motto =
established =
grades = 9 - 12
district = Paterson Public Schools
type = Public high school
principal =
viceprincipal =
enrollment = 2,795 (as of 2005-06)
faculty = 272.0 (on FTE basis)
ratio = 10.3
nickname = Knights
conference = Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League
colors =
publication =
location = 61-127 Preakness Avenue
Paterson, NJ 07522
information = 973-321-0500
website =

John F. Kennedy High School (or Kennedy High School) is a four-year public high school in Paterson, New Jersey, United States, that serves the western section of Paterson. Kennedy High School, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Paterson Public Schools.

As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,795 students and 272.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 10.3. [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3409660&ID=340966001104 John F. Kennedy High School] , National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed August 16, 2008.]

The school was the 314th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 316 schools statewide, in "New Jersey Monthly" magazine's September 2008 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools". The school was ranked 306th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. [ [http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/highschoolrankings/top-new-jersey-high-schools-by-rank.html "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank"] , "New Jersey Monthly", September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.]

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. [ [http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/nj/other/1536 GreatSchools.net: John F. Kennedy High School] , accessed July 12, 2006.] The average class size is 22 students, excluding special education. The school's ratio of computers to students is 7 to 1 meanwhile the state average is 4 to 1.

On the Language Arts section of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), 48% scored proficient and 51% scored partial. On the Math section of the test, 43% scored proficient and 50% scored partial. The average SAT score is 852 out of 1600. The Advanced Placement Program (AP) participation rate is 5%. The average attendance rate is 87%. As of the 2004-05 school year, Kennedy High School had a suspension rate of 27%. 59% of John F. Kennedy High School seniors graduated. 53% of the school graduated via the SRA process and 8% graduated through the LEP SRA process. Roughly 25% of the graduating seniors go on to four-year colleges and another 46% of the graduating seniors go on to two year colleges. [ [http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc05/dataselect.php?c=31;d=4010;s=030;lt=CD;st=CD&datasection=all John F. Kennedy High School's 2004-2005 School Report Card] , accessed July 11, 2006.]

The student to faculty ratio is 9 to 1. The faculty gets paid $46,500 a year while the state average is $52,563. The administrators get paid $105,000 as the state average is $102,755.

Since the school is in a “special needs” or one of the Abbott Districts, it receives 85% of its budget from the state. The total cost per pupil in the school district is $14,280.

Athletics

The John F. Kennedy High School Knights compete 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. The school has been classified as North I, Group IV by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). [ [http://www.njsiaa.org/06North1.pdf NJSIAA 2006-2007 Public Group Classification] , accessed July 12, 2006.]

The girls basketball team won the 2001 North I, Group IV state sectional championship with a 61-50 win over Bayonne High School in the tournament final. [ [http://www.bracketmaker.com/scripts-bracketmaker/tmenu.cfm?tid=3353&tclass=North%20I,%20Group%20IV 2001 - North I, Group IV] , NJSIAA. Accessed July 16, 2007.]

Notable alumni

*Eric Downing (born 1978), defensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers. [ [http://www.nflplayers.com/players/player.aspx?id=30144 Eric Downing player profile] , National Football League Players Association. Accessed July 24, 2007. "Was a first team All-State selection by the Newark Star Ledger at John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson, New Jersey."]

References

Sources

* [http://www.paterson.k12.nj.us/ Paterson School District]
* [http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/nj/other/1536 GreatSchools.net: John F. Kennedy High School]
*NJReportCard|31|4010|030|John F. Kennedy High School
* [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3412690 Data for the Paterson Public Schools] , National Center for Education Statistics