John F Kennedy Elementary School, N Bergen NJ

Original Research by School Decision on John F Kennedy Elementary School

John F Kennedy Elementary School sits within the North Bergen School District, a township that is among the most densely populated places in the country. North Bergen is shaped by the steep ridges of the Hudson Palisades, and its commercial and civic life runs heavily along Bergenline Avenue, described as the longest commercial avenue in the state. The school itself is a regular public institution serving first through eighth grade, a configuration that means students spend most of their K-8 career in one building before moving on to high school elsewhere in the district. The enrollment is relatively large for a grade band that runs through middle school, and the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with small populations of white and Asian students and a much smaller Black student presence. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a community with high economic need.

State test results paint a picture of a school where academic performance is a real challenge, especially as students get older. In the early elementary grades, math proficiency rates are around the midpoint or a bit below, with third and fourth graders meeting the state bar at a rate that is modest but not out of line with many high-need schools. By fifth grade, those numbers dip, and the drop in middle school is sharp. Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade math proficiency rates fall to levels that are very low, with the eighth grade result representing only a tiny fraction of students reaching the state standard. English language arts follows a similar but less extreme pattern: fourth graders show a rate at roughly half of students meeting the bar, which is a relative bright spot, but by sixth and eighth grade the rates are considerably lower, with only about a quarter to a third of students proficient. Science assessments, taken in fifth and eighth grades, show a similar decline, with the fifth grade rate moderate and the eighth grade rate very low. Overall, the school sits in the bottom quartile among districts in Hudson County on a composite measure of proficiency across all tested subjects and grades.

The district's data does not include chronic absenteeism rates or detailed staffing figures, leaving a gap in understanding the day-to-day school climate. A parent exploring this school would want to look into those areas directly with the school or district, as attendance and teacher stability can be important context for a school with pronounced academic struggles. No recent district-level changes or initiatives were surfaced from publicly reported information, so there is no clear signal of a new academic program or turnaround effort underway.

The housing market in the school’s zip code reflects the high-cost, high-density character of the area. Home values are above the national median, and rents are similarly elevated, making this a pricey market for a school where the student population carries significant economic need. The township has seen long-term population growth, though recent estimates suggest a slight pullback, and the steep, developed terrain means most new housing is likely infill or waterfront redevelopment rather than large new subdivisions.

For a family considering John F Kennedy Elementary, the central fact is a school where a large majority of students come from low-income backgrounds and where state test results, particularly in math and science in the upper grades, are very weak. The school provides a K-8 pathway that avoids a middle school transition, but the academic trajectory is one where performance declines markedly as students move through the grades. A parent would want to ask what interventions are in place for struggling middle schoolers, how the school supports English learners and students with disabilities, and what the feeder high school experience looks like. This is a school that fits a family deeply rooted in this dense, bustling Hudson County township, but one where academic outcomes would be a serious consideration in any enrollment decision.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 34% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 32% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 28% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 612%

School 12% · District 23% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 717%

School 17% · District 27% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 15% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 28% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 40% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 39% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 623%

School 23% · District 41% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 45% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 49% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Science

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 17% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 8% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

This schoolNorth Bergen School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.