Original Research by School Decision on John F. Kennedy High School
John F. Kennedy High School is a regular public high school serving grades nine through twelve in Paterson, New Jersey. It is one of several comprehensive high schools within the Paterson Public School District. The school is located on Preakness Avenue in the southwestern section of the city.
The student body numbers roughly 1,800, making it a large high school for its grade band. The demographic composition is predominantly Hispanic, accounting for the majority of students, with significant Black and Asian populations and a smaller share of White students. Roughly half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic context of the district. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available records.
Paterson itself is a dense, historically industrial city that was founded as America’s first planned industrial center around the Great Falls of the Passaic River. After decades of manufacturing decline, the city has become a major destination for Hispanic, Turkish, Arab, and South Asian immigrants, giving its commercial corridors a distinctive texture. The population is among the largest in New Jersey, but the city faces persistent economic challenges including a poverty rate that is well above state averages. The city’s economy today includes smaller-scale manufacturing, public-sector employment, and immigrant-owned businesses. The Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park anchors the downtown civic core, and the Paterson Museum and Garret Mountain Reservation provide cultural and recreational assets.
The Paterson Public School District adopted a new five-year strategic plan in 2024, covering 2025 through 2030, with a focus on improving student achievement and post-graduation readiness. In May 2025, the school board approved a budget that included a tax levy increase at the maximum allowed under the state’s cap, which directly affects property taxes for district residents. The district serves the entire city, and schools are distributed across neighborhoods rather than on a single campus.
State testing data for John F. Kennedy High School was not available in the records examined, so academic proficiency in subjects like English language arts and mathematics cannot be assessed from this data. Similarly, the four-year graduation rate, chronic absenteeism rate, and other outcomes typically used to place a school relative to districts in Passaic County were missing. Without these measures, the academic picture of the school is incomplete. A parent or resident seeking to understand student performance would need to ask the school directly for its most recent results and graduation rates.
The housing market in the area around the school, based on ZIP-code-level data, shows home values that are somewhat above the national median but below the state median. The county housing market has seen active listings increase and median days on market drop, indicating a fairly brisk market. Affordability remains a challenge: estimated monthly mortgage payments are substantially higher than median rents for the area.
John F. Kennedy High School is a large, urban comprehensive high school in a district that is actively working on a new strategic direction. The available data paints a picture of a school serving a diverse, economically mixed student population in a city with deep industrial roots and ongoing redevelopment efforts. The absence of state testing and outcome data means that the school’s academic standing relative to its Passaic County neighbors cannot be characterized here; families would want to follow up directly with the school or district for that information.
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