John F Kennedy School, Kingston NY

Original Research by School Decision on John F Kennedy School

John F Kennedy School is a public elementary school in Kingston serving kindergarten through fourth grade, with a student body of about three hundred seventy-five students. The school sits in a small city in Ulster County that historically functioned as a port center and remains a hub for government and educational services. The broader economy around Kingston is led by health care, retail, and education, with finance and insurance among the better-paying sectors.

The school's student demographics reflect its community. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is racially and ethnically diverse, with roughly equal representation from white, Hispanic, and multiracial families, along with smaller shares of Black and Asian students.

State assessment results from the most recent school year show the school facing considerable headwinds in reading and math. In third grade, roughly three in ten students met proficiency standards in math and about a quarter in English language arts. In fourth grade those shares drop notably, with roughly one in seven students proficient in math and about a fifth in reading. These results place the school in the bottom quartile among its county peers in overall proficiency. A parent might want to look into the details with school leadership to understand what support structures are in place and what the trajectory looks like. The latest available science data, from several years ago, shows fourth graders at about one in two meeting proficiency, which was considerably stronger.

The district has made intentional changes in reading instruction. Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, all K-5 classrooms across the district adopted the Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts program, a science-of-reading aligned curriculum designed to strengthen foundational literacy skills. This shift applies directly to Kennedy School and affects how early reading is taught.

The district also recently passed a substantial five-year capital improvement project focused on upgrading air-conditioning, ventilation, and other building systems across the schools. This reflects a district commitment to refreshing facilities in a changing climate but carries implications for the property tax burden on families.

For families considering Kennedy School, the profile is of a diverse, predominantly economically disadvantaged community where the school is navigating significant academic challenges in reading and math among its youngest learners. The district's adoption of a science-of-reading approach suggests an effort to address these gaps, but recent state test results show the work remains substantial. Families should talk with the school directly about intervention programs, class sizes, support services, and measurable improvement plans if academic proficiency is a key priority.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 48% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 34% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 39 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 41% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 37% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 451%

School 51% · district not reported

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 36 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 581%

School 81% · district not reported

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

This schoolKINGSTON CITY 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income17%Higher-income53%36 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income9%Higher-income54%45 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income17%Higher-income36%19 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income18%Higher-income65%47 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income8%Higher-income31%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income19%Higher-income67%48 pp gap