The top reported proficiency rate is 32% in English language arts. The lowest is 7% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on J. F. Kennedy Elementary School
J. F. Kennedy Elementary School sits in the heart of Winooski, a compact, densely settled city tucked against Burlington in Vermont's Chittenden County. The school serves prekindergarten through fifth grade and is the sole elementary school in the Winooski Incorporated School District. Its location is woven directly into the city's fabric rather than set apart on a campus, which fits Winooski's character. The city bills itself as "Vermont's Opportunity City" and grew from a woolen-mill economy into a walkable downtown of converted mill buildings, restaurants, and housing along the Winooski River. Green Mountain Transit provides bus service, and Interstate 89 plus US Routes 2 and 7 connect the city to the broader Burlington metro area. Families choosing JFK Elementary are choosing a school embedded in a small, urban, evolving community with a deep working-class history and an active civic posture, including an ongoing comprehensive plan update aimed at housing diversity and infrastructure.
The student body is one of the most diverse in Vermont. White students make up the largest single group, but the school also enrolls substantial Black and Asian populations, along with smaller Hispanic, multiracial, and American Indian or Alaska Native groups. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the city's mix of affordability challenges and its working-class roots. This is a school where children grow up alongside peers from many backgrounds, which is a plain characteristic of the place and one that some families will see as a draw. English learner and special education counts were not reported in the data we received, so those figures are a gap rather than an answer.
Academically, the most recent state testing, from the Vermont Comprehensive Assessment Program, tells a mixed and sobering story. In English language arts, third and fourth graders showed moderate proficiency, with roughly two-fifths of tested students meeting the bar. Fifth grade ELA dropped sharply. Math results were weaker across the board, with third and fourth grade proficiency well below what most Vermont families would expect, and fifth grade math proficiency was near the bottom. Science, tested only in fifth grade, was also very low. These are not results that any school would present as a strength. A parent considering JFK may want to look into this further with the school, asking what the instructional plan is, how the district supports students below proficiency, and what trend the school has seen in prior years. We looked for multi-year trend data and found none available, so we cannot say whether these results are improving, stable, or declining. The proficiency picture at JFK is the single most important thing for a prospective family to understand, and it warrants a direct conversation with school leadership.
Because JFK is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report. The same applies to AP, dual-credit, and career pathway programs, which do not exist at this grade band. We found no program-specific offerings in the data provided, and no information on staffing ratios, attendance, chronic absenteeism, or discipline. Title I status was also not reported, though given the high free-or-reduced-price lunch rate, many families will recognize the likely presence of federal support funding. These are gaps in the available data, not evidence of absence.
The housing market around JFK reflects Winooski's position as a relatively affordable pocket within an expensive county. Home values in the school's zip code sit above the Vermont state benchmark and above the national benchmark, and rents have been climbing modestly year over year. The estimated monthly mortgage exceeds the estimated monthly rent, which means renting remains the more affordable path for many families in the immediate area. Winooski's strategic plan emphasizes a mix of quality housing, and the city's dense, walkable layout keeps homes, apartments, and downtown amenities close together.
We attempted to place JFK relative to other districts in Chittenden County, but the comparison set was too small to produce a meaningful proficiency index. That means we cannot say how the school stacks up numerically against its neighbors. What we can say is that the school's own results, standing alone, describe a place where academic outcomes are a concern and where the community context is a genuine asset. Families drawn to Winooski's diversity, density, and downtown life may find a welcoming peer environment here, but they should go in with eyes open about proficiency and ask direct questions about how the school is working to strengthen instruction.
See more original research from School Decision →