Type Public high school Grades 9–12 Team name Knights Colors Red and, black | Principal David Cozart Athletics conference Big North Conference Website School website | |
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District Paterson New Jersey Public School District Headquarters Paterson, New Jersey, United States | ||
John F. Kennedy Educational Complex (or John F 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. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1928.
Contents
- Mission statement
- Awards recognition and rankings
- Demographics and achievement
- Athletics
- Main administration
- Academy administration
- Notable alumni
- References
In 2011, the school was split into theme schools, as part of a goal to give students a better choice in areas they wanted to pursue, with four smaller academies operating within the high school. These schools include the School of Architecture and Construction Trades (ACT), School of Business, Technology, Marketing and Finance (BTMF), School of Education and Training (SET) and School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
The school uses the Infinite Campus school management system for tasks such as student attendance and grading, and full online grade access is available online.
Mission statement
The John F. Kennedy Educational Complex strives to maintain a safe, orderly, and nurturing environment that allows for staff and students to take risks. Our four specialized schools will provide purposeful activities to increase student engagement and academic rigor that will promote student achievement for all students. As we celebrate our cultural and ethnic diversity, we will make positive impacts on the lives of all of our students and proudly serve the Paterson community. The combined efforts of all stakeholders will identify our character and allow us to become the major leaders in urban education.
Awards, recognition and rankings
The school was the 304th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 328 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2012 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 290th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 314th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 306th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 375th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2010-11 rankings which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy and mathematics components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).
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. The average class size is 25 students, excluding special education. The school's ratio of computers to students is 7 to 1 meanwhile the state average is 4 to 1.
Based on data from the 2010 New Jersey School Report Card, on the Language Arts section of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), 2010 graduates scored 43.3% proficient and 55.6% scored partial. On the Math section of the test, 28.5% scored proficient and 69.4% scored partial. The average SAT score is 1139 out of 2400. The Advanced Placement (AP) participation rate is 4.6%. The average attendance rate is 87.2%. As of the 2010 school year, Kennedy High School had a suspension rate of 47%. 71.1% of John F. Kennedy High School seniors graduated. Roughly 20.0% of the graduating seniors planned to go on to four-year colleges and another 49.3% of the graduating seniors go on to two year colleges.
The student to faculty ratio is 7.3 to 1. The faculty gets paid $56,733 a year while the state average is $61,840. The administrators get paid $108,105 as the state average is $117,895.
The school is in a "special needs" or one of the Abbott Districts. The district receives 82% of its budget from the state and spends an average of $16,575 per pupil.
The school is home to the JFK Robotics/College Prep Team. To join, one must have a GPA of 3.5; have a desire to go to college, be motivated and most of all respectful to teachers and fellow students, though less than 1% make it into the team. The sole purpose of the program designed by teachers and staff is to get every child to college. While its membership is limited to only high achievers in terms of grades and merit, the team recruits from every academy in the school. Numbering around 25 students the team is filled with children that are given extra educational work and enrichment programs to boost their chances in getting into college, with the opportunity to participate in Upward Bound programs, to college credit classes at Passaic County Community College.
Athletics
The John F. Kennedy High School Knights compete in the Big North Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. With 2,355 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015-16 school year as North I, Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,090 to 2,568 students in that grade range. For the 2009-10 season, the school competed in the North Jersey Tri-County Conference, an interim conference established to facilitate realignment. Prior to that, the school had previously participated 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 football team won the North I Group IV state sectional championships in 1987. Kennedy plays an annual Thanksgiving Day football game against Eastside High School. The days leading up to said game, are filled with school spirit as the Knights and Ghosts prepare to face off. Not only do the football players practice, but so do the band, cheerleaders, and color guard of both schools. In 2011, Eastside won the 87th annual match-up between the two schools by a score of 17-12, evening the series at 40 wins, 40 losses and 7 ties.
The girls' basketball team won the Group IV state championship in 1988 (defeating Neptune High School in the tournament final) and 1990 (vs. Toms River East High School). The team won the 2001 North I, Group IV state sectional championship with a 61-50 win over Bayonne High School in the tournament final.
The soccer team won the 1996 North I, Group IV state sectional championship against Wayne Hills High School 4-5 on penalties and won the League and County following year.
Main administration
Core members of the school's administration are:
Academy administration
The academy programs offered (with their administration listed) are:
School of Architecture and Construction Trades (ACT): Dewitt Evering (Principal), Kenrick Ramdath (Supervisor), Renee McMillan (Vice Principal)
School of Business, Technology, Marketing & Finance (BTMF): Pamela Powell (Principal), Judith Rhodes (Supervisor), Jorge Osorio (Vice Principal)
School of Education and Training (SET): Mary Anne Perrotta (Principal), Dr. Vanessa Serrano (Vice Principal), Nicolette Thompson (Vice Principal)
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): Nicholas Vancheri (Principal), Dr. Heather Frank-Goffe (Vice Principal), Dr. Dante Petretti (Vice Principal)