John F. Kennedy High School: Full Guide

Location: La Palma, CA

Are you a student or parent at John F. Kennedy High School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?

We've written the best guide to John F. Kennedy High available. Here we'll cover:

Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
How safe John F. Kennedy High is to attend
SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by John F. Kennedy High students
Which AP/IB classes you can take at John F. Kennedy High
Every sports team you can join at John F. Kennedy High

Let's get started!

Basic Information

John F. Kennedy High School is a public school, supporting grades 9 to 12 . It's located in La Palma, CA in Orange County.

Based on its location, John F. Kennedy High is classified as a school in a large suburb. Here's the location on a map:

Contact Information

Mailing address:

John F. Kennedy High School
8281 Walker St.
La Palma, CA 90623-2126

Phone number: 7142204101

John F. Kennedy High School homepage: http://kennedy.auhsd.us/

Principal: Russell Earnest
Email the principal: [email protected]

Student Demographics

Student Enrollment

The total enrollment at John F. Kennedy High School is 2305 students, making it a very large high school, in the top 10% of all California high schools by size.

Wow! Attending John F. Kennedy High might feel like attending a college. You'll be surrounded by a large group of students (over 500 per class) and have more options for activities and clubs to join, which can be exciting.

On the other hand, you may also find that resources like counseling are spread thin across so many students. Make sure that you can get enough teacher and counselor attention to succeed at John F. Kennedy High, which may require being proactive.

Growth in Student Body Size

Is John F. Kennedy High School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.

From our calculations, the enrollment at John F. Kennedy High has increased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.

	Male Students	Female Students	All Students
9^th grade	316	304	620
10^th grade	272	268	540
11^th grade	323	310	633
12^th grade	245	267	512

As you can see in the table above, the freshman class is 108 students larger than the senior class. This suggests that the school is growing in size and taking on more students.

There are a few reasons this could be happening. The city of La Palma could be growing in population, thus sending more students into John F. Kennedy High. Alternatively, John F. Kennedy High could be relaxing its student policies and taking in more students.

Gender Split

Are there more boys or girls at John F. Kennedy High School?

From our statistics, John F. Kennedy High has a 51:49 split between male and female students in the high school grades.

John F. Kennedy High has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in Orange County. Since the student body is roughly half and half, it should feel like there are equal numbers of boys and girls in your classes.

This usually means that John F. Kennedy High doesn't strongly select for either males or females, unlike other schools that have a large majority of males or females.

Ethnicity Breakdown

What's the racial diversity at John F. Kennedy High School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?

From our statistics, John F. Kennedy High has a diverse student body. No single ethnicity composes more than 50% of all students, which means you'll be surrounded by a diverse set of students in class. Only a third of California schools show this much diversity.

The most common ethnicity at John F. Kennedy High is Hispanic. In California, 51.5% of all students are Hispanic, making it the most common ethnicity. Even though John F. Kennedy High is relatively diverse, students of Hispanic descent are the most common ethnicity here.

	Percentage	Number
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.3%	8
Asian	33.0%	762
Hispanic	35.5%	819
Black	3.7%	87
White	21.0%	485
Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander	0.3%	7
Two or more races	5.9%	137

High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of La Palma. If you'd like to see how other nearby schools look in diversity, just google "[name of school] prepscholar" to find our guide to that specific school.

Income Level of John F. Kennedy High Families

What are the family incomes of students at John F. Kennedy High School? To determine this, we look at the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches, a classification by the US federal government.

To qualify for a reduced price meal, family income needs to be below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $45,000 or below.

To qualify for a free meal, family income needs to be below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $32,000 or below.

The lower the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, the higher the income levels are likely to be.

At John F. Kennedy High, 12.3% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 27.5% qualify for free lunches.

This means John F. Kennedy High has a low poverty level. The overwhelming majority of students at John F. Kennedy High don't qualify for free or reduced price lunches. La Palma is thus likely to be an affluent community, with quite high family incomes.

	Number	Percent
Reduced-price lunches	285	12.3%
Free lunches	635	27.5%
Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches	1385	60.0%

As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in La Palma and doesn't speak much about the school itself.

Because John F. Kennedy High is in the top quartile of schools by family income, it's likely to be well-funded relative to other high schools in California. This means you'll likely have access to advanced coursework like AP/IB classes and better-funded extracurriculars and sports.

It's still up to you, though, to take advantage of the resources John F. Kennedy High has to offer. If you work hard and spend your time effectively, you'll likely be well positioned to succeed in college and beyond.

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School Safety

How safe is John F. Kennedy High School to attend? Can you expect a lot of conflict as a student here?

To study this, we look at disciplinary data for two types of incidents at John F. Kennedy High: referrals to law enforcement (when incidents are reported to police), and arrests.

These are the most serious disciplinary actions available to school administration and are more severe than suspensions or expulsions. Suspensions are often discretionary and can be given just for being disruptive in class. In contrast, law enforcement referrals and arrests often indicate incidents that put the safety of other John F. Kennedy High students at risk.

In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 4 referrals to law enforcement (2 male, 2 female), and 2 school-related arrests (2 males, 0 females). This is out of a total enrollment of 2395 students.

To put this into perspective, most California schools (59% of them) reported 0 law enforcement referrals and arrests.

This means that 0.2 John F. Kennedy High is a safe school. For every 100 students, there is much fewer than 1 law-enforcement related action. It's not a perfect record, but it happens so infrequently that it might have just been a few bad apples.

With this record, is John F. Kennedy High School significantly different from other schools in the area? It could be that John F. Kennedy High has an especially bad record, or it could be that the local area shows a pattern.

Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:

Anaheim Union High School District Safety

School Name	Total Referred	Total Arrests	Enrollment
Anaheim High	23	2	3271
Cypress High	10	6	2629
Gilbert High (continuation)	2	2	666
Hope	0	0	236
Katella High	8	6	2716
Loara High	4	0	2704

Academic Performance

Now we get to a major aspect of assessing a high school: academic performance. How good of an education will you get at John F. Kennedy High School? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?

We've compiled everything we could find about John F. Kennedy High's academics here.

Graduation Rate

To start off, an important benchmark of academic achievement is graduation rate. For all students who start high school at John F. Kennedy High, the state of California wants as many students to graduate as possible, since a high school diploma can mean a big difference in getting a job.

At John F. Kennedy High, 97% (of 525) John F. Kennedy High students graduated within four years of starting high school.

Here's how this stacks up to other schools. The California state government has defined 90% as a target rate. The state average is around 80-85%.

John F. Kennedy High is in the 96th percentile of all public high schools in California for graduation rate. This is extremely good. Generally, a graduation rate of above 90% is considered good and well above average, and below 75% is well below average.

Note: This data comes from a few years back, but the trends are likely to stay the same, since schools don't get significantly better or worse within a short period of time.

Standardized Testing

Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for John F. Kennedy High School students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.

Let’s start by taking a look at the data for nationally administered standardized tests.

SAT Scores

As you probably know, the SAT is a critical test used for college admissions. The higher the score you get, the better your academic performance compared to students nationwide, and the easier it is to get into top colleges.

We did in-depth research and found the average John F. Kennedy High School SAT scores.

The average composite SAT score is a 1600 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 432 at John F. Kennedy High take the SAT.

This is an above-average SAT score, putting John F. Kennedy High School in the top 25% of all California high schools and well above the national average (63% of students score above the national average). This is a notable academic achievement that distinguishes John F. Kennedy High as a high-achieving school.

This is a good indication that you'll receive an above-average education at John F. Kennedy High. While your school isn't in the very top echelon of all California public schools, you're still in a great environment.

Here's a breakdown of SAT scores by section:

Average SAT Scores (2013-2014)

Source	Critical Reading	Math	Writing	Composite
John F. Kennedy High	520	553	528	1600
California	498	510	496	1504
United States	495	511	484	1490

Note that the SAT has since changed to a 1600 scale, but the trends above for your high school are likely to continue. Just use this guide to convert between the old 2400 scale and the new 1600 scale.

To learn more about SAT percentile rankings, read our guide on what SAT percentiles really mean.

How good is 1600 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1600 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1600 or any other SAT score!

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ACT Scores

In California, the ACT is less popular than the SAT. Fewer students take the ACT, and typically these students are more motivated and academically prepared for college. Therefore, it's harder to compare John F. Kennedy High School ACT scores with the rest of the country.

At John F. Kennedy High, the average ACT composite score was 24, compared to the nationwide average of 20. Each year, roughly 82 out of 2305 total students take the ACT.

This is very good performance, putting John F. Kennedy High in the top 25% of high schools in California by ACT score. Nationwide, a 24 on the ACT is 74th percentile, so most ACT test takers at John F. Kennedy High are well above average.

Since the ACT is designed to gauge what you learn in school, high ACT scores are are a good indication that you'll get a great education and be surrounded by other students who value academic achievements.

Here are the average English, Math, Reading, and Science scores for John F. Kennedy High compared to California and the US:

Average ACT Scores

Source	English	Math	Reading	Science
John F. Kennedy High	24	26	24	24
California	21.8	22.8	22.3	21.7
United States	20.3	20.9	21.3	20.8

Scores provided are for the 2013-14 school year.

Find out more about percentile rankings and the ACT in this article.

Every individual is different. What counts as a good ACT score for you? Learn more with this article!

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Advanced Placement (AP)

Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses that are an additional academic challenge may give John F. Kennedy High School students credit for college.

Here's what we're looking for: high average AP test scores as well as high AP passing rates.

AP Scores

Every year, roughly 524 students in grades 9-12 at John F. Kennedy High take 921 AP exams. It's important to understand how students score on the AP - earning a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP test means passing the test and often earning college credit.

The average score of all AP exams taken at John F. Kennedy High is 2.9 out of 5.

This score puts John F. Kennedy High at average performance. For AP tests, the passing score is considered a 3, and the number of students who pass and don't pass are roughly even. This performance places John F. Kennedy High School in the top 50% of schools for AP tests.

It's great that John F. Kennedy High offers an AP program so you have the opportunity to take courses at a college level. Even though roughly half of all AP students here don't get a passing grade, half do - so with motivated studying throughout the year, you'll be able to beat the average.

We have specific data on how many students got a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 (out of 5) on AP exams in the chart below:

AP Test-Taking Statistics

Another way to gauge the quality of a school's AP program is to see how many AP students actually took AP exams at John F. Kennedy High School. If a lot of students enroll in AP courses but don't actually take the AP tests, it can be a sign that students don't feel adequately prepared to take the test, or the school isn't encouraging students to take the exams enough.

At John F. Kennedy High, there is a total enrollment of 408 in AP courses (a student taking more than one AP course counts more than once).

Of AP-taking students, 354 took AP tests for ALL AP courses. 8 students took AP tests for SOME AP Courses, and 32 took AP courses but took NO tests.

This is good test participation. Most AP students at John F. Kennedy High School take the AP test for every one of their AP courses, outnumbering the students who take some or no AP exams. This is a good sign that students feel confident enough to take tests for all AP courses available to them, which reflects well on the teachers and course material. John F. Kennedy High can continue to improve by reducing the number of students who take AP exams for some or none of their courses, but it's in a good state.

Note: The most recent data we have available is from 2012, so the statistics may have changed since then. Most likely, however, the trends are likely to continue - above average schools are likely to stay above average, and below average schools are likely to stay below average.

AP Passing Rates

For AP students at John F. Kennedy High School who take the exam, it's important to know how they do. Here we have specific data on how many students got a passing grade (a 3 or above) on all, some, or none of the AP exams that they took.

Of all AP test takers, 193 students passed every AP test they took, which is a fantastic job. 69 students passed some but not all AP exams, and 90 students didn't pass ANY AP exam they took.

This is very strong performance. The majority of John F. Kennedy High School students pass ALL the AP tests they take - an impressive feat, especially if students take multiple AP exams each year!

Overall, this points to a strong AP program at John F. Kennedy High: across all AP course offerings, teachers are able to prepare students well for the exam. There are still some students who fail some or all of their exams, but this is a good starting point to improve from. You'll have a strong foundation to learn from throughout high school.

To find out the passing rates for specific AP courses at John F. Kennedy High School, you'll have to talk to your guidance counselor (who can then help you find that information). For instance, one AP Calculus teacher may have an above-90% passing rate, while another might only have a 50% passing rate. If you can, you'll want to take the class with the teacher who has more students get a 3 or above on the AP exam.

Find out more about the average score for each AP subject here.

State Tests

As of 2014, eleventh graders attending John F. Kennedy High School must take standardized tests in English/Language Arts and Math as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). These align with the new Common Core standards and are called the "Smarter Balanced" tests.

If John F. Kennedy High students meet or exceed state standards, they're academically prepared to graduate high school and go to college. Specifically, we care about the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards. The larger this number, the higher the preparation of students at John F. Kennedy High.

English/Language Arts

At John F. Kennedy High School, 75% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.

This is considered good and puts John F. Kennedy High in the top 25% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. Most John F. Kennedy High students pass or exceed state standards, though there is also a sizable portion of students who fail to meet state standards.

English/Language Arts Test Results (2015)

Read more about what’s measured in each ELA area score here.

Math

The other major test taken for state assessments is Math. Across the state, Math performance is generally lower than English/Language Arts performance, so it's natural for this number to be lower.

At John F. Kennedy High School, 45% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts John F. Kennedy High in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of John F. Kennedy High students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.

Math Test Results (2015)

Read more about what’s measured in each Math area score, go here.

Academic Offerings

In addition to the standard high school curriculum, many high schools like John F. Kennedy High School offer advanced coursework as part of the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.

Brief Intro to AP/IB

AP and IB courses are designed at the difficulty level of college introductory classes. There are several important benefits to taking advanced coursework at John F. Kennedy High. First, taking more advanced classes shows colleges that you're committed to challenging yourself academically, and that you're one of the more advanced students at John F. Kennedy High. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.

Furthermore, many colleges will accept your John F. Kennedy High AP/IB coursework as college coursework. In some cases, you'll be able to skip introductory-level classes and move to more advanced classes. In other cases, you'll be able to avoid having to take required courses and might even be able to graduate earlier than the standard 4 years. Often this will require you to pass the AP test, getting a score of 3 or above.

So what advanced courses does John F. Kennedy High School offer?

AP Courses

John F. Kennedy High School offers AP courses in 16 subjects.

This is an impressive number of AP subjects, putting John F. Kennedy High School in the top 25% of California schools in AP offerings. You'll likely have all of the most popular AP courses available to you, as well as some broader interests.

The total number of AP subjects is 38, so John F. Kennedy High is missing a good number of subjects, but these are likely the least popular subjects, like less popular foreign languages. If there are any AP courses you want to take that aren't being offered at John F. Kennedy High, ask your counselor for other options.

Of course, keep in mind that quality matters even more than quantity - it's important that your AP courses are taught well by engaging teachers. But the strong AP program at John F. Kennedy High likely means you'll be in good hands.

The following AP courses were offered at John F. Kennedy High during 2015-2016:

Course Title
Biology
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Chemistry
English Language and Composition
English Literature and Composition
European History
French Language and Culture
Physics 1: Algebra-Based
Spanish Language and Culture
Spanish Literature and Culture
Statistics
Studio Art: 2-D Design
Studio Art: Drawing
United States Government and Politics
United States History

IB Courses

The International Baccalaureate program is less popular in the United States than the Advanced Placement program (there are around 850 diploma schools in the country and 100 in California). But John F. Kennedy High School is one of the lucky few to have an IB program!

For college application purposes, the IB and AP programs are basically equivalent. So don't worry about being advantaged or disadvantaged either way if you participate in IB vs AP. What colleges care about first is academic achievement, and AP and IB classes are seen as equally challenging.

John F. Kennedy High School has been an IB school since 7/7/99. Questions about the IB program at John F. Kennedy High? You can contact the IB Diploma Programme coordinator, Mrs Christine Helton, by phone at (1) 714 220 4101.

The following IB courses were offered at John F. Kennedy High during 2015-2016:

Course Title	HL/SL
Film
Spanish B	HL + SL
Biology	HL + SL
Spanish ab initio	SL
Physics	HL + SL
Mathematical studies	SL
Psychology	HL + SL
Korean B	HL + SL
Theory of Knowledge
French B	HL + SL
English A Literature	HL + SL
Mathematics	HL + SL
History	HL + SL

You can find out more about the IB testing schedule by going here.

We've also written the best study and test guides to International Baccalaureate.

Sports Teams

Finally, we'll cover which sports teams are available at John F. Kennedy High School. Sports are an integral part of many students' high school experiences. The more sports that are available, and the more levels supported (Frosh, JV, Varsity), the more likely you'll be able to participate in a sport at John F. Kennedy High.

By the way, the John F. Kennedy High mascot is the Fighting Irish. Go Fighting Irish!

John F. Kennedy High School fields 15 teams for girls' sports. This is a sizable number that puts John F. Kennedy High in the top 50% of California schools that offer girls' sports. You won't get the full range of sports and levels, but you'll be able to try out for a few options. If you participate in a sport that John F. Kennedy High doesn't offer, consider looking for a local non-school team that you can join.

And now for the boys: John F. Kennedy High School fields 17 teams for boys' sports. This puts John F. Kennedy High in the top 50% of California schools that offer boys' sports. You won't get every sport and level possible here, but you'll have a decent number of options. If you participate in a sport that John F. Kennedy High doesn't offer, consider looking for a local non-school team that you can join.

Boys Teams	Girls Teams
Basketball Var JV Fr	Basketball Var JV Fr
Golf Var JV Fr	Golf Var JV Fr
Tennis Var JV Fr	Tennis Var JV Fr
Football Var JV Fr
Wrestling Var JV Fr
Volleyball Var JV Fr	Volleyball Var JV Fr
Baseball Var JV Fr
	Softball Var JV Fr
Waterpolo Var JV Fr	Waterpolo Var JV Fr
Trackfield Var JV Fr	Trackfield Var JV Fr
Crosscountry Var JV Fr	Crosscountry Var JV Fr
Soccer Var JV Fr	Soccer Var JV Fr
	Fieldhockey Var JV Fr

What’s Next?

Want to get more useful information about high school classes and preparing for colleges? Our blog has a ton of articles and advice on topics ranging from coursework and GPA to letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and much more!

Ready to bulk up your schedule and maximize your college preparedness? Read all about the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.

Not quite in high school yet, but eager to get started? We've also got information for younger students interested in advanced learning opportunities, both in and out of school.

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