John F. Kennedy High School

John F. Kennedy High School is one of the well-populated four-year high schools in Waterbury, Connecticut, operated by Waterbury School District, with 1,391 students on its rolls from grades 9 through 12. That puts it 77% larger than the typical public school in Connecticut, which averages around 788 students.

Waterbury School District runs 29 schools in total, collectively educating 17,123 students. John F. Kennedy High School is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, John F. Kennedy High School shows that 63% of the student body identifies as Hispanic; the rest looks like 23% Black, 10% White, 3% multiracial. That is meaningfully more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 20%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, John F. Kennedy High School has 98 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.2:1. The state averages around 12.3:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 82% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Naugatuck Valley Planning Region runs at roughly 52%, so the school's eligibility rate is higher than the surrounding baseline.

Around the school, Naugatuck Valley Planning Region reports that the typical household earns roughly $86,191 per year, about 34% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 9%. Across Naugatuck Valley Planning Region's 121 public schools (combined enrollment of about 59,861 students), John F. Kennedy High School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: West Side Middle School, around 0.3 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at John F. Kennedy High School has edged up 9%, going from 1,273 students in 2018 to 1,391 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share ticked down from 22% to 10%.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for John F. Kennedy High School typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.