John F. Kennedy Middle School

If I had written this a year ago, it would have been very different. This year the administration and the teachers have all been exceptional. They've been consistantly responsive, proactive, engaged, and overall very effective. This ultimately provided my son with a far more engaging and enriching year. Looking forward to a similar experience next year.
—Submitted by a parent

ummm im a student and i take yearbook.... I got an A. and also an A in everything else. just saying.

Watch for Jackson. She doesn't spend much time teaching language arts even though that's her subject area. So, kids take STAR test without knowing a lot of the definitions. And she assign very few writing assignment. And that's for grade 8!!! Not really preparing kids for Monta Vista HS?
—Submitted by a parent

Do not take yearbook. Students do not get any As in that class. As a result you won't get perfect GPA and will get penalized for that when you leave KMS. Cooking , however are easy As.
—Submitted by a parent

Kennedy is a great school with thoughtful programs. Students enjoy projects from teachers. The school prepares students well for high school.
—Submitted by a parent

Kennedy has wonderful teachers, and while there are students that say that they can't "teach" I think the opposite. I enjoy the events going on in this school, especially KBDC. The village program is creative and every one has their own variety of teachers and teaching styles.

This school is awesome! The PE program challenges the students and keeps them fit. The teachers are top notch and also challenge the students to be at their fullest potential. This school is great!!!
—Submitted by a parent

Our 1st child is going to KMS and we are extremely pleased with the transition that she made from Elementary to Middle School, and how KMS staff and curriculum allowed her to make such a smooth transition. She will graduate this year and will be off to High School and we could not be more pleased with the experience from social, educational and emotional growth that she has gained.
—Submitted by a parent

2 of my children went to John F. Kennedy Middle school. I was very impressed with the staff and the education that my children received
—Submitted by a parent

John F. Kennedy Middle School is wonderful school for my 2 kids.
—Submitted by a parent

John F. Kennedy Middle School is a great school for students.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two kids. One has gradulated from Kennedy middle and the other one is still in it. I love this school. It meets my expectation of a public school provides. My kids are very different from each other. I see my both kids transform from tiny little ones to big grown and strong kids. I do appreciate every day PE make them strong. One of the kids was loose ended in organizing his work, but with teacher's help, I dont need to worry about him. I am really happy that they all become self confident and healthy kids and this is a good school to prepare for Monta Vista high. Maybe it is the very beginning of the school philosophy to leave the kids to the school to make them independent. So after join Kennedy, I do not worry about them too much.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is very expertise in physical education and extracurricular activities involving such. The homework is DEFINITELY NOWHERE NEAR 3-5 HOURS. The only ones who could possible take that long are the procrastinators. I could finish my homework within half an hour. There are many opportunities for friends. The only problem with this school is the huge pressure and expectations of the school. Everyone expects you to have glamorous A's, even the parents, because that's what 90% of the students have. The teachers are OK, but it seems that all but two of the, what, 40? teachers of the school care more about the staff and their money than their students. Overall, this is a pretty environmentally OK school. Above average in smarts and grades, normal in teachers, below average on the caring of teachers about students.
—Submitted by a student

This school was pretty cool in the begining. The math was too easy (repeat of like 2nd grade) science was a joke... we just made website and didn't learn anything. Same for math. We had a project for finding weather? that is certainly not math.
—Submitted by a student

It is a wonderful school. Great teachers and excellent environment for kids to grow up. The kids are taught to be responsible, tough competion though.
—Submitted by a parent

My son started here in sixth grade. He pretty much got A's in math , yet I found that most of test questions were very easy. For eg, only 1 or 2 out of 10-15 questions were really capable of testing understanding , others were just operation oriented. There is a lot of testing etc for advanced math placement, for which the kid should go outside and learn because it is really about skipping learning some of the curriculum in school , rather than about taking the kids to the next level i.e. keeping the better kids challenged through advanced problems. The school does not offer many options for after school activities. As one parent had mentioned earlier , the teachers, administration and district are basking in the glory of scores. I see more and more of teachers becoming evaluators and test strategists rather than educators .
—Submitted by a parent

its ok.. the teachers are varied, but one village can have 3 good teachers, while another may not have any. there is lots of homework, and your expected to get straight A's and always work hard if you go here. the parents always expect that there kids do better than thay can, so theres lots of people in advanced math that got there because thay over studdied for the MARS test, forgot everything the day after the test, and have no natural math ability, so really shouldn't be there. peer pressure is overpowering for kids who can't find ways around it.you can actually tell the diference between kids who just came, like pixies, and kids who have been at the school for a long time. The bright side is that its a big school, so even though the lunch lines are extremely long, there's friends for all personality types.
—Submitted by a student

I am currently in 7th grade at Kennedy, and I love it. Despite what the other reviews say, the homework load is very light, I almost never have over an hour of it (today I didn't have any). It is challenging in the best way possible, and fun. I wouldn't describe myself as the ideal, quiet, studious student, but I have a 4.0. The teachers here provide interesting, easy to understand lessons so getting straight A's isn't hard if you pay attention in class. Also, P.E. and after school sports are the perfect way to get exercise. Since I started school here my mile time has improved by more then 2 minutes. The variety of elective choices we get is another plus.
—Submitted by a student

The child is saying he had no homework today becuase of star testing this week there is little to no homework during that time.. But normally there is at least 60 to 90 mins a night.. My child is in 7 grade
—Submitted by a parent

I am currently a student at this dreadful school. The reason this school isn't great for the average student, because if you want to get a 4.0 you need to do like 3-5 hours of homework a night. Being a special Ed Student is hard, because kids treat you very badly, and it is a school i can't wait to get out of. If your not perfect, don't come. Believe me, if you want your child to have Seld-respect, don't bring your kid to this school. You've been warned.
—Submitted by a student