John F Kennedy Elementary School
Public elementary school in Penitas, Texas · La Joya ISD · Grades Pre-K–5
John F Kennedy Elementary School serves 676 students in grades Pre-K–5 in Penitas (Hidalgo County). It is one of 36 schools in La Joya ISD. By enrollment it is the 1068th largest of 4,726 public elementary schools in Texas (median 516 students). With 17 students per full-time teacher, it has more students per teacher than the typical Texas elementary school (14.8).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 4,726 Texas elementary schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 39.83 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | Elementary |
| Grades | Pre-K–5 |
| District | La Joya ISD |
| County | Hidalgo County |
| Area type | Suburb, large |
| School meals | Free meals for every student (Community Eligibility Provision) |
| NCES school ID | 482613002935 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Texas
| This school | La Joya ISD | Texas elementary schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 676 | 22,942 | 516 |
| Students per teacher | 17 | 14.6 | 14.8 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 83.1% | 92.3% | 72% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 84% of Texas elementary schools have fewer students per teacher than this school (share of schools with a lower ratio). State test results aren't published here yet.
John F Kennedy Elementary School in context
Size
John F Kennedy Elementary School is the 2nd largest of La Joya ISD's 22 elementary schools; its 676 students are 2.9% of district enrollment. Its 8 closest elementary schools sit a median 3.3 miles away with a median enrollment of 462; John F Kennedy Elementary School is larger than most of them.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment and school type. Share of district students = this school's students ÷ the district's students. Nearest schools by straight-line distance between NCES EDGE locations.
Grades
Its largest grade is pre-K with 129 students, and its smallest is grade 3 with 79, against an average of 97 per grade. Its first and last grades are close in size: 86 in kindergarten and 90 in grade 5. It also enrolls 129 children in pre-K.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
All of its students are reported as Hispanic.
83.1% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, against 92.3% across La Joya ISD and a median of 72% for Texas elementary schools. Under the Community Eligibility Provision, every student can eat breakfast and lunch at no charge, and families fill out no meal application.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
With 39.83 full-time-equivalent teachers for 676 students, John F Kennedy Elementary School has 17 students per teacher. At the median Texas elementary school ratio of 14.8, a school with 676 students would have about 45.7 teachers, so John F Kennedy Elementary School has 5.9 fewer.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Texas elementary schools (14.8).
Location
John F Kennedy Elementary School is in an urbanized area of 250,000 people or more, outside its principal city, which NCES calls suburb, large. The nearest other elementary school is IDEA La Joya Academy, 1.6 miles away in IDEA Public Schools. Within 10 miles there are 43 other elementary schools, 11 of them within 5 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| Hispanic | 100% |
54.7% of students are girls and 45.3% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Pre-K | 129 |
| Kindergarten | 86 |
| Grade 1 | 85 |
| Grade 2 | 102 |
| Grade 3 | 79 |
| Grade 4 | 105 |
| Grade 5 | 90 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
1801 N Diamond Ave, Penitas, TX 78576
Phone: (956)323-2330
Website: lajoyaisd.com
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: John F Kennedy Elementary School. Blue: the nearest elementary schools.
Nearby elementary schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IDEA La Joya Academy | IDEA Public Schools | 1.6 mi | 656 | 20.5 | 90.5% |
| Tabasco Elementary School | La Joya ISD | 2.4 mi | 544 | 15.8 | 90.4% |
| Corina Pena Elementary School | La Joya ISD | 3.2 mi | 523 | 14.9 | 96.6% |
| Guillermo Flores Elementary School | La Joya ISD | 3.2 mi | 452 | 15.7 | 93.1% |
| Leo J Leo Elementary School | La Joya ISD | 3.4 mi | 319 | 12.7 | 95.3% |
| Henry B Gonzalez Elementary School | La Joya ISD | 3.5 mi | 391 | 14 | 85.9% |
| Patricio Perez Elementary School | La Joya ISD | 4.4 mi | 421 | 14.5 | 94.1% |
| Narciso Cavazos | La Joya ISD | 4.4 mi | 471 | 15 | 94.3% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.