First two decades John F. Kennedy High School first opened its doors in September 1967. In its early years, the school gained acclaim for its innovative academic and vocational programs and was considered one of the top schools in California. Until the 1980s, it used an experimental program known as flexible
modular scheduling based on the model of colleges and universities, with the staff trained to create educational programs customized for each student. As written by Knowles Adkisson of the
Berkeley School of Journalism, "The new institution was meant to be a model for California and the country. ... the school served as a unique example of a successful public school in an urban environment." The program met some of its greatest success at John F. Kennedy High. Adkisson writes that the school was "more integrated, both racially and economically, than perhaps any [other] public high school in the U.S. at the time. The sons and daughters of skilled African-American tradesmen walked the halls with students whose parents worked for Bank of America in San Francisco, and oversaw academic departments at the University of California, Berkeley." That environment contributed to what became known as the Camelot era at the school, named after
the term used for the
administration of President John F. Kennedy. The history of the school's educational model remains of interest on a national level today. Adkisson writes: "Many inner-city public high schools in 2016 face particular challenges with regard to funding, segregation and increasing competition for promising students from charter schools. These trends developed over decades, and can be seen especially in the case of John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond, California." He discusses how Kennedy was considered among the best schools in California, and how it declined after several decades to rank among the worst, offering a valuable case study in the discussion of challenges and potential solutions for education reform. Prior to Serrano, each district set property taxes to meet its needs. This forced poorer districts to raise taxes more than wealthier districts to fund their schools. The court found the structure unconstitutional and required districts to close the gap. During this time, Richmond claimed a strong manufacturing section. Although property taxes for residential areas were low, the tax income from industry was much higher. This impacted Kennedy; an unintended result of Serrano was to reduce funding at schools in urban areas with high tax assessments, though such schools were exactly the type Serrano was meant to help. In 1978,
Proposition 13 passed in California, cutting the tax rate. The year after it passed, revenue generated by property taxes dropped almost 60 percent. As a result of Serrano and Proposition 13, funding for Kennedy plummeted. In the following years, the school lost many programs, including the Pre-tech,
Aerospace, Bio-Medical, and
Electronics programs, and the free busing for the voluntary integration. Attendance dropped, and many faculty lost their jobs or chose to go elsewhere. The school discontinued flexible scheduling after the 1981–1982 school year. The loss in funds, resources, and teachers at Kennedy accelerated. Changes in demographics also affected the school. Richmond was losing businesses and hence jobs, leaving families from previously middle-class areas in poverty. Increasing drug and gang activity spilled into the school. Adkisson writes, "The storm of dark events that enshrouded the city of Richmond and its unified school district from 1988 to 1993 is almost unbelievable, in retrospect. Economic and social epidemics struck locally, just as the school district was about to undergo its greatest crisis since the city quintupled in population during World War II....Richmond was emblematic of trends occurring in urban communities across the country, as the manufacturing sector collapsed and crack cocaine worked insidiously through the inner cities. The result would be a Kennedy High School that was unrecognizable to previous graduates and teachers."
Renewal In recent years, new programs have been added, funding has increased, and faculty turnover has decreased. The school has shown improvement in test scores, attendance, safety, suspension rate, incident reports, requests for transfers, senior class size, and the number of students attending college. Julio Franco, who served as principal from 2001 to 2008, is credited with playing a major role in the turn-around. Retired teacher Mike Peritz became one of the founders of the Eagle Foundation, which through 2018 provided support to the school with scholarships to students and grants to teachers. In 2011, the school joined 'The Mock Trial' program, which is designed to create a collegiate culture and help students develop a working knowledge of the judicial system. In 2013, with the help of Peritz and the Eagle Foundation, the school reinstated its abandoned music program. In 2014, a $100,000 grant from
Sprint Corporation allowed the school to participate in 'Project Connection', which provides computers and Internet access to students without the economic means to access such technology. During the same year, the school instituted the 'WriterCoach Connection', a program built on personalized instruction that pairs teachers to work one-on-one with students, with the goal of helping them think critically and write with confidence. In 2019, grants from WCCUSD Educational Fund and the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation made possible the continued development of special education and vocational programs. A $500,000 grant from the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2015 made it possible to open a health clinic, which serves students at the school and South Richmond residents. In 2016, Kennedy became part of the Richmond Promise initiative, which is designed to encourage and facilitate the opportunity for all Richmond students to attend college regardless of race, income level, or personal background. It was demolished in 2025 for a modernization project and near total rebuild. == Athletics ==