SOUTH BAY SCHOOL vs JOHN F KENNEDY SCHOOL

John F Kennedy School and South Bay School sit 0.1 miles apart in West Babylon, New York, yet the data reveals real differences worth weighing. John F Kennedy School holds a 9.0/10 overall rating against South Bay School's 8.9/10 — a narrow gap on the surface — but the state rank spread is more telling: John F Kennedy School ranks #82 of 4,742 in New York while South Bay School comes in at #116, a 34-position difference that places Kennedy in a more select tier statewide.

Academically, John F Kennedy School scores 7.8/10 versus South Bay School's 7.4/10 — a 0.4-point delta indicating a consistent, measurable advantage in measured proficiency at Kennedy. The growth picture is strong at both schools, with John F Kennedy School posting 9.8/10 and South Bay School earning 9.5/10. Both numbers signal that students at each school are advancing well relative to peers, making growth a non-differentiating factor for most families.

The demographic profiles diverge more sharply. South Bay School's free and reduced lunch rate is 46% compared to 27% at John F Kennedy School — nearly double — reflecting a meaningfully different socioeconomic mix. Kennedy enrolls 333 students to South Bay's 284, but South Bay runs a tighter student-teacher ratio of 9.5:1 versus Kennedy's 11.1:1, meaning South Bay students get more face time per teacher despite the school serving a higher-need population. South Bay's smaller class footprint may partly explain how it holds near-competitive academic and growth scores against a school with a more affluent enrollment.

One structural distinction: John F Kennedy School serves grades PK through 05, giving families the option of starting as early as pre-kindergarten under the same roof. South Bay School begins at kindergarten. For a family with a pre-K-age child who wants continuity in a single building through fifth grade, Kennedy is the only option of the two.