Benjamin Franklin Sch

As an expansive elementary school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Benjamin Franklin Sch works with 678 students from grades pre-K through 5, run under Harrisburg City SD. That puts it 53% larger than the typical public school in Pennsylvania, which averages around 443 students.

Harrisburg City SD comprises 12 schools with combined enrollment of 6,462 students; Benjamin Franklin Sch is among them.

In terms of who attends, Benjamin Franklin Sch logs that 45% of students identify as Black, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder reads as 43% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 4% White. The wider county runs roughly 17% Black, putting the school's mix visibly more Black than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, The school currently runs with 66 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 10.2:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.1:1 average. An estimated 109% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is north of Dauphin County's rate of about 59%.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Dauphin County put median household earnings sit near $76,242, roughly 34% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Dauphin County runs 75 public schools (combined enrollment of about 72,718 students), of which Benjamin Franklin Sch is one.

The closest other public school is Pennsylvania STEAM Academy CS, roughly 0.3 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Benjamin Franklin Sch.

The school occupies a downtown site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 16%: 804 students in 2018 compared to 678 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 22% to 43% across the same window. Class-load math has fell: from 13.9:1 in 2018 to 10.2:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.