1
What do you wish you knew before starting at Benjamin Franklin Sch?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
678
Elementary
DISTRICT 498 · STATE 443
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HARRISBURG CITY SD·NCES 421158007501
Benjamin Franklin School
1205 N 6th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110 · (717) 703-1200 · Dauphin County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL678 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 2% of Pennsylvania public elementary schools
- FTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Pennsylvania public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
10.2:1
66 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 13.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
109%
740 students
DISTRICT 104% · STATE 75%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 33 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 111 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 116 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 100 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 106 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 107 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 105 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (111) is 6% larger than its 5th grade class (105).
Student demographics
61%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 59% · STATE 59% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
10.0%
PA avg 51.1% . -1.2pp since 2023
Math
3.6%
PA avg 43.0% . -2.8pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 10 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 4 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Pennsylvania schools, those numbers are about 51 and 43. Reading and writing scores are down about 1 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 3 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 10.0% | 3.6% |
| 2023-24 | 11.2% | 6.4% |
% Proficient or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: PSSA + Keystone. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Benjamin Franklin School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Dauphin County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 3.6% | #1,502 of 1,511 ▼ 57 | #35 of 36 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 10.0% | #1,485 of 1,511 ▲ 8 | #34 of 36 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 678 | #162 of 1,638 | #6 of 40 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.2:1 | #109 of 1,528 | #1 of 39 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 60.5% | #308 of 1,531 | #18 of 40 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 109% | #44 of 1,600 | #3 of 37 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -15.7% | #421 of 1,045 | #3 of 17 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
678
-56 (-8%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
10.2:1
was 12.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 678 | 66.4 | 10.2:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 740 | 45.2 | 16.4:1 | 100% (740) |
| 2022-23 | 786 | 48.5 | 16.2:1 | 100% (786) |
| 2020-21 | 734 | 59 | 12.4:1 | 100% (731) |
| 2017-18 | 804 | 57.6 | 13.9:1 | 89% (715) |
| 2015-16 | 821 | 57 | 14.4:1 | 83% (683) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Benjamin Franklin School.
Since 2017-18: students down 16% (804 to 678); teachers up 15% (57.6 to 66.4).
About Benjamin Franklin School
Benjamin Franklin School is the name of a high-enrollment elementary school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The student body numbers 678 students, from pre-K through 5. An average school in this group (elementary schools in Pennsylvania) has about 443 students.
Harrisburg City SD is the district for Benjamin Franklin School. It has 12 schools and 6,462 students.
Benjamin Franklin School has no majority group; Black students are the largest, at 45%. Other reported shares: 43% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, and 4% White. That compares with about 17% Black among all Dauphin County residents. Pick two students at random and there is a 61% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The ratio of students to teachers is 10.2:1, with 66.4 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff. The school has fewer students per teacher than the 13.1:1 average for elementary schools in Pennsylvania.
Measured against Pennsylvania public elementary schools, Benjamin Franklin School receives an F. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
In the county around the school, Dauphin County, the median household income is $76,242, about 34% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 9% of residents are in poverty. Dauphin County is home to 75 public schools and about 72,718 public school students.
Pennsylvania STEAM Academy CS is the closest public school, about 0.3 miles away in a straight line. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8.
Its location is classified as City: Small by the National Center for Education Statistics.
2024-25 enrollment was 678, an 8% decrease from 734 in 2020-21. The school's ratio fell from 12.4:1 to 10.2:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
Conversations here can range across school safety, transportation, and start times. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Dauphin County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
289,593
Census ACS
Median income
$76,242
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
75
72,718 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Harrisburg City SD
- Harrisburg High SchoolHigh · 1,343 students
- Camp Curtin AcademyMiddle · 724 students
- Melrose SchoolElementary · 536 students
- Foose SchoolElementary · 522 students
- Scott at Lincoln SchoolElementary · 484 students
- Marshall Math Science AcademyMiddle · 408 students
Other schools in Harrisburg
- Commonwealth Charter Academy CSCombined · 29,320 students
- Reach Cyber CSCombined · 5,721 students
- Central Dauphin SHSHigh · 1,966 students
- Central Dauphin East SHSHigh · 1,573 students
- Harrisburg High SchoolHigh · 1,343 students
- Dauphin County Technical SchoolHigh · 1,187 students
Other Benjamin Franklin schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin School is the largest of the 4.
- Benjamin FranklinCleveland, OH · 364 students
- Benjamin Franklin SchoolMeriden, CT · 357 students
- BENJAMIN FRANKLINCOAMO, PR · 68 students
Nearby schools
- Pennsylvania STEAM Academy CS0.3 mi · 360
- Cougar Academy0.4 mi · 300
- Downey School0.5 mi · 405
- Capital Area School for the Arts CS0.6 mi · 193
- Harrisburg HS - SciTech Cmp0.7 mi · 347
- Scott at Lincoln School0.9 mi · 484
Frequently asked questions
About Benjamin Franklin SchoolHow many students attend Benjamin Franklin School?
Benjamin Franklin School enrolls approximately 678 students in grades PK-05.
Is Benjamin Franklin School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Benjamin Franklin School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Benjamin Franklin School have?
Benjamin Franklin School employs 66 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 10.2:1.
What is the student diversity at Benjamin Franklin School?
Student demographics at Benjamin Franklin School are roughly 4% White, 43% Hispanic, 45% Black, 2% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is Benjamin Franklin School in?
Benjamin Franklin School is part of Harrisburg City SD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.