Franklin Elementary School

Franklin Elementary School is one of the low-enrollment primary schools in Tacoma, Washington, operated by Tacoma School District, with 260 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 380 students per school, that is 32% leaner than typical.

Across the 66 schools in Tacoma School District (28,900 students total), Franklin Elementary School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Franklin Elementary School reports that 35% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school lists 20% Hispanic, 20% multiracial, 17% Black, 5% Pacific Islander. That is meaningfully less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 64%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Franklin Elementary School has 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.4:1. The state averages around 17.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 61% of students at Franklin Elementary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Pierce County (around 50%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Franklin Elementary School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 39.2%, the actual is 29.7%, a residual of -9.4 points.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Pierce County) shows that the typical household earns roughly $99,564 per year, 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Pierce County runs 287 public schools (combined enrollment of about 138,462 students), of which Franklin Elementary School is one.

Grant Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.9 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Franklin Elementary School ranks 6th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 40.3%.

The school occupies a metropolitan site.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Franklin Elementary School has fell 15%, going from 306 students in 2018 to 260 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share edged down from 39% to 35%.

On allk12, members of the Franklin Elementary School community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.