The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Math. The lowest is 53% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Benjamin Franklin Charter School - Gilbert
Benjamin Franklin Charter School - Gilbert serves students from kindergarten through sixth grade as a regular public charter school in the southeastern Phoenix suburb of Gilbert. It is one of several campuses operating under the Benjamin Franklin Charter School - Queen Creek district. The school occupies a standalone campus on a main commercial corridor, surrounded by the single-family subdivisions and strip retail that define Gilbert's suburban landscape.
Academically, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint when compared with other districts in Maricopa County. That is a meaningful strength in a county with nearly four hundred districts and a wide range of performance levels. The state assessment results, however, are not uniform across grade levels or subjects. In reading and language arts, the strongest showing comes at fourth grade, while third grade is notably lower. Math results follow a similar pattern: third grade is the strongest of the grade levels tested, and sixth grade is the weakest. Science, tested only at fifth grade, lands in a middle range. A parent considering this school should look closely at the specific grade their child would enter and ask how the school addresses the variation from year to year, particularly the drop in sixth-grade math.
The school's enrollment is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic minority and smaller shares of students who are Asian, Black, or identify as two or more races. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, as well as the share receiving special education services or English learner supports, was not reported in the available data. That information would be helpful in understanding the school's full student support picture, and a parent may want to ask the school directly about those figures.
Because this is a kindergarten-through-sixth-grade school, there is no graduation rate to report, and no high school course offerings such as Advanced Placement or dual enrollment. The academic context is entirely about the elementary and early middle school years. The school has a single year of state assessment data in the available records, so there is no multi-year trend to evaluate for improvement or decline.
Gilbert itself has been one of the fastest-growing communities in the country over the past several decades, transforming from a farming town into a large suburban city. The housing market in the school's zip code reflects that growth: home values are above both the national and state benchmarks, and rents are similarly high. The town remains largely car-dependent, with a walkable core only in the Heritage District downtown area, which is not adjacent to this campus. Major employers in the area include the Gilbert Public Schools district, Banner Health, the Town of Gilbert, and several large retail and defense firms. The school's charter status gives families an alternative to the large nearby public school districts, Gilbert Public Schools and Higley Unified School District, both of which also have substantial enrollments.
The district that operates this school has no publicly reported recent changes or strategic initiatives in the records reviewed. Its website was not examined directly here, so families may want to check the district's page for any current news, enrollment policies, or facility updates.
Overall, Benjamin Franklin Charter School - Gilbert offers a solid academic starting point that is strong relative to other schools in the county, particularly in the younger grades. The variability in grade-level performance, particularly the lower math results in sixth grade and the lower reading results in third grade, merit attention. Families who value a charter school environment in a fast-growing, affluent suburban setting with a largely white student body will find this school fits that profile. Those with children entering the upper elementary or early middle grades should talk to the school about how it supports students who arrive at those levels with weaker foundations, and whether the school's approach aligns with their expectations for middle school preparation.
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