Franklin Elementary, Santa Barbara CA

Original Research by School Decision on Franklin Elementary

Franklin Elementary is a school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in Santa Barbara, located at Mason Street in the city's 93103 zip code. The school enrolls a small cohort of students, with the largest grades in the upper elementary range. Its student body is predominantly Hispanic, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a community with significant economic need.

The school's academic profile shows moderate proficiency across tested subjects. In English Language Arts, third graders perform solidly, but performance dips noticeably in fourth and fifth grades before rebounding in sixth. Math proficiency follows a steeper decline from third through fifth grade, then rises again by sixth grade. Science results, available only for fifth grade, show weaker performance. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places Franklin above the midpoint when compared to other schools in Santa Barbara County, though the variation across grade levels suggests some students may need additional support as they progress.

The district serving Franklin, Santa Barbara Unified, has undertaken significant curriculum changes in recent years that directly affect how the school teaches. Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, all elementary schools transitioned from a "Balanced Learning" approach to science-of-reading instruction using the Wit and Wisdom curriculum and Fundations structured literacy program. This represented a major pedagogical shift after many years of the older approach. The district has also been addressing technology use in classrooms, implementing an "off and away" policy for personal devices and considering further restrictions on classroom technology.

Franklin's community sits in Santa Barbara itself, a city with notable economic diversity. Housing in the area is expensive, with property values well above the state average and rent comprising a substantial share of household income. The downtown area is pedestrian-friendly and densely developed, with civic anchors like the County Courthouse and public library anchoring daily life. Santa Barbara is in an active development phase focused on housing, including multiple affordable housing projects that have broken or are breaking ground. The city's economy spans education, healthcare, government, technology, and defense work, with UC Santa Barbara and regional healthcare systems as major employers.

Parents looking at Franklin should understand that the school serves a predominantly low-income, Hispanic student population and is positioned in a county context where it performs slightly above average. The recent shift to structured literacy instruction is a major change affecting how reading is taught in early grades. The ongoing district conversations about technology use suggest this is a school community actively engaged in questions about how students learn best. The proficiency data shows strength in third grade but meaningful challenge in the middle elementary grades, particularly in math, so a family considering the school may want to look into what support exists for students who need it as they move from third to fourth grade.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 369%

School 69% · District 51% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 45% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 32% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 655%

School 55% · District 43% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 355%

School 55% · District 48% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 49% · ▼ 7 pts below district

even with state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 42% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 664%

School 64% · District 52% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Science

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 31% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

This schoolSanta Barbara Unified, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.