Benjamin Franklin Intermediate, Colma CA

Original Research by School Decision on Benjamin Franklin Intermediate

Benjamin Franklin Intermediate is a public middle school in Colma, serving about five hundred students across grades six through eight. The school sits in a small town distinctive for its cemetery industry, commercial retail, and modest residential neighborhoods, anchored by a BART station and Sterling Park recreation area. Housing values in the zip code are substantially above both state and national medians, reflecting the Bay Area market; median household income regionally runs higher than the national average, though rental costs remain elevated relative to household income.

The school's student body reflects the broader demographics of Colma and the wider region. About half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating mixed economic circumstances within the enrollment. The majority of students identify as Asian or Hispanic, with smaller shares of white, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Black, and multiracial students, and a very small number of American Indian or Alaska Native students. Data on English learner rates and students with disabilities was not available.

State assessment results from the most recent test cycle show proficiency rates that fall well below the median for districts across San Mateo County. In English language arts, across all three grades, roughly one in three students demonstrated proficiency. Mathematics proficiency runs lower, with less than one in four students showing proficiency overall, ranging from about one in six sixth-graders to about three in ten seventh-graders. In eighth-grade science, one in six students met proficiency standards. An older assessment from social studies, conducted more than a decade ago, showed stronger results, though that test is no longer administered statewide and cannot be compared to current practice. A parent may want to look into what supports the school offers for students who are not yet proficient, and what interventions or pathway changes have been made in response to current results.

The school operates as a regular public middle school without charter or magnet status. State testing data for chronic absenteeism and four-year graduation rate do not apply because this is a middle school, not a high school. Information about course offerings, staffing levels, discipline policies, and attendance patterns was not available in the data reviewed.

Benjamin Franklin sits within Jefferson Elementary School District, a K-8 district serving Daly City and surrounding communities. In March 2024, district voters approved a parcel tax measure beginning in summer 2026 to support core academics, reading intervention, and library services, representing an ongoing property cost for homeowners. The district also approved a school facilities bond in 2022 and opened workforce housing for teachers and staff in 2024, steps signaling investment in buildings and workforce stability. These district-level actions provide context for school operations, though individual school conditions and leadership should be explored separately with the school itself.

Colma itself offers a small-town feel with preserved residential areas and commerce concentrated in auto dealerships and big-box retail. Most Colma residents own their homes, and the town maintains parks, recreation facilities, and nearby transit. Growth is constrained by cemetery land use, which occupies much of the town, leaving limited room for large new housing development. The residential Sterling Park area remains the core neighborhood, and the BART station provides regional transit access, connecting families to jobs and services across the Bay Area.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 618%

School 18% · District 31% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 35% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 29% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 41% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 732%

School 32% · District 45% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 46% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Science

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 25% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 872%

School 72% · District 55% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

This schoolJefferson Elementary, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income22%Higher-income31%9 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income26%Higher-income37%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income25%Higher-income38%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income17%Higher-income20%4 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income26%Higher-income32%6 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income30%10 pp gap