The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Franklin Middle School
Franklin Middle School serves roughly equal cohorts across sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, with an enrollment of about midsize for a middle school. The student body is notably diverse: roughly two-fifths Black, roughly one-fifth white, roughly one-eighth Asian, and smaller shares of Hispanic and multiracial students. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and special education enrollment were not available.
State test results for 2024-25 show proficiency that sits below the midpoint among Champaign County districts. In sixth grade, roughly two out of five students reached proficiency in English language arts, and roughly three in ten did so in math. Seventh grade math proficiency rose slightly to roughly one-third of students, while ELA stayed about the same. Eighth grade showed steeper challenges, particularly in math: only roughly one in seven students achieved proficiency, while ELA proficiency was roughly three in ten. Science testing, available only for eighth grade, showed roughly one in four students proficient. Participation rates across tested grades ranged from roughly 96 to roughly 99 percent, indicating strong test engagement.
The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile of Champaign County districts. The pattern across grades suggests that proficiency declines as students progress through the middle grades, with eighth grade math representing a notable area of concern. A parent might want to ask the school directly about the causes of the eighth-grade math dip and what support structures or instructional approaches are in place to address it.
Champaign CUSD 4, the parent district, has implemented district-wide changes relevant to families considering Franklin. Beginning in 2023-24, the district adopted a restructured calendar and school configuration that eliminated balanced calendars. More importantly for instruction, the district has expanded AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) across all three middle schools, including Franklin, as an official AVID National Demonstration School. AVID brings structured literacy and college-readiness strategies into everyday classroom practice—notetaking, vocabulary work, and focused reading instruction—making it a framework families will encounter throughout the school.
Franklin sits in Champaign, a city anchored by the University of Illinois campus and a revitalized downtown. The ZIP code where the school is located has strong walkability, rated among the highest in the state, with transit access, biking infrastructure, and a mixed-use downtown with restaurants, cafes, and cultural venues within reach. Housing in the area is moderately valued and has appreciated modestly in recent years. The broader economy is stable, with major employers in education, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics, though the median household income trends within the national range.
Sixth and seventh grade are where Franklin's proficiency is somewhat less weak; eighth grade proficiency, especially in math, drops substantially. For families whose children are entering sixth grade, the school offers a more typical middle grades experience. For those considering it as a receiving school after sixth or seventh grade, the pattern of declining proficiency warrants direct conversation with school leaders about curriculum, supports, and the particular academic demands of the upper grades.
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