Benjamin Franklin Middle School, Springfield IL

Original Research by School Decision on Benjamin Franklin Middle School

Benjamin Franklin Middle School serves grades six through eight in Springfield, drawing a student body that is roughly evenly split between Black and white students, with smaller shares of Asian and multiracial students and a very small Hispanic population. The enrollment sits at about seven hundred students across its three grades.

State testing data from the most recent school year shows proficiency rates that run well below the midpoint among Sangamon County's school districts. In mathematics, the school's proficiency ranges from about one-sixth of students in eighth grade to about one-third in seventh grade, with sixth-grade results near one-quarter. In English language arts, performance is somewhat stronger: seventh graders come in at roughly forty-five percent, sixth graders at about forty percent, and eighth graders at just under forty percent. In science, eighth-grade proficiency sits at roughly one-third. Participation rates in testing are high, just under ninety-eight percent or better across all measured grades, indicating the assessments are not being skipped. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in the county.

These results suggest a school where foundational academic skills are uneven across the student population, particularly in mathematics, where proficiency drops noticeably in eighth grade. A parent considering this school may want to look into what support structures exist for students who are struggling with core content and what the school's intervention approach looks like, especially for students not yet meeting proficiency in reading and math.

The school sits in Springfield, a state capital city with a functioning downtown government core, a medical district anchored by hospitals, and car-oriented residential neighborhoods spreading outward. Housing values in the area are moderate relative to state and national benchmarks. The city itself is pursuing downtown revitalization and new housing development, though like much of Illinois, Springfield is navigating budget constraints. Benjamin Franklin's parent district, Springfield SD 186, is managing significant budget pressures and has recently adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum based on phonics and the science of reading. The district is also working through a multi-year deficit reduction plan that includes staffing adjustments and the possibility of building consolidations, which will affect class sizes and support staffing district-wide over the coming years.

No data were available on the school's special education identification rates, English learner counts, or free-and-reduced-price lunch participation, so the economic profile of the student body is not fully clear from the available sources. The school's website or a direct conversation with the administration would fill in those details along with information about course offerings, school culture, and the specific academic supports available to students.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 18% · ▲ 7 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 20% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 15% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 31% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 745%

School 45% · District 32% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 32% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Science

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 29% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

This schoolSpringfield SD 186, 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.