Franklin Square Elementary/middle, Baltimore MD

Original Research by School Decision on Franklin Square Elementary/middle

Franklin Square Elementary/Middle is a regular public school in Baltimore, serving prekindergarten through eighth grade. It sits in the western part of the city, in a neighborhood that reflects Baltimore's broader urban character: a mix of residential streets, historic rowhouses, and a service-oriented economy anchored by institutions like Johns Hopkins Hospital and University. The city has experienced a modest population decline in recent years and is undertaking a major infrastructure project to replace the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. Housing near the school is among the most affordable in the region, and rents are relatively low compared to the national average.

The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly Black, with a much smaller share of Hispanic, white, and multiracial students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, placing Franklin Square in a high-poverty context. This economic profile shapes the peer environment and the types of support the school likely provides.

State assessment results from the most recent testing year show very low proficiency rates across every subject and grade level. In mathematics, the share of students scoring proficient or above in third grade was in the teens, and it declined to low single digits in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, with a slight uptick in seventh and eighth grades that still remained in the single digits. In English language arts, third graders had a proficiency rate in the mid-teens, fourth graders in the single digits, fifth graders also low, sixth and seventh graders near a third, and eighth graders back in the single digits. Science proficiency was essentially zero in fifth grade and in the low single digits for eighth graders. Social studies proficiency in eighth grade was similarly low. When compared across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom half of districts in Baltimore city.

Because the school serves only through eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report. No data were available for chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, or course access such as advanced or career-oriented programs. The school is not a charter or magnet. The district, Baltimore City Public Schools, was reviewed for recent parent-relevant changes, but none were found in the publicly available material.

For a family considering Franklin Square, the picture is clear. This is a high-poverty elementary and middle school in an urban setting where state test results are well below the typical range. A parent may want to ask the school directly about academic supports, enrichment offerings, and how it addresses the learning gaps that the assessment data suggest. The school's affordable housing market is a practical consideration, but the academic pathway for students through eighth grade is one in which proficiency rates are low across the board, and a family would likely need to seek additional resources or interventions outside the school day.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 315%

School 15% · district not reported

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

Grade 42%

School 2% · district not reported

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

Grade 52%

School 2% · district not reported

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

Grade 67%

School 7% · district not reported

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

Grade 78%

School 8% · district not reported

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 86%

School 6% · district not reported

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 316%

School 16% · district not reported

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 45%

School 5% · district not reported

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

Grade 57%

School 7% · district not reported

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

Grade 633%

School 33% · district not reported

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 731%

School 31% · district not reported

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 89%

School 9% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · district not reported

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

Grade 83%

School 3% · district not reported

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

Social studies

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 17% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

This schoolBaltimore City Public Schools, 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.