The top reported proficiency rate is 64% in English language arts. The lowest is 38% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Franklin Elementary
Franklin Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Reisterstown area of Baltimore County. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with a substantial share of students who are Black, a smaller share who are Hispanic, and a modest number of Asian and multiracial students. Just over a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, giving the school a mixed-income profile that sits between the more affluent and more challenged ends of the district.
Reisterstown itself is a residential suburb of Baltimore with a historic district center along Main Street. The town’s civic life is concentrated in that core, where Franklin Middle School hosts a farmers market, concerts, and an annual arts festival. The former Franklin Academy building across the street now serves as the community library. Franklin Elementary sits a short distance from this center, on Cockeysmill Road, placing it within the same neighborhood fabric that connects schools, library, and public events.
The district, Baltimore County Public Schools, has made a series of changes in recent years that affect Franklin Elementary and every other school. A new elementary literacy curriculum aligned with the science of reading was adopted starting in the 2023-2024 school year, shifting reading instruction toward phonics and comprehension. A district-wide cell phone policy now restricts phone use during the school day for elementary students. Baltimore County voters have approved a bond issue for school safety improvements, and the state’s Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is expanding pre-K and increasing funding district-wide, though the direct impact on this school’s day-to-day operations will depend on how those resources are allocated.
On state assessments, the school shows a pattern that varies by subject and grade. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient rises across the tested grades, with fourth and fifth graders reaching a level that sits above the midpoint of schools in the county. In math, performance is less consistent: the fourth-grade cohort scores at a similar level to the stronger ELA grades, while the third- and fifth-grade cohorts lag further behind, with the fifth-grade math result notably lower. Science is tested only in fifth grade, and that cohort’s proficiency rate mirrors the lower math figure. This means that a family considering Franklin Elementary will see a school where a majority of students are meeting expectations in reading by the upper elementary years, but math achievement is uneven, and the fifth-grade cohort struggles in both math and science.
No data is available on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, or staffing ratios, so it is not possible to assess how day-to-day conditions such as attendance or teacher experience shape the learning environment. A parent may want to ask the school directly about these topics.
Housing in the area carries a price that is roughly on par with the Maryland state median. Monthly rent costs are a modest share of a typical household income, suggesting that the community is not a high-pressure market for renters, though homeownership requires a significant commitment relative to income. The local unemployment rate sits near the national average.
For a family weighing this school, the core picture is a community-anchored elementary with solid reading outcomes by fourth and fifth grade, math results that are more uneven, and a student body that is economically mixed. The school does not offer magnet or charter options, so the experience is that of a neighborhood school within a large district that is implementing system-wide curriculum and policy changes. The gaps in available data on attendance and discipline mean that some important dimensions of school life are left to a direct inquiry with the school itself.
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