The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in English language arts. The lowest is 24% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Benjamin Franklin Elementary School
Benjamin Franklin Elementary School is a regular public school in Pennsauken, New Jersey, serving children from prekindergarten through third grade. It is one of several elementary schools in the Pennsauken Township Board of Education School District. Because the school stops at grade three, there is no graduation rate to report, and no state testing data exists for the prekindergarten through second grade years. The only tested grade is third, where students take the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments.
On those assessments, the share of third graders scoring at proficient or above in math was well below the typical range seen across Camden County, and the share in English language arts was similarly low. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects placed it in the bottom quarter when compared to other district-level results in Camden County. A parent looking at these outcomes will want to discuss with the school what academic supports are in place and how the early-grade instructional program is structured, especially since these are foundational years.
The student body is diverse. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch, reflecting a community with a range of economic backgrounds. The largest racial or ethnic group is Hispanic, followed by Black and White students, with smaller shares of Asian students and students identifying as two or more races. This composition creates a multilingual and multicultural peer environment typical of many suburban districts near Philadelphia.
Pennsauken itself is a suburban township directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, connected by the Betsy Ross Bridge. It has an auto-oriented character, shaped by major highways and commercial corridors rather than a traditional walkable downtown. Most daily life revolves around driving. NJ Transit bus routes and three River Line rail stops provide some transit access, but the built environment is dominated by residential streets, industrial zones, and highway strips. The township hosts a large industrial park with employers such as a Pepsi bottling plant and J & J Snack Foods. Major redevelopment in recent years has included the transformation of the former Pennsauken Mart site into a luxury apartment complex and the ongoing conversion of Petty’s Island into a state park and nature center. The Pennsauken Transit Center, a recent infrastructure investment, connects the River Line and Atlantic City Line. Housing in the area has been rising in value, with median listing prices somewhat below the state average but still climbing. The local housing market is active, with a moderate pace of sales and a supply of listings that has not kept up with demand.
The district itself operates multiple elementary schools, an intermediate school, a middle school, and a high school, all spread across separate campuses. The school’s website and district communications would be the place to look for specific program offerings, as the available data did not include details on art, music, physical education, or any special enrichment. Similarly, information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, and the share of students with disabilities or English learner status was not available in the data provided. That absence is worth noting; a parent may want to ask the school directly about class sizes, intervention programs, and how the school supports students still learning English or those with individualized education plans.
For a family living in or moving to Pennsauken, Benjamin Franklin Elementary is one of the neighborhood public school options for the earliest grades. Its academic results on state tests are below the county midpoint, which is an important consideration, but the school’s small, early-elementary focus means that broader high school metrics like graduation rates and advanced coursework simply do not apply here. The peer group is young, just beginning formal schooling, and the community context is a suburban township with a direct bridge to Philadelphia, a mix of industrial and residential land, and a housing market that remains affordable relative to the state average. The best next step for any parent is to visit the school, meet the teachers, and ask about the specific approaches being used in early literacy and math instruction.
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