The top reported proficiency rate is 94% in Social studies. The lowest is 80% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Franklin Elementary School
Franklin Elementary School serves kindergarten through fourth grade in Wadsworth, a suburban community in Medina County with a small-town character anchored by a historic downtown and an expanding residential base on its east side. The school sits within a district that has recently faced fiscal pressures but has invested significantly in new facilities for upper grades.
The school's academic performance on Ohio's State Tests shows proficiency in both math and English language arts at a rate solidly above the county median among comparable schools. On recent testing, a majority of third and fourth graders reached proficiency in both subjects, with an overall proficiency index placing the school in the top quartile of Medina County districts. This reflects steady student achievement across the elementary years. State testing data for social studies is older and therefore not current, and performance measures for kindergarten and first grade do not exist because those grades are not assessed at the state level.
The enrollment is small for a suburban elementary school, distributed across five grades with more students concentrated in fourth grade than in kindergarten. About a quarter of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is predominantly white, with a small number of students identifying as multiracial, Hispanic, or Black. Data on special education enrollment and English learner status were not available in the public records reviewed. The school does not carry Title I designation.
Franklin feeds into a district that is navigating real financial constraints. In May 2025, voters defeated a proposed earned income tax levy that administrators said was necessary to address an upcoming budget shortfall. Following that defeat, the district announced additional budget reductions would be required, including potential elimination of busing for elementary families living within a certain distance of school and increased fees for extracurricular activities. The district's credit rating was affirmed but the outlook was revised to negative, signaling sustained fiscal pressure. At the same time, the district opened a new Wadsworth Intermediate School in August 2025, a modern facility designed to replace an aging building and serve fifth and sixth graders, representing a significant prior capital investment. A parent considering Franklin should understand that while the school itself shows solid academic performance, the broader district is working through budget constraints that may affect services and fees in coming years.
The community itself is experiencing suburban growth concentrated on the east side of the city, where new residential subdivisions are being developed and where the schools campus is located, separate from the historic downtown. Housing costs in the area are moderate relative to national benchmarks and the mortgage and rental markets are active. Major employers include healthcare, manufacturing, and retail, with the school district itself being the largest employer in the city. The elementary school experience sits within a district making significant operational changes and a town in transition, neither of which should deter enrollment decisions but both of which are worth understanding as part of a family's context.
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