Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Benjamin Franklin Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

18^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 480 Indiana Middle Schools

Better than 96% of Indiana middle schools

Summary

Benjamin Franklin Middle School is a high-performing public middle school in Valparaiso, Indiana, serving 806 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Valparaiso Community Schools district, which is ranked 10th out of 380 districts in the state and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Benjamin Franklin Middle School consistently outperforms the Valparaiso Community Schools district and the state of Indiana in ILEARN test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. In the 2024-2025 school year, 61.93% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 60.83% for the district. In math, 60.17% of students were proficient or better, compared to 65.7% for the district. The school also excels in science, with 68.4% of students proficient or better, compared to 66.09% for the district. Additionally, the school's performance in the ILEARN Biology End of Course exam is particularly impressive, with 98.78% of students proficient or better, significantly higher than the district's 68.72%.

Compared to nearby schools, Thomas Jefferson Middle School has lower academic performance, while River Forest Middle School has significantly lower proficiency rates in all subject areas. However, Chesterton Middle School, part of the Duneland School Corporation, is another high-performing middle school, ranking 6th out of 480 Indiana middle schools in the 2024-2025 school year, on par with Benjamin Franklin Middle School's performance.

823

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,328

Per pupil spending ?

24.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

605 Campbell
Valparaiso, IN 46385

(219) 531-3020

District: Valparaiso Community Schools

Students who attend Benjamin Franklin Middle School usually attend:

High:

Valparaiso High School

Feeder schools for Benjamin Franklin Middle School:

Elementary:	Central Elementary School
	Cooks Corners Elementary School
	Memorial Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.8%

Hispanic:

13.1%

Two or more races:

4.5%

See top rated Indiana middle schools

Compare Benjamin Franklin Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 90th percentile in 2015 → 96th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Indiana average (64% vs 46% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 4% of Indiana middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg64%

Indiana avg46%

18^th of 480

Indiana public middle schools ?

Top 4%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From top 10% (2015) to top 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Valparaiso Community Schools

10^th of 380Valparaiso Community Schools among Indiana districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	94.5	18 of 480	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	92.9	28 of 491	94.3%	★★★★★
2023	94.2	17 of 489	96.5%	★★★★★
2022	93.7	23 of 490	95.3%	★★★★★
2021	93.5	22 of 483	95.4%	★★★★★
2019	92.2	24 of 470	94.9%	★★★★★
2018	87.5	31 of 473	93.4%	★★★★★
2017	87.4	30 of 472	93.6%	★★★★★
2016	84.6	33 of 494	93.3%	★★★★★
2015	84.0	47 of 485	90.3%	★★★★★
2014	79.9	55 of 470	88.3%	★★★★☆
2013	83.0	35 of 444	92.1%	★★★★★
2012	87.5	18 of 447	96.0%	★★★★★
2011	87.4	19 of 451	95.8%	★★★★★
2010	86.3	20 of 428	95.3%	★★★★★
2009	90.4	15 of 423	96.5%	★★★★★
2008	85.2	24 of 392	93.9%	★★★★★
2007	85.7	21 of 382	94.5%	★★★★★
2006	82.2	35 of 375	90.7%	★★★★★
2005	83.5	28 of 370	92.4%	★★★★★
2004	81.8	25 of 222	88.7%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Indiana (2024-2025) ?

Biology99%+53 vs state

Science68%

English Language Arts62%

Math60%

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Benjamin Franklin Middle School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a teacher
Thursday, February 3, 2011

Teachers and administrators at Ben Franklin really care about all students. It is a great place to be. Close Quote

Schools Near Benjamin Franklin Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2025)					ILEARN Math (2025)					ILEARN Science (2025)		ILEARN Social Studies (2025)	ILEARN Biology (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ILEARN English Language Arts 5th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 7th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 8th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math 7th Grade	ILEARN Math 8th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	ILEARN Biology End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Benjamin Franklin Middle School	Public	6-8	605 Campbell	Valparaiso	46385	Porter County	Valparaiso Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(219) 531-3020	823	56	14.6	24.5%	640 (77.8%)	18 (2.2%)	108 (13.1%)	19 (2.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.5%)	94.5	18^th of 480 public middle schools	96.3%		92.9	28^th of 491 public middle schools	94.3%	10		65.4	59.5	60.9	61.9		66.9	57.7	56.1	60.2	68.4	68.4		98.8	$11,328	$387	$10,941
Thomas Jefferson Middle School	Public	6-8	1600 Roosevelt Rd	Valparaiso	46383	Porter County	Valparaiso Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(219) 531-3140	632	52	12.1	39.7%	453 (71.7%)	35 (5.5%)	104 (16.5%)	11 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.6%)	84.4	62^nd of 480 public middle schools	87.1%		77.8	91^st of 491 public middle schools	81.5%	29		51.2	43.6	59.3	51.5		56.7	43.6	48.6	49.6	63.7	63.7		94.6	$11,849	$194	$11,654
Union Township Middle School	Public	6-8	599 W 300 N	Valparaiso	46385	Porter County	Union Township School Corp	No	No	No	No	(219) 759-2562	333	24	14.1	26.7%	267 (80.2%)	9 (2.7%)	49 (14.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.1%)	92.5	23^rd of 480 public middle schools	95.2%		94.7	19^th of 491 public middle schools	96.1%	4		55.7	69.6	66.3	63.7		60.9	60.7	60.4	60.7	53.9	53.9			$12,033	$71	$11,962
Liberty Intermediate School	Public	5-6	50 W 900 N	Chesterton	46304	Porter County	Duneland School Corporation	No	No	No	No	(219) 983-3690	452	27	16.6	27.0%	331 (73.2%)	6 (1.3%)	96 (21.2%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.7%)								(n/a)	61.4	61.1			61.3	59.8	63.6			61.5	66.7	66.7	67.5		$13,208	$434	$12,774
Boone Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	325 W 550 S	Boone Grove	46302	Porter County	Porter Township School Corp	No	No	No	No	(219) 464-4828	292	21	14.2	28.8%	231 (79.1%)	2 (0.7%)	47 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.1%)	81.3	77^th of 480 public middle schools	84.0%		67.5	154^th of 491 public middle schools	68.6%	77		52.8	58.1	50.5	53.7		48.4	38.7	44.3	43.8	58.2	58.2			$11,545	$498	$11,047
Westchester Intermediate School	Public	5-6	1050 S 5th St	Chesterton	46304	Porter County	Duneland School Corporation	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 983-3710	404	31	13.0	30.4%	305 (75.5%)	17 (4.2%)	61 (15.1%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.5%)								(n/a)	59.8	65.4			62.8	73.7	71.0			72.3	63.6	63.6	58.3		$13,308	$491	$12,817
Westchester Middle School	Public	7-8	1050 S. 5th St.	Chesterton	46304	Porter County	Duneland School Corporation	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(708) 450-2735	448	26	17.0	33.5%	336 (75.0%)	14 (3.1%)	62 (13.8%)	4 (0.9%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	26 (5.8%)								(n/a)
Liberty Middle School	Public	7-8	651 W Morgan Ave	Chesterton	46304	Porter County	Duneland School Corporation	No	No	No	No	(219) 983-3776	423	29	14.5	23.6%	319 (75.4%)	5 (1.2%)	70 (16.5%)	9 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.7%)	97.2	6^th of 480 public middle schools	98.8%		96.6	6^th of 491 public middle schools	98.8%				66.5	70.1	68.4			73.9	57.4	65.4				91.0	$12,366	$132	$12,234
Willowcreek Middle School	Public	6-8	5962 Central Ave	Portage	46368	Porter County	Portage Township Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 763-8090	920	55	16.6	41.7%	474 (51.5%)	145 (15.8%)	245 (26.6%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (5.5%)	39.1	309^th of 480 public middle schools	35.6%		41.6	290^th of 491 public middle schools	40.9%	19		23.6	26.4	37.3	29.0		21.8	26.1	37.3	28.3	32.9	32.9		70.3	$11,089	$319	$10,770
William Fegely Middle School	Public	6-8	5384 Stone Ave	Portage	46368	Porter County	Portage Township Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 763-8150	566	45	12.4	48.2%	256 (45.2%)	111 (19.6%)	160 (28.3%)	6 (1.1%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.3%)	33.8	328^th of 480 public middle schools	31.7%		36.8	318^th of 491 public middle schools	35.2%	10		27.9	28.7	31.8	29.5		12.1	28.7	24.0	22.3	27.4	27.4		56.8	$12,312	$401	$11,911

Frequently Asked Questions about Benjamin Franklin Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Benjamin Franklin Middle School?

Students at Benjamin Franklin Middle School are 78% White, 13% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% African American.

How many students attend Benjamin Franklin Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 823 students attended Benjamin Franklin Middle School.

What district is Benjamin Franklin Middle School in?

Valparaiso Community Schools

What high school do graduates of Benjamin Franklin Middle School attend?

Students who attend Benjamin Franklin Middle School usually go on to attend Valparaiso High School

Is Benjamin Franklin Middle School a good school?

Yes! Benjamin Franklin Middle School is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 18^th of 480 Indiana middle schools.

Rate Benjamin Franklin Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

INIndiana Middle School Rankings

INIndiana District Rankings

Schools in Valparaiso, IN

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Benjamin Franklin Middle School!

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Indiana Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.