Franklin School

Franklin School is a K-6 elementary school in Stratford, CT, serving 246 students within the Stratford School District. The school's overall state ranking (22nd percentile, 1-star) places it in the lower tier of Connecticut elementary schools, and the district itself ranks in the bottom 10% statewide. However, a closer look at the data reveals a school with genuine strengths that the overall rating doesn't fully capture.

One of Franklin's standout assets is attendance. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 12.2% is well below the district average of 17.1% and the state average of 16.4%, and dramatically better than nearby Bridgeport schools like Hall School (33.1%), Edison School (30.4%), Jettie S. Tisdale School (34.9%), and Paul Laurence Dunbar School (40.5%). Franklin also performs relatively well with Hispanic students, who rank in the 55th percentile statewide — well above the school's overall ranking. In fact, Franklin outperforms its closest same-district neighbor, Johnson House Elementary School, in several grade-level subjects. For example, 5th grade ELA proficiency is 30.8% at Franklin versus 14.9% at Johnson House.

The biggest challenge is mathematics. Franklin's math scores lag district and state averages across most grade levels — for instance, 5th grade math proficiency is 23.1% compared with 45.8% statewide. There's also notable year-to-year variability in test scores, and regional magnet schools like Six-Six Magnet School and Multicultural Magnet School — the latter with a much higher poverty rate — post stronger results. That said, Franklin's favorable 12.1 student-teacher ratio, below-average chronic absenteeism, and strong performance with underserved student groups suggest a school that is beating the odds in some meaningful ways, even as it works to lift math achievement and break through its longstanding ranking plateau.