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Benjamin Franklin Middle School

Q: Is Benjamin Franklin Middle School a good school?

Benjamin Franklin Middle School ranks 833 rd of 1368 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

833^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,368 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 39% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Benjamin Franklin Middle School is a public middle school in Springfield, Illinois, serving 705 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Springfield School District 186, which is ranked 714 out of 811 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Benjamin Franklin Middle School has consistently ranked in the middle range of Illinois middle schools, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts (41.4%) and Mathematics (24.4%) that are higher than the district average but lower than the state average. The school's performance on the Illinois Science Assessment for 8th grade was 32.9%, compared to the district's 29% and the state's 45.4%. However, the school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with Asian and White students generally performing better than African American, Hispanic, and Multi-racial students. The school also struggles with high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 25.4% to 41.6% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

Interestingly, the nearby schools within the same district, such as Washington Middle School and U.S. Grant Middle School, have similar academic performance and demographic challenges as Benjamin Franklin Middle School. However, Lincoln Magnet School, also within the Springfield School District, stands out with significantly higher academic performance, ranking in the top 15% of Illinois middle schools. Schools in other nearby districts, such as Pleasant Plains Middle School and Glenwood Middle School, generally outperform Benjamin Franklin Middle School in both academic achievement and student subgroup performance.

709

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,785

Per pupil spending ?

53.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1200 Outer Park Dr
Springfield, IL 62704-4409

(217) 787-3006

District: Springfield School District 186

Feeder schools for Benjamin Franklin Middle School:

Elementary:	Butler Elementary School
	Elizabeth Graham Elementary School
	Lindsay School
	Sandburg Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

40.6%

White:

33.4%

Two or more races:

12.3%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Benjamin Franklin Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 77th percentile in 2015 → 39th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (33% vs 46% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (39% vs 25% Illinois)

!Ranking has slipped — down 38 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school33%

District avg28%

Illinois avg46%

833^rd of 1,368

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 38 pts since 2015

From top 23% (2015) to bottom 39% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5Middle Schools in the Springfield School District 186

714^th of 811Springfield School District 186 among Illinois 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	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	36.6	833 of 1368	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.1	726 of 1363	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.5	781 of 1367	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.2	605 of 1369	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.7	433 of 1241	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.4	478 of 1356	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.4	464 of 1293	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.6	462 of 1293	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	51.6	571 of 1294	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	70.4	302 of 1302	76.8%	★★★★☆
2014	59.0	542 of 1322	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	58.7	564 of 1367	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	32.9	1017 of 1365	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	34.3	993 of 1344	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	42.0	900 of 1327	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	39.1	924 of 1318	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	36.3	929 of 1293	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	38.8	906 of 1287	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	49.0	767 of 1272	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	47.1	739 of 1209	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	57.1	605 of 1204	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2003	48.1	701 of 1185	40.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	28.9	438 of 574	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.8	420 of 548	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.4	354 of 569	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.2	352 of 573	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.0	204 of 385	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.1	255 of 565	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.8	261 of 511	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	59.4	84 of 186	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.3	64 of 184	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.1	69 of 192	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.6	39 of 198	80.3%	★★★★☆
2019	73.3	41 of 201	79.6%	★★★★☆
2018	60.7	74 of 209	64.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	40.2	356 of 694	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.8	355 of 639	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	491 of 674	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	28.3	392 of 483	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	482 of 486	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.2	480 of 480	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	37.3	762 of 1248	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.3	592 of 1251	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.0	737 of 1275	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.8	560 of 1286	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.0	496 of 1017	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.7	481 of 1276	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.9	513 of 1226	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	20.2	573 of 669	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.2	474 of 643	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	558 of 661	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	80.5	72 of 639	88.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	22.2	1023 of 1229	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.8	837 of 1219	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.0	1010 of 1234	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.7	773 of 1221	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.8	603 of 1019	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.3	704 of 1217	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.5	644 of 1161	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	35.2	782 of 1271	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.2	739 of 1264	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.8	724 of 1292	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.6	565 of 1286	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.1	308 of 1048	70.6%	★★★★☆
2019	61.6	430 of 1296	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.6	393 of 1223	67.9%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	18.8	164 of 204	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.5	109 of 184	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.1	125 of 194	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.8	116 of 195	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.7	46 of 97	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.7	110 of 179	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.5	106 of 164	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	25.9	596 of 812	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.3	542 of 802	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.6	599 of 805	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.3	415 of 781	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.7	340 of 548	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.5	266 of 792	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.6	174 of 602	71.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	51.1	424 of 884	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.9	431 of 875	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.6	502 of 895	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.7	378 of 898	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.3	252 of 813	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.3	203 of 905	77.6%	★★★★☆
2018	70.7	221 of 889	75.1%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Asian (2025)55th percentile+16 vs school

White (2025)52nd percentile+13 vs school

Disabled (2025)49th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)39th percentile~ school

Male (2025)38th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)27th percentile-13 vs school

African American (2025)24th percentile-15 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)20th percentile-20 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)19th percentile-20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)17th percentile-22 vs school

Hispanic (2025)14th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts41%-12 vs state

Science33%-12 vs state

Mathematics24%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Benjamin Franklin Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISA Science (2025)		IAR English Language Arts (2025)						IAR Mathematics (2025)						% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% DTP (2024)	% Meningococcal (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	ISA Science 5th Grade	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	% DTP All Grades	% Meningococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Benjamin Franklin Middle School	Public	6-8	1200 Outer Park Dr	Springfield	62704	Sangamon County	Springfield School District 186	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 787-3006	709	54	13.1	53.5%	237 (33.4%)	288 (40.6%)	48 (6.8%)	45 (6.3%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	87 (12.3%)	36.6	833^rd of 1368 public middle schools	39.1%		41.1	726^th of 1363 public middle schools	46.7%	107		32.9			42.0	44.9	37.4	41.4			24.0	33.0	16.6	24.4	98.9	99.3	99.3	99.3	99.3	98.7	99.0	97.7	$20,785	$1,936	$18,848
U S Grant Middle School	Public	6-8	1800 W Monroe St	Springfield	62704	Sangamon County	Springfield School District 186	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 525-3170	498	46	10.9	72.1%	151 (30.3%)	262 (52.6%)	15 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (13.1%)	11.9	1278^th of 1368 public middle schools	6.6%		14.2	1247^th of 1363 public middle schools	8.5%	31		18.8			24.2	18.6	15.9	19.6			9.6	8.8	3.4	7.4	99.8	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.8	99.8	99.8	99.0	$23,059	$2,144	$20,915
Jefferson Middle School	Public	6-8	3001 S Allis St	Springfield	62703	Sangamon County	Springfield School District 186	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 585-5810	517	43	12.0	80.7%	133 (25.7%)	290 (56.1%)	20 (3.9%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (13.3%)	9.4	1323^rd of 1368 public middle schools	3.3%		12.1	1287^th of 1363 public middle schools	5.6%	36		16.7			11.6	17.6	19.0	16.0			3.5	8.5	2.3	4.6	99.8	99.4	99.8	99.8	99.8	99.8	99.8	99.2	$21,634	$2,145	$19,489
Lincoln Magnet School	Public	6-8	300 S 11th St	Springfield	62703	Sangamon County	Springfield School District 186	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 525-3236	300	25	12.0	37.7%	150 (50.0%)	84 (28.0%)	9 (3.0%)	17 (5.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (12.7%)	83.9	193^rd of 1368 public middle schools	85.9%		84	191^st of 1363 public middle schools	86.0%	2		67.7			78.1	75.8	80.6	78.1			44.8	45.5	45.2	45.1	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	$22,394	$1,936	$20,458
Washington Middle School	Public	6-8	2300 E Jackson St	Springfield	62703	Sangamon County	Springfield School District 186	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 525-3182	516	50	10.3	79.8%	162 (31.4%)	262 (50.8%)	15 (2.9%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (14.1%)	7.1	1355^th of 1368 public middle schools	1.0%		10.9	1318^th of 1363 public middle schools	3.3%	37		11.2			9.9	7.8	11.6	9.9			4.3	2.1	3.4	3.3	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	97.5	$24,399	$2,138	$22,262
Glenwood Middle School	Public	7-8	595 Chatham Rd	Chatham	62629	Sangamon County	Ball Chatham CUSD 5	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 483-2481	735	43	17.1	22.7%	539 (73.3%)	37 (5.0%)	32 (4.4%)	45 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (11.2%)	68	390^th of 1368 public middle schools	71.5%		63.5	410^th of 1363 public middle schools	69.9%	20		55.6				69.7	51.4	60.4				44.8	36.2	40.4	98.8	98.2	98.2	98.2	97.8	98.5	98.7	97.0	$12,465	$299	$12,166
Glenwood Intermediate School	Public	5-6	465 Chatham Rd	Chatham	62629	Sangamon County	Ball Chatham CUSD 5	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 483-1183	672	37	18.1	22.5%	527 (78.4%)	28 (4.2%)	25 (3.7%)	38 (5.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (7.9%)								(n/a)	48.2			67.3	67.2			67.2		43.6	48.2			45.8	97.8	97.9	97.9	97.9	50.4	97.4	97.7	49.1	$11,393	$332	$11,061
Rochester Junior High School	Public	7-8	3 Rocket Dr	Rochester	62563	Sangamon County	Rochester CUSD 3A	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 498-9761	288	20	14.4		252 (87.5%)	7 (2.4%)	5 (1.7%)	6 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.9%)	69.6	367^th of 1368 public middle schools	73.2%		53.5	550^th of 1363 public middle schools	59.6%	183		56.0				68.0	65.3	66.7				38.8	33.6	36.2									$13,584	$505	$13,079
Rochester Intermediate School	Public	4-6	900 Jack Taylor Dr	Rochester	62563	Sangamon County	Rochester CUSD 3A	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 498-6215	394	27	14.5	15.2%	349 (88.6%)	12 (3.0%)	5 (1.3%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.6%)								(n/a)	45.8		55.6	42.7	58.5			52.3	49.2	42.7	39.3			43.6									$12,952	$505	$12,446
Pleasant Plains Middle School	Public	5-8	2455 N Farmingdale Rd	Pleasant Plains	62677	Sangamon County	Pleasant Plains CUSD 8	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 626-1061	393	26	15.1	11.5%	357 (90.8%)	7 (1.8%)	7 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.0%)	14 (3.6%)	65.4	420^th of 1368 public middle schools	69.3%		74.7	288^th of 1363 public middle schools	78.9%	132	62.6	59.8		68.7	55.2	59.6	66.0	62.4		52.0	29.2	51.5	26.8	40.0	99.0	99.0	99.0	99.0	99.2	99.0	99.0	74.2	$12,856	$108	$12,748

Frequently Asked Questions about Benjamin Franklin Middle School

Is Benjamin Franklin Middle School a good school?

Benjamin Franklin Middle School ranks 833^rd of 1368 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Benjamin Franklin Middle School in?

Springfield School District 186

What is the racial makeup of Benjamin Franklin Middle School?

Students at Benjamin Franklin Middle School are 41% African American, 33% White, 12% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 6% Asian.

How many students attend Benjamin Franklin Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 709 students attended Benjamin Franklin Middle School.

Rate Benjamin Franklin Middle School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board 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.