Franklin City Public Schools

Franklin City Public Schools is a very small Virginia school district serving roughly 1,124 students in grades PK–12 across just two schools: S.P. Morton Elementary (grades PK–6, 620 students) and Franklin High (grades 7–12, 504 students). The district currently ranks 131 out of 131 school districts in Virginia with zero stars, placing both schools in the bottom 1–2% of their respective categories statewide. Notably, Franklin High includes grades 7 and 8, so middle school students attend school alongside high schoolers.

Comparing the two schools, S.P. Morton Elementary serves the younger grades and has a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.5:1, while Franklin High has a lower ratio of 10.2:1. Chronic absenteeism is a major concern at both schools: 24.7% at the elementary and 21.7% at the high school, versus a 14.8% state rate. Both schools serve an extremely high-poverty population, with free/reduced lunch eligibility at roughly 100%. Achievement is low in most subjects, but Franklin High shows some bright spots in advanced math: Algebra II proficiency reached 93.75% (near the state average of 94.43%) and 9th-grade Algebra I hit 81.48%—slightly above the state. S.P. Morton Elementary also improved meaningfully in 3rd-grade math (from 17.5% to 40.91% proficiency) and reading (from 17.5% to 31.34%).

Still, most proficiency rates fall far below state averages—7th-grade math at Franklin High was just 8.45%—yet the success of students in advanced coursework shows real capacity. In 2024–2025, 8th-grade Algebra I had 100% proficiency, and 10th-grade World History I reached 84.62% versus a 48.86% state average. The district's graduation rate is 88.1%, about 4 points below the state, while its dropout rate of 4.7% is slightly better than the state's 5.0%. Per-student spending is similar between the two schools ($10,602 at S.P. Morton Elementary and $10,949 at Franklin High). For parents, the big picture is that Franklin City Public Schools faces serious challenges related to poverty and chronic absenteeism, but pockets of strong performance—especially in advanced math—show that students can succeed with the right support.