Benjamin Franklin Elementary School

1610 Lake Street

School District

Glendale Unified
Grade

K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:24
Type

public

School Map for Glendale Unified School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on March 25, 2024

Both of my kids have gone to this school and have thrived. We've been a part of the Franklin community for 9 years. Principal Kully does an incredible job, and the BFEF is the difference when compared to all other schools. The BFEF provides the international interns, which actually HALF the teacher to student ratios. Everyone gets individual attention, which is amazing!The parents at this school realize they are doing something different from day one. The language immersion element requires extra effort from the parents to support the school and its programs, and so the parents really step to the plate! Comments here complaining that the school is underfunded or that they ask too much really don't understand what is going on here. Passionate parents who are willing to do extra to support their kids and the entire student body are what make this school really stand out.Some people are nervous when joining a language immersion school like this. They think their kids learning will suffer and they will fall behind. We have not found that to be the case at all. Our kids are in the ninetieth percentile in all their test scores and got much stronger from 4th to 6th grade and beyond. I can say without a doubt that the education is very high quality. We have a lot of friends who pay $30k per year for Crossroads, and the Franklin kids I know score higher, are more self-confident, and have a whole other language to boot! This school is truly a lifelong gift to our children.
Submitted by parent on March 14, 2024

This is a special school but requires a very careful consideration. Grades K-3 students are supported and encouraged. The school community is strong. Academics are decent. Maths is adequate. Writing is weak. Languages are exceptional. Academics in Grades 4-6 are very weak. Students who experience learning challenges or just need extra support will not receive it. The school uses the excuse that they need to get ready for middle school to weed out students who are not the top academic students. The upper grade students who have learning challenges will be considered behavioral problems while the children who are strong academically but have real behavioral issues are given free passes. Gusd wants the strongest academic performing students to boost test scores. The Gusd magnet programs draw other district students. Grades 4-6 teachers weed out the under performing or students with different learning challenges.
Submitted by parent on February 24, 2023

This is a very specific school and not for every child. They are underfunded. They try to make a great program with not enough support. The parents need to subsidize the school. If your child does not thrive, there is zero support. Your child will not be on par with a high level education in English at other top schools. However, it is a very ambitious immersion program. Your child will learn about other cultures and languages.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2022

Franklin is such a special school! Our daughter is studying in the Italian program and we couldn't be happier. We're not a fluent family and were nervous when we started, but by first grade our daughter was already reading, writing, comprehending, and doing math in English and Italian (and her Spanish comprehension is rising, as well). The school's principal is extraordinary - we are lucky to have Principal Kully - and it has a very active parent community, PTA, and foundation. They're able to put on all sorts of great events and raise money for in-class aides, music, art, etc. The school also has a special focus on sustainability and global citizenship, and piloted LA's first zero impact lunchroom. And it's so fun to hear five different languages being spoken at drop-off and pick-up.
Submitted by parent on March 27, 2019

Our three children have attended or attend Franklin in the Spanish Immersion program. Our oldest transferred from private school when a spot became available. The education they receive is excellent and we are proud to be part of the Franklin family.
Submitted by parent on September 24, 2018

I am a total believer of bilingual education but not on the expense of the well being of the child. It is not a progressive environment so detention was the only way my child was disciplined starting in kinder garden. It was very detrimental to his self esteem and created a more defiant child hence I changed his school.
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2018

Very good to great! I do notice that the learning outcomes differ by race and income level, so there are areas for improvement so that all students can walk away with a great experience. They have moved teachers around to work with their strengths, especially in the upper grades. The interns and teaching assistants are such a plus, because there's almost always 2 adults per classroom teaching or helping teach.
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2018

AMAZING experience! Our child thrived learning in a foreign language and excels in math, science and music as a middle-schooler...Mr. B., who teaches orchestra is AWESOME and inspiring! The Principal is dedicated, caring, compassionate and effective and never missed a boring PTA Board meeting during the few years I served. Mr. Sal and the rest of the staff also serve as surrogate parents through these critical, early learning years. It is So Golden to have trust in those who spend so much of the day with our kids, we LOVED this school.
Submitted by parent on March 31, 2018

Excellent! My daughter is in kinder Spanish and I feel like we won the lottery. Her teacher is kind and open to help from parents. My daughter is happy and developing language skills after starting off the year with no Spanish. She gets music, gardening, PE, and computer lab. I like that she will have the same kids in her class through the 6th grade. They are all so kind to each other. If you are a parent who cares about your child's education and are willing to get involved to make the school even better - I hope you'll come to this school too.
Submitted by parent on November 12, 2017

It was a great school. This school has so many amazing qualities but they are beginning to dwindle as time goes by. The administration is difficult to communicate with. The teachers are often not fully qualified to be teaching California standards. There are amazing teachers and some very unqualified teachers. The principal is not very helpful when you have concerns, problems, questions, educational concerns, etc. The school has the potential to be amazing if the administration was willing to fully listen and welcome parents concerns/ ideas/ possible solutions. The parents are amazing and truly want this school to flourish. It takes a team for this kind of school to work. This school would soar if it had a Principal that would be more willing to listen to parents , especially parents that truly COULD help with important things that are lacking in some classrooms...such as: different language skills/culture education/ student -teacher gaps and misunderstandings. I hope this school continues and makes some very much needed changes. I think the principal needs to be a little bit more willing to listen to parents ideas/concerns. The only other tragic thing that recently happened is the lack of space for children to exercise in. They have roped off "green" areas. The kids cannot run or climb or play ball without getting reprimanded. Kids NEED to play and get some exercise during the day. All in all, Franklin is an wonderful school, I just hope it continues to flourish in the right direction.
Submitted by other on August 22, 2017

Really awesome. Take the eclipse to a learning level. We cannot hide kids from a one life experience, rather bring more volunteers to guide the kids. My lord, I even went with my little one to Discovery Cube, and there were bunch of little ones. Schools have way bigger kids, and some schools make such a hassle and hide kids from this great opportunity. I think we ONLY AND SOLELY LEARN BY DOING !!!! not blabling! So I give THANKS TO FRANKLIN for taking such a GREAT LEARNING STEPS. It all went great yesterday! Thank you schools!
Submitted by parent on May 16, 2017

Our son is in German Kinder. Frau T and her interns have my child highly proficient in German and loving school after 8 months in the program. Parents need to keep their children in the FLAG middle school programs to spread this amazing work to grades 7-12. That's not happening quite yet in French, German, and Italian, and the district is starting to make noise about closing down those languages at the 7-12 level. This immersion only works if we all commit to keeping our kids in public schools through 12th grade.I wish the administration was more proactive about publicizing the great work their teachers are doing to Glendale residents, and about finding ways to hire the interns from Europe that we bring over each year to teach alongside the FLAG faculty. The teachers here are magnificent at what they do, and the new building is beautiful!
Submitted by parent on February 26, 2014

I have children in the second and fourth grade Spanish program. We permitted in from LAUSD and knew nothing about the district or the school before starting school, but I was inspired by the administration's commitment to dual language AND general excellence in education. My children are thriving. They are now bilingual (which they weren't when they started), scoring in the highest levels on state and GATE testing (with no tutoring outside of school) and they are happy. The teachers inspire my kids daily and the social environment is supportive and accepting. Being at a school with multiple languages and culture have helped our children to feel like citizens of the world and they have an awareness of diversity and opportunity which such an international school fosters naturally. Some of the test scores are low but this is because the kids are learning the material in another language, but by 4th grade the scores catch up. This will be reflected in the coming years once the program is established (next year will be the program's first graduating class). We feel incredibly lucky to have our children at this fantastic school.
Submitted by parent on February 24, 2014

I feel so fortunate that both my children attend this school, and for so many reasons, including: engaged parents, committed teachers, wonderful enrichment classes, in-school music and dance classes, gardening lessons and much more. Plus, our children are learning to be global citizens and an increased cultural awareness. For those who say their children are behind... it could be the child not the school. My daughter is reading well beyond her grade level and consistently scores as advanced. It's a wonderful school with an equally great community of families.
Submitted by parent on February 24, 2014

I am a parent of a kindergartener and a 2nd grader. I could not be more thrilled with this school. The teachers are amazing and the administration is always willing to listen to ideas to improve the school. This is a very tight-knit school with a TON of parental involvement as mentioned in the reviews below. You know a school has "that special something" when parents are willing to drive from all over to attend. We have students from as far away as Culver City and Valencia. Franklin is really a very special and unique place and we could not be happier to be a part of it!
Submitted by parent on February 24, 2014

I have a daughter in Italian Kinder. I am beyond ecstatic with the teachers, interns, activities, and parent community. The dedication of everyone here is awe-inspiring and the results are amazing. My daughter is already speaking, reading and writing Italian (as well as English), and I can't believe how quickly she has picked up and retained vocabulary. When my mom, a native Italian, visited us over Christmas break, she was quizzing my girl all the time and never stumped her -so cool! If multilingualism and multiculturalism are important to you, this school is a godsend. It's a private school education for the cost of a public school. I can't say enough good things about Franklin! P.S. A couple of reviews below are disingenuous in expressing surprise that when they pulled their child from Franklin to go to another school, their children were behind academically. Their children were learning a new language as well as the materials expected to be covered for each grade level. The school is very upfront about the fact that the program is designed to be a six year commitment for this reason, especially as much of the language learning is happening in the first few grades.
Submitted by parent on February 24, 2014

I am so happy with this school. My daughter is in French kindergarden and we couldn't be more impressed with how much she's learned this year, not only in French but English as well. The parents are a VERY involved and tight knit community within the school. The faculty and administration are top notch and always willing to listen to and accommodate parents. Our children are learning to be diverse and global minded individuals. Looking forward to our continued success at Benjamin Franklin.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2014

I have a son in the Kinder Italian program and feel so very lucky to be part of this school. Our incredible parent body is VERY involved - volunteering in class, at lunch, at drop off and pickup, for special activities, fundraising, performing (lots of artists) to raise money for the kids, etc. We have an intern with us the ENTIRE year from Italy, working with their teacher in class. We have music and gardening, in addition to all the academic activities. My son's teacher is wonderful - incredibly kind, helpful and patient. My son, who spoke few words of Italian before entering, is now writing sentences, on his own, in Italian. We absolutely adore the after school program options as well - broadway, chess, woodworking, weird science, violin, gardening - and on and on. You pay for those after school classes, but they are right there, available to have your child's day just slightly extended with such valuable enrichment. And yes, the campus definitely needs help! - but the plans they have drawn up and the grants they have written, if they come to fruition, would bring this campus to a level way beyond others I have seen. Native plantings, shade, and FAR less concrete!
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2014

Can't think of anything negative to say about our experience at Franklin Magnet. I have one child in 5th grade and an incoming Kindergartener. The quality and dedication of the Teachers is outstanding. The office staff is knowledgeable and extremely friendly and helpful. How many public schools can say they have a school that teachers in 5 languages, has the most diverse student body, a terrific PTA working hard to advocate for all of our children (not just at our school buy beyond) A Foundation that fundraises for music, art, after school enrichment, garden club, Teacher supplies and interns in each class from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and South America! My daughter comes home excited from her day and looking forward to school every day. I am so proud to be part of such a caring community and dedicated group of parents and staff. It gives me great joy to see my child so academically driven and excelling in 2 languages. I am hoping GUSD will continue dual immersion into middle school.
Submitted by parent on January 23, 2014

Franklin Magnet is an amazing school. My son and daughter are currently enrolled in the Spanish FLAG program, 4th grade and 2nd grade, respectively. The teachers are fantastic. The school is such a tight community throughout all the FLAG languages. We currently have Spanish, Italian, German and French. Not only is the administration wonderful but the parents always go above and beyond to ensure that all our children are getting the very best social and educational experience. I am so happy to be part of the Franklin Families.