Franklin Academy

1127 Chalk Road

School District

Franklin Academy
Grade

K-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

charter

School Map for Franklin Academy 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 September 26, 2023

My 3 children have been a part of the school for over 10 years. One of my children has needed challenged and others have needed extra support and they have received it at Franklin Academy. The staff has been very educated and helpful in all areas. In high school, my daughters have received extensive help and finding career paths. Wonderful school.!
Submitted by parent on August 04, 2023

Special education is stronger in the lower grades. As students move up in grades, there seems to be less effort to provide special education services. Each campus feels almost like a different school. The school is not for everyone, but it is good if your child is an accademically strong student.
Submitted by other on June 17, 2023

Inexperienced staff with little to no training in subject area or about neurodivergence. Few staff trained in special education including principal. Some staff have no teaching license. Lots of staff turnover. A staff a month quit in 2022-2023 school year. Haven’t had a returning math teacher in five years. First year principal with mostly overseas experience in teaching. Run like a corporation and not a school. Generic accommodations for all students. No differentiation or individualized programs. Students don’t work on organizational or social skills yet is a school specializing in neurodivergence. Doesn’t help families with transition process. Students often spend hours on computers or Nintendo Switches. Because teaching assistants are called behavior therapists, they don’t help students with academics. Use a behavior tracking program that matches color to mood. Behavior data is taken without context. Enabling is in their mission and it’s closer to coddling. Are not preparing students for real world. Because it's a private school, does not provide services that are required in public school. Small class sizes means, less able to learn to discuss and work on social skills. Are not preparing students for neurotypical world.
Submitted by other on November 21, 2022

Don't get me wrong. This school definitely prepares for college. But so do other schools in this area. This school has almost zero diversity, and that is present in the student body, staff, and faculty. The administration has discriminated against my family multiple times, and refused to clearly communicate with us despite us asking. They have given opportunities to my white male counterparts that I ASKED to receive and was refused. They fail at teaching the proper importance of inclusion, acceptance, and diversity. Other than this, they also are not as college preparatory as they say. They refuse to let freshmen take AP classes, which lowers their GPA and therefore their competitiveness against other high schoolers in the area. They also do not have as many clubs and sports for students to participate in. They also treat high schoolers like children, leaving them wholly unprepared for the real college life. I would not recommend this school to almost anyone.
Submitted by parent on November 25, 2018

My kids and the parents feel extremely lucky to be part of the Franklin Academy school and have high appreciation for the course work, teachers, leadership and overall school management. Public schools should take a notice as my 3 kids will be here to tell the stories of the bad public school experience and the turnaround they experienced coming to Franklin academy.
Submitted by parent on April 13, 2018

We love Franklin Academy. The teachers are absolutely great and caring. The whole school cares about the academic success of their students!
Submitted by parent on December 22, 2017

Overall we’ve been extremely happy with our Franklin experience. They offer a variety of class difficulties to challenge students to achieve their best. Homework in the advanced classes can be a bit much some nights but it keeps the kids engaged and challenged. The focus on character development in kindergarten sets the stage for equality, promotion of diversity and respect for one another. The staff is quick to respond to concerns of bullying and getting the kids to work out differences. As a parent of s shy child the teachers have worked to drive engagement and foster growth. While their method of instruction can be a bit disciplined it seems to work extremely well. Our kids love Franklin and I couldn’t imagine sending them anywhere else.
Submitted by parent on November 27, 2017

5 stars!!! Reading is done with sounding out for each letter. Direct Instruction is also the main means for teaching. This is why I love this school! If you are looking for your kids to be challenged or met exactly where they are, this is the place for you! I especially like that they level out the kids based on subject. This way, if your child needs more help or more enrichment in a specific subject, they are given the exact instruction needed!
Submitted by student on June 08, 2017

Its like most schools, they talk about bullying and preventing it. But a lot of it still goes unnoticed by the teachers. Some of the teachers have been a bit too harsh making it an uncomfortable environment.
Submitted by parent on November 30, 2016

My son is getting a fantastic education and he is very happy at Franklin Academy.
Submitted by other on October 20, 2016

My children have been at all three levels of FA and we are BIG fans! FA is challenging, but in a way that really prepares them for college. The teachers are amazingly supportive. I love that it is another publicly funded option for the Wake Forest area.
Submitted by student on February 18, 2016

Not a typical high school experience. Lacks school spirit, football team, track team and cafeteria. Could be good or bad depending on how you see it. Strict uniforms, small classes, same kids year after. Mostly EXCELLENT teachers. A lot of homework but VERY college preparatory, requires critical thinking and absolutely no busy work. Focus is on education 100%. Work leaves no time for social life and you will be stressed ALL the time.
Submitted by other on December 09, 2015

We moved here lst year, and we had our son in a 10/10 rated school. I wasn't happy with him there because he cried all the time, so I pulled him out and put him in Franklin. They brought my happy kid back! They are always so happy to see him and hug him and treat him like family!! When he struggles with something they give him extra help that he needs! He is not a number there like he was at the other school! I love Franklin Academy!!
Submitted by parent on June 02, 2015

Teachers that care and small class sizes. We are blessed to be a part of the FA family
Submitted by student on April 22, 2015

This school is about to lose its best benefit- everyone over a certain GPA gets their transcript sent to colleges showing they are 1st in their class. This means that some classes have had more than 10 "valedictorians" (that's like 10% of the class), each one getting their transcripts sent to colleges showing they are 1st in the class, and this has made it really easy for unqualified students to get into competitive schools like UNC. But I think that's about to end, since the state is making AP and honors classes worth less, so you can t hit the valedictorian GPA. I guess from the perspective of a former valedictorian, there are some bad points. I've had a pretty rough time in college, and I think my words to current FA students would be that what you learned in high school only covers the first month of college, and extra credit doesn't exist in college. My advice to the administration would be to have stronger alumni relations so you can see how we all do, but somehow I think the they aren t open to feedback or change. This isn't a bad school - it is pretty sheltered, and the academics are pretty good - but it sure isn't a "prep" school or a "public-private" school.
Submitted by parent on January 15, 2015

I am a student here at Franklin academy and first off the "students" who wrote the comments down below, I guarantee you it was our administration because no child in there right mind would write a review like that. I remember when I was in middle school I use to pretend I was sick once a week because I hated school so much. The students here do not have a voice. I don't recall the last time a decent lesson was taught. The teachers here are awful. I am sleep deprived. I am sure your kids would be happier any where else I guarantee you. Thank you
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2014

I have children that have attended this school all the way through the ranks: elementary, middle and now high. I will give the pros and cons to everyone that wants a complete overview: Pros: small class sizes, fantastic teachers (not a bad one yet), direct instruction, high academic performance, a true prep school, every student is known by name and they follow the students through their career, state of the art apple products throughout the system with ipads issued to all high school students. Cons: Little economic and racial diversity, middle school administration is authoritarian, the students are very sheltered by their parents sometimes to the point of naivete, very weak athletic programs due to the school's small size. lots of gossip is shared amongst the administration. Overall, if you want a high level of instruction with an increasing workload every year in preparation for college with strict codes of conduct then this is a school for your kids. If you want a large and diverse student body to introduce your children to the "real world" with plenty of athletic programs and the scholarships that go with them, then you can find better options than FA.
Submitted by other on August 31, 2014

I am a Senior at the Franklin Academy, and will graduate in 2015. The Franklin Academy has provided a consistent, professional, and effective education for me, as well as my peers. I have NEVER BEEN DISAPPOINTED with my time at this school. Every day is productive, yet school is always enjoyable. The staff and administration are accessible and friendly. I have attended two other schools previously, but neither of my previous "schools" had a true passion for education like we do at Franklin Academy. While academics here are #1, there are also a plethora of elective opportunities. The interests of the student body here are truly diverse. Some of my friends are really into band or chorus, while others are into visual art or video production. Electives at Franklin are all superb and professionally instructed; time spent in the classroom is always truly enriching. Some of the favorite elective offerings lately are Video Production, Piano Lab, Actor's Ensemble, Musical Theatre, and Lifetime Sports--just to name a few. While hard work is the objective at FA, we also have a lot of fun as well! If you "win the lottery" and get into Franklin Academy, it is a true blessing!
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2014

Our experiences at Franklin Academy have been nothing but positive. The communication from teachers and administrators is fantastic and my child really responds to the structure of the school. Yes, it is more rigorous than what we were used to. Yes, they have high expectations and fairly strict rules. But the students seem to respond well to being expected to perform and teachers are right there to help if there is a question or problem. We came to FA from another highly rated WCPSS elementary school and, frankly, the difference between the two schools is huge. At Franklin, I feel like my child is a part of a community that is invested in his success. At his old school, he was just a number. One thing to note, though: there is definitely a transition period when coming to Franklin from another school. It look my son a few weeks to get the hang of the new system. Once he did, though, he definitely rose to the challenge.
Submitted by parent on July 19, 2014

Horrible experience!! DO NOT SEND YOUR KIDS HERE!! This school has racism, discrimination and hatefulness. And all of that is from the teachers to start. We had an awful experience and we pulled our child from the school. Complete utter disregard to the emotional issues they caused by allowing discrimination to fester in their school.