Other / mixed grade configuration · Baltimore, MD

Franklin Square Elementary/Middle

Federal NCES profile for Franklin Square Elementary/Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240009000208
0/100100/10028/100
👥 S:T ratio
15
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Franklin Square Elementary/Middle earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Maryland schools.

#134 of 177
schools in Baltimore · Resource Index
28
Resource Index · Lower
21.3:1
large classes for Maryland
91.1%
free-lunch eligible

Franklin Square Elementary/Middle has class sizes larger than 98% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Franklin Square Elementary/Middle ranks #134 of 177 schools in Baltimore, MD.

Enrollment

490

Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

23.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

21.3:1

vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg

+47% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

91.1%

vs 49.0% Maryland avg

+86% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Franklin Square Elementary/Middle compares with Maryland and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Franklin Square Elementary/Middle

Franklin Square Elementary/Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Baltimore, Maryland, enrolling 490 students.

Class loads run heavy: 21.3:1 is larger than about 98% of Maryland schools and 47% above the 14.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Economic need is high: 91.1% of students qualify for free meals, 86% above the Maryland average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

With 490 students, its enrollment sits close to the Maryland median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 1,382 Maryland schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 104 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Maryland schools statewide, it ranks #88, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by African American (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 37/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 52.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 15.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Baltimore's public schools, it stands alongside Roland Park Elementary/Middle (1,371 students): Franklin Square Elementary/Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.3:1 vs 19.6:1).

Baltimore City Public Schools also operates Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High (1,714 students) and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (1,632 students) alongside Franklin Square Elementary/Middle.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Franklin Square Elementary/Middle compares

Franklin Square Elementary/Middle on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Maryland Maryland avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 21.3:1 ▲ 47% 14.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 91.1% ▲ 86% 49.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 490 top 56% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

21.3:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
490
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
91.1%
free-lunch eligible - 86% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.3:1
students per teacher - 47% above state mean
Top 98% in Maryland - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
52.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,272
per pupil, district-wide - below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

African American 77.6%
Hispanic or Latino 16.7%
White 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Two or More 0.8%
Asian 0.6%

Largest group: African American at 77.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 36.9/100

Simpson diversity index - at 36.9, Franklin Square Elementary/Middle is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Baltimore City Public Schools, which includes Franklin Square Elementary/Middle.

$18,272
Per student
-11%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.3%
State 51.4%
Federal 15.3%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Franklin Square Elementary/Middle Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Baltimore City College Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Kipp Harmony Academy Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Roland Park Elementary/Middle Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Franklin Square Elementary/Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Baltimore City Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Baltimore

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Franklin Square Elementary/Middle's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Franklin Square Elementary/Middle

How many students attend Franklin Square Elementary/Middle?

Franklin Square Elementary/Middle has 490 students enrolled. It is a public school in Baltimore, MD.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Franklin Square Elementary/Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at Franklin Square Elementary/Middle is 21.3:1, which is 47% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 36% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Franklin Square Elementary/Middle?

91.1% of students at Franklin Square Elementary/Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Franklin Square Elementary/Middle?

The largest demographic group at Franklin Square Elementary/Middle is African American at 77.6% of enrollment, in Baltimore, MD.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Franklin Square Elementary/Middle?

Franklin Square Elementary/Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Franklin Square Elementary/Middle rank among schools in Baltimore?

By Resource Investment Index, Franklin Square Elementary/Middle ranks #134 of 177 schools in Baltimore, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Baltimore on the city page.

Is Franklin Square Elementary/Middle a good school?

Franklin Square Elementary/Middle earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Maryland schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Baltimore City Public Schools?

Besides Franklin Square Elementary/Middle, Baltimore City Public Schools also operates Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High (1,714 students), Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (1,632 students), and Baltimore City College (1,470 students). See the Baltimore City Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.