Benjamin Franklin’s name belongs on the front of this school and his statue, both pensive and welcoming, belongs in its lobby.  The great statesman’s association with Benjamin Franklin High School is fitting not because of what he said (his sayings were often clever rewrites of older sayings) but because of what he was and what he did.  Often called the first great American, Franklin’s belief in the power of curiosity to fuel creativity and the power of ingenuity to mother invention has been proven by the multitudes of his inventions and the stamp of his political philosophy.  The students who attend Benjamin Franklin High School are taught to reverence that same curiosity and creativity and to actualize their own power to think, to invent, and to understand.  Benjamin Franklin High School is a great American institution. 

Benjamin Franklin High School is a school with a mission… 

Benjamin Franklin High School, located on the University of New Orleans campus, was founded in 1957, its stated mission to promote excellence among New Orleans high school students. Benjamin Franklin High School has been named the top public high school in the State of Louisiana since the implementation of the accountability system in the state and was listed in Newsweek (May 8, 2006) as one of the public elite schools in the country.  It has also been recognized as the top AP testing school in the Southern region.  Franklin serves a population of students with high academic potential:  99.5% of each graduating class enters college, winning acceptance to the most prestigious universities in the country and collecting significant numbers of merit scholarships. Franklin has maintained its commitment to its mission statement, encouraging students “to reach their maximum potential as productive, creative citizens of a technology-rich global community.”  To maximize their potential, students may be enrolled in AP courses in freshman year and are, by the time they are seniors, enrolled in AP courses in core academic areas.  The school has developed a solid technology plan and integrates technology seamlessly into the curriculum.   

It is unique… 

Compared to high schools across the nation, Franklin produces an outstanding number of National Merit Finalists and National Achievement Finalists.  In 2005, for example, Franklin produced 25 National Merit Semifinalists and 13 National Achievement Finalists ACT scores hover around a composite average of 27.  SAT scores on the verbal half of the test range from 623 to 641 and on the mathematics half of the test from 618 to 631.  Franklin students take the PSAT test in their freshman, sophomore, and junior years, and the improvement in scores as students advance through the Franklin academic program exceeds national rates.  For the past seven years 100% of Franklin students have passed the Louisiana Graduate Exit Exam on the first testing.  On the Iowa Test of Educational Development, a norm-referenced test, the school composite has been at the 94^th percentile. 

Graduates from Benjamin Franklin High School extend their uniqueness into college selection, receiving scholarship offers from schools all over the nation and abroad.  Each senior can then select the school that meets his/her expectations.  2006 graduates are attending a variety of schools.  Here’s a few examples:  Emory, Carnegie-Mellon, Brown, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Coast Guard Academy, Loyola, Stanford, Vassar , etc. 

It is multifaceted… 

Benjamin Franklin students are a wonderful mixture of talent, drive, and individuality.  They are funny and serious; creative and analytical, meat-eaters and vegetarians, athletic and dramatic; outgoing and reserved; African-American, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic, and Native American; tall and short; left-handed and right-handed; from many different schools and several foreign countries.  They are Orleans Parish residents born anywhere in the world. 

Benjamin Franklin High School aims to educate the whole child.  Among its most innovative programs are the Teaching and Leadership Academy and the Communications Academy.  The school has many varied extra-curricular programs, and Franklin students routinely receive recognition at national, state, and local competitions, such as Tri-Hi-Y, Speech and Debate, Mu Alpha Theta, and science fairs, as well at regional and state literary rallies.  Franklin writers and artists publish their works in regional publications as well as in the school’s own Riverbend Review, a spectacular literary magazine that regularly wins silver or gold medals in national competitions.  Student artists may enroll in art programs at multiple levels and, if qualified, in the Talented in Art program at Franklin.  Student musicians enjoy a full music program and collect “Superior” ratings at LMEA.  They may also participate, if qualified, in a Talented in Music program.  Drama students stage high-quality spring musicals and fall dramatic plays and may also participate, if qualified, in the Talented in Theatre program.  

The achievements of Franklin students are not limited to the classroom.  The athletic and health programs provide students with an opportunity to participate in sports and health activities.  The school has fielded state championship athletic teams (girls’ volleyball and girls’ soccer), and the school was a contender for an award to be given to the most athletic school in the state.  Franklin athletes maintain high academic averages while excelling on the field (for example, a 3.5 team GPA for the members of the volleyball team and a 3.0 and team GPA for members of the soccer team). 

Over 30 clubs and organizations are available to Franklin students as well as positions on Student Council and the staffs of the literary magazine, the newspaper and the yearbook.  Because of the school’s strong focus on service learning, Franklin students are actively involved in community and school projects.

It is a community…

We have always believed that all of us must be committed in a real way to the health and growth of our community.  This belief was dramatically tested in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  The whole community came together to save this incredible school for its present students and for its future students.  That was no easy task.   It happened because of strong leadership, strong backs, and strong spirits.  It happened because this school is loved.  People gave because this school is important to children’s lives.  It happened because the community recognizes that what we give to children is what matters most.

The best acknowledgement Franklin can give to the community that supported us is to continue to be one of the best schools in the country; to continue to nurture some of the best minds and hearts; to continue to model selfless behavior; and to continue to stand as a symbol of hope and joy to the entire New Orleans community.  Benjamin Franklin High School is and will be one of the reasons that New Orleans really matters.  The students it trains, the parents with whom it partners, and the leadership it nourishes will all have lasting impact on the country as a whole, as will New Orleans itself.

MISSION STATEMENT

Benjamin Franklin High School gives young people of high intellectual promise an opportunity to reach their maximum potential as scholars and productive, creative citizens of a technology-rich global community. We emphasize problem solving, exploration, abstract reasoning and other creative activities, through an enriched program of advanced work in required courses and electives. Excellence has been and will continue to be the daily expectation of our administrators, teachers, students, and parents.

OUR BELIEFS

• That although extracurricular activities are important, instructional time needs to be given the highest priority.
• That all students need to become lifelong learners and that, for most Franklin graduates, the logical next step in that    process is to attend a university.
• That being given the opportunity to excel promotes the likelihood of future success.
• That our students need to be given opportunities to learn through cooperation as well as competition.
• That diversity is a value to be affirmed and sought after.
• That a sound education includes education in the arts, the sciences, the humanities, and that to be healthy and happy adults our students need to be physically and emotionally fit.
• That our students need to develop a sense of community and social responsibility and that good citizenship requires awareness of the rights and needs of others.
• That our students need to be technologically proficient and skilled at writing and communication.

~~from “School Improvement Plan, 2001-2002” - Benjamin Franklin High School