Ben Franklin Middle School

Summary:

Ben Franklin Middle School is a public middle school located in Fargo, North Dakota, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 883 students. This school stands out for its consistently strong academic performance, racial diversity, and commitment to serving students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

Ben Franklin Middle School consistently ranks among the top middle schools in North Dakota, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's students outperform the state and Fargo 1 district averages in mathematics, reading, and science proficiency. In the 2023-2024 school year, 45% of Ben Franklin students were proficient or better in mathematics, compared to 42% in the district and 41% statewide. In reading, 49% of Ben Franklin students were proficient or better, compared to 44% in the district and 45% statewide. This academic excellence is a key differentiating factor for the school.

Another notable aspect of Ben Franklin Middle School is its racial diversity, with a higher percentage of non-white students compared to nearby schools like Central Cass Middle School and Heritage Middle School. In the 2022-2023 school year, the student body was 74.86% White, 6.68% African American, 7.93% Hispanic, 1.93% Asian, 2.49% Native American, and 6% two or more races. This diversity is a strength, as it provides a rich learning environment and prepares students for the diverse world they will encounter after graduation. However, the school's performance in serving students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 32.28% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, is an area that could be further improved.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 1420 8th St N
       Fargo, ND  58102


(701) 446-3600

District: Fargo 1

SchoolDigger Rank:
7th of 24 North Dakota Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $14,221 Help


Students who attend Ben Franklin Middle School usually attend:

High:    North High School

Student/teacher ratio:  12.4 Help
Number of students:  899

Racial breakdown:

White:
73.7%
Hispanic:
7.7%
African American:
7.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  30.9% Help


 See top rated North Dakota middle schools

 Compare Ben Franklin Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Ben Franklin Middle School ranks better than 70.8% of middle schools in North Dakota. It also ranks 2nd among 3 ranked middle schools in the Fargo 1 School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 62.8. (See more...)
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (73.7%), Hispanic (7.7%), African American (7.6%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 30.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Ben Franklin Middle School is 12.4. 1 middle schools in the Fargo 1 School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Ben Franklin Middle School employs 71.9 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Ben Franklin Middle School is $14,221. 1 middle schools in the Fargo 1 School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Ben Franklin Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Ben Franklin Middle School 7th of 24 North Dakota public middle schools. (See Ben Franklin Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Fargo 1:

SchoolDigger ranks Fargo 1 10th of 20 North Dakota school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Ben Franklin Middle School?

Rank History for Ben Franklin Middle School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Ben Franklin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools ND State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2012 60.38 52nd 124 58.1%
2013 58.27 58th 135 57.0%
2014 67.12 42nd 136 69.1%
2015 71.05 22nd 109 79.8%
2016 78.87 14th 116 87.9%
2017 71.16 8th 32 75.0%
2018 78.23 3rd 21 85.7%
2019 79.76 3rd 23 87.0%
2021 77.22 3rd 24 87.5%
2022 56.14 12th 28 57.1%
2023 56.50 11th 27 59.3%
2024 62.80 7th 24 70.8%
See the entire list of North Dakota Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Ben Franklin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools ND State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 59.35 7th 13 46.2%
2019 76.48 3rd 12 75.0%
2023 22.25 9th 12 25.0%
2024 32.43 8th 11 27.3%
See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Ben Franklin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools ND State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 90.75 1st 17 94.1%
2019 90.27 1st 17 94.1%
2021 67.90 7th 17 58.8%
2022 71.38 7th 19 63.2%
2023 78.66 7th 20 65.0%
2024 66.02 6th 19 68.4%
See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Ben Franklin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools ND State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 79.82 6th 17 64.7%
2019 80.67 4th 18 77.8%
2021 84.51 2nd 18 88.9%
2022 68.66 5th 20 75.0%
2023 53.72 9th 20 55.0%
2024 64.93 7th 19 63.2%
See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Ben Franklin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools ND State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 77.26 3rd 18 83.3%
2019 73.81 4th 21 81.0%
2021 79.53 3rd 22 86.4%
2022 55.04 10th 25 60.0%
2023 56.99 10th 25 60.0%
2024 60.86 8th 23 65.2%
See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Ben Franklin Middle School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: North Dakota Department of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a student
Thursday, August 17, 2017

Open Quote THIS IS SUCH A GOOD SCHOOL WITH GOOD TEACHERS I LEARNED SO MUCH AND AM NOW THIRD IN THE STATE FOR MATH!!!!) Close Quote



Enrollment information for Ben Franklin Middle School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 859 1 13 7 10 n/a n/a 0 890
1989 883 1 9 6 8 n/a n/a 0 907
1990 894 2 13 5 28 n/a n/a 0 942
1991 946 2 18 1 32 n/a n/a 0 999
1992 946 1 17 7 24 n/a n/a 0 995
1993 915 0 23 5 33 n/a n/a 0 976
1994 861 4 29 9 26 n/a n/a 0 929
1995 908 8 7 5 21 n/a n/a 0 949
1996 908 8 7 5 21 n/a n/a 0 949
1997 884 11 13 11 19 n/a n/a 0 938
1998 907 8 19 14 34 n/a n/a 0 982
1999 913 8 20 16 34 n/a n/a 0 991
2000 896 8 24 20 38 n/a n/a 0 986
2001 829 22 25 16 24 n/a n/a 0 916
2002 830 13 21 9 26 n/a n/a 0 899
2003 830 13 21 9 26 n/a n/a 0 899
2004 870 16 27 12 31 n/a n/a 0 956
2005 861 25 21 16 20 n/a n/a 0 943
2006 823 25 26 20 21 n/a n/a 0 915
2007 730 38 15 12 22 n/a n/a 0 817
2008 681 33 14 13 24 n/a n/a 0 765
2009 696 34 16 30 38 n/a n/a 0 814
2010 659 33 20 30 34 n/a n/a 0 776
2011 651 25 16 0 25 1 29 0 747
2012 598 23 16 30 35 0 1 0 703
2013 606 27 13 23 25 0 6 0 700
2014 551 26 16 29 28 0 5 0 655
2015 580 31 16 20 26 3 9 0 685
2016 569 37 17 24 19 4 17 0 687
2017 604 46 16 38 34 4 20 0 762
2018 650 40 18 41 34 2 22 0 807
2019 670 43 16 38 36 1 26 0 830
2020 669 49 21 41 29 1 40 0 850
2021 651 51 16 52 31 2 42 0 845
2022 653 55 14 56 23 3 47 0 851
2023 661 59 17 70 22 1 53 0 883
2024 663 68 25 69 23 0 51 0 899

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Ben Franklin Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 890 57.2 15.5 n/a
1989 907 59.1 15.3 n/a
1990 942 61.1 15.4 n/a
1991 999 61.4 16.2 n/a
1992 995 63.4 15.6 12.4
1993 976 60.6 16.1 13.6
1994 929 57.4 16.2 14.3
1995 949 58.9 16.1 14.2
1996 949 58.9 16.1 14.2
1997 938 58.1 16.1 13.4
1998 982 62.0 15.8 14.3
1999 991 65.8 15.1 13
2000 986 66.7 14.8 21.5
2001 916 62.0 14.8 21
2002 899 63.4 14.2 19.2
2003 899 63.4 14.2 19.2
2004 956 64.3 14.9 19.9
2005 943 62.3 15.1 21
2006 915 63.5 14.4 21.9
2007 817 67.0 12.2 26.9
2008 765 61.3 12.5 25.6
2009 814 62.1 13.1 24.2
2010 776 60.3 12.8 27.3
2011 747 59.0 12.6 26.1
2012 703 57.5 12.2 27.3
2013 700 60.3 11.5 25.6
2014 655 54.0 12.1 27.2
2015 685 55.0 12.4 26
2016 687 58.0 11.8 29.4
2017 762 58.8 12.9 30.8
2018 807 59.6 13.5 29.7
2019 830 59.7 13.9 31.8
2020 850 59.7 14.2 32.4
2021 845 61.1 13.8 27.5
2022 851 64.4 13.2 22.6
2023 883 64.7 13.6 32.3
2024 899 71.9 12.4 30.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Ben Franklin Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 890 57.2 15.5 n/a
1989 907 59.1 15.3 n/a
1990 942 61.1 15.4 n/a
1991 999 61.4 16.2 n/a
1992 995 63.4 15.6 12.4
1993 976 60.6 16.1 13.6
1994 929 57.4 16.2 14.3
1995 949 58.9 16.1 14.2
1996 949 58.9 16.1 14.2
1997 938 58.1 16.1 13.4
1998 982 62.0 15.8 14.3
1999 991 65.8 15.1 13
2000 986 66.7 14.8 21.5
2001 916 62.0 14.8 21
2002 899 63.4 14.2 19.2
2003 899 63.4 14.2 19.2
2004 956 64.3 14.9 19.9
2005 943 62.3 15.1 21
2006 915 63.5 14.4 21.9
2007 817 67.0 12.2 26.9
2008 765 61.3 12.5 25.6
2009 814 62.1 13.1 24.2
2010 776 60.3 12.8 27.3
2011 747 59.0 12.6 26.1
2012 703 57.5 12.2 27.3
2013 700 60.3 11.5 25.6
2014 655 54.0 12.1 27.2
2015 685 55.0 12.4 26
2016 687 58.0 11.8 29.4
2017 762 58.8 12.9 30.8
2018 807 59.6 13.5 29.7
2019 830 59.7 13.9 31.8
2020 850 59.7 14.2 32.4
2021 845 61.1 13.8 27.5
2022 851 64.4 13.2 22.6
2023 883 64.7 13.6 32.3
2024 899 71.9 12.4 30.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Ben Franklin Middle School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $626 (5.1%) $11,610 (94.9%) $12,236
2020 $697 (5.6%) $11,789 (94.4%) $12,486
2021 $1,453 (10.3%) $12,618 (89.7%) $14,071
2022 $1,816 (12.8%) $12,406 (87.2%) $14,221

Data source: North Dakota Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Ben Franklin Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 3rd of 23 Middle schoolsRanks 11th of 27 Middle schools
 27.7%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade Mathematics (Ben Franklin Middle School)5042
 8%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Fargo 1)4440
 4%
   6th Grade Mathematics (North Dakota)4741
 6%
6th Grade Reading (Ben Franklin Middle School)5655
 1%
   6th Grade Reading (Fargo 1)5451
 3%
   6th Grade Reading (North Dakota)4950
 1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Ben Franklin Middle School)4943
 6%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Fargo 1)4542
 3%
   7th Grade Mathematics (North Dakota)4038
 2%
7th Grade Reading (Ben Franklin Middle School)5843
 15%
   7th Grade Reading (Fargo 1)5643
 13%
   7th Grade Reading (North Dakota)4642
 4%
8th Grade Mathematics (Ben Franklin Middle School)6935
 34%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Fargo 1)6041
 19%
   8th Grade Mathematics (North Dakota)4735
 12%
8th Grade Reading (Ben Franklin Middle School)5953
 6%
   8th Grade Reading (Fargo 1)6154
 7%
   8th Grade Reading (North Dakota)5148
 3%
8th Grade Science (Ben Franklin Middle School)6946
 23%
   8th Grade Science (Fargo 1)6449
 15%
   8th Grade Science (North Dakota)6348
 15%
All Grades Mathematics (Ben Franklin Middle School)5640
 16%
   All Grades Mathematics (Fargo 1)5041
 9%
   All Grades Mathematics (North Dakota)4539
 6%
All Grades Reading (Ben Franklin Middle School)5749
 8%
   All Grades Reading (Fargo 1)5245
 7%
   All Grades Reading (North Dakota)4744
 3%
All Grades Science (Ben Franklin Middle School)6946
 23%
   All Grades Science (Fargo 1)6349
 14%
   All Grades Science (North Dakota)6245
 17%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students830883
 6.4%
African American4359
 37.2%
American Indian3622
 38.9%
Asian1617
 6.3%
Hispanic3870
 84.2%
Pacific Islander11
White670661
 1.3%
Two or More Races2653
 103.8%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients31.8%32.3%
 0.5%


Schools Near Ben Franklin Middle School









Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Franklin Middle School

In the 2023-24 school year, 899 students attended Ben Franklin Middle School.

Students who attend Ben Franklin Middle School usually go on to attend North High School

Ben Franklin Middle School ranks 7th of 24 North Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Ben Franklin Middle School are 74% White, 8% Hispanic, 8% African American, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 3% American Indian.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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