Is Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin a good school?

Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin ranks in the bottom 4.0% of New York elementary schools.

How many students attend Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin?

In the 2022-23 school year, 468 students attended Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin.

What is the racial makeup of Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin?

Students at Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin are 55% Hispanic, 43% African American, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin attend?

Students who attend Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin usually go on to attend: Middle : Is 219 New Venture School

Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin

Summary:

PS 55 Benjamin Franklin is an elementary school located in the Bronx, New York, serving students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. The school has a predominantly low-income, minority student population and consistently ranks among the lowest-performing schools in the state.

PS 55 Benjamin Franklin has a significantly higher percentage of African American (42.95%) and Hispanic (54.91%) students compared to the surrounding schools, which have a more diverse student population. The school's academic performance is significantly below the state and New York City Geographic District #9 averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2022-2023 school year, only 15% of 3rd-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 44.89% and the district average of 24.15%. Additionally, over 97% of the students at PS 55 Benjamin Franklin qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as PS 63 Author's Academy and Icahn Charter School 1, generally outperform PS 55 Benjamin Franklin academically, despite also serving predominantly low-income and minority student populations. The charter schools in the area, such as Success Academy Charter School-Bronx 2 and Icahn Charter School 1, have much higher proficiency rates, state rankings, and student-teacher ratios compared to PS 55 Benjamin Franklin and the surrounding district schools.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

450 St Paul's Pl
Bronx, NY 10456

(718) 681-6227

District: New York City Geographic District # 9

SchoolDigger Rank:
2342^nd of 2,439 New York Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $23,612

Students who attend Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin usually attend:

Middle:

Is 219 New Venture School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.8

Number of students: 468

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

54.9%

African American:

42.9%

White:

1.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 97.2%

See top rated New York elementary schools

Compare Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin ranks worse than 96% of elementary schools in New York. It also ranks 28^th among 29 ranked elementary schools in the New York City Geographic District # 9. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.02. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (54.9%), African American (42.9%), White (1.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 97.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin is 13.8. 24 elementary schools in the New York City Geographic District # 9 have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin employs 33.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin is $23,612. 18 elementary schools in the New York City Geographic District # 9 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin:

SchoolDigger ranks Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin 2342^nd of 2439 New York public elementary schools. (See Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

New York City Geographic District # 9:

SchoolDigger ranks New York City Geographic District # 9 755^th of 866 New York school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin

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Rank History for all students at Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2006	3.13	2181^st	2206	1.1%
2007	5.85	2144^th	2219	3.4%
2008	14.17	2013^th	2227	9.6%
2009	13.34	2088^th	2257	7.5%
2010	6.53	2186^th	2263	3.4%
2011	9.11	2152^nd	2286	5.9%
2012	3.36	2266^th	2320	2.3%
2013	7.92	2271^st	2325	2.3%
2014	10.03	2232^nd	2345	4.8%
2015	7.60	2289^th	2352	2.7%
2016	9.10	2258^th	2366	4.6%
2017	12.87	2199^th	2386	7.8%
2018	31.23	1720^th	2395	28.2%
2019	28.07	1775^th	2413	26.4%
2022	13.16	2244^th	2434	7.8%
2023	9.02	2342^nd	2439	4.0%

See the entire list of New York Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	44.99	466^th	938	50.3%
2019	64.36	163^rd	860	81.0%
2022	31.27	748^th	1027	27.2%
2023	35.34	658^th	1001	34.3%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	46.94	848^th	1941	56.3%
2019	47.36	769^th	1859	58.6%
2022	33.98	1358^th	2031	33.1%
2023	34.58	1281^st	2016	36.5%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	5.29	2092^nd	2099	0.3%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	34.88	519^th	730	28.9%
2019	48.36	266^th	570	53.3%
2022	32.06	456^th	622	26.7%
2023	30.63	458^th	637	28.1%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	46.60	1291^st	2338	44.8%
2019	35.56	1546^th	2357	34.4%
2022	11.77	2260^th	2401	5.9%
2023	8.05	2337^th	2403	2.7%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	19.66	2021^st	2340	13.6%
2019	20.16	1974^th	2358	16.3%
2022	17.02	2125^th	2400	11.5%
2023	12.94	2227^th	2400	7.2%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	60.64	295^th	948	68.9%
2019	57.15	301^st	891	66.2%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	37.32	901^st	1392	35.3%
2022	26.05	1216^th	1503	19.1%
2023	20.34	1239^th	1429	13.3%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: NY State Education Department, 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.

Data source: NY State Education Department

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Sunday, November 26, 2023

This school is absolutely amazing. A model community school. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1989	2	533	3	372	0	n/a	n/a	910
1990	1	578	0	413	0	n/a	n/a	992
1991	3	568	1	383	0	n/a	n/a	955
1992	1	517	1	336	0	n/a	n/a	855
1993	1	558	7	361	1	n/a	n/a	928
1994	4	560	6	397	0	n/a	n/a	967
1995	6	591	4	502	10	n/a	n/a	1113
1996	6	591	4	502	10	n/a	n/a	1113
1997	4	582	0	574	11	n/a	n/a	1171
1998	4	593	1	605	7	n/a	n/a	1210
1999	6	606	3	632	3	n/a	n/a	1250
2000	5	554	3	631	7	n/a	n/a	1200
2001	2	456	3	535	4	n/a	n/a	1000
2002	2	412	1	468	1	n/a	n/a	884
2003	2	412	1	468	1	n/a	n/a	884
2004	2	347	1	436	1	n/a	n/a	787
2005	1	289	0	397	2	n/a	n/a	689
2006	3	275	0	389	1	n/a	n/a	668
2007	3	290	2	405	1	n/a	n/a	701
2008	2	310	2	388	1	n/a	n/a	703
2009	2	298	2	362	0	n/a	n/a	664
2010	1	313	2	392	1	n/a	n/a	709
2011	0	331	4	364	0	0	0	699
2012	1	353	2	355	0	0	0	711
2013	0	339	0	331	0	0	0	670
2014	0	345	0	349	0	0	0	694
2015	0	365	1	356	2	0	0	724
2016	1	342	0	379	3	0	0	725
2017	5	344	0	343	0	1	0	693
2018	8	319	0	310	0	0	0	637
2019	4	290	0	300	0	0	0	594
2020	5	299	0	311	1	0	0	616
2021	5	257	0	273	1	0	0	536
2022	3	233	0	274	2	0	0	512
2023	5	201	0	257	3	0	2	468

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 Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	910	54.6	16.6	n/a
1990	992	63.1	15.7	n/a
1991	955	64.4	14.8	n/a
1992	855	56.9	15.0	n/a
1993	928	54.8	16.9	n/a
1994	967	54.1	17.9	n/a
1995	1113	63.3	17.6	n/a
1996	1113	63.3	17.6	n/a
1997	1171	59.1	19.8	78.1
1998	1210	69.1	17.5	75.6
1999	1250	41.2	30.3	73.2
2000	1200	32.5	36.9	76.3
2001	1000	34.5	29.0	91.5
2002	884	n/a	n/a	n/a
2003	884	n/a	n/a	n/a
2004	787	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	689	55.3	12.5	0
2006	668	57.0	11.7	79.5
2007	701	53.0	13.2	98.1
2008	703	45.0	15.6	99.6
2009	664	59.0	11.3	98.9
2010	709	57.0	12.4	n/a
2011	699	53.0	13.1	87.7
2012	711	56.0	12.6	91.7
2013	670	47.0	14.2	93.1
2014	694	44.9	15.4	90.5
2015	724	38.0	19.0	93.1
2016	725	42.0	17.2	91.7
2017	693	46.0	15.0	92.8
2018	637	50.0	12.7	97.6
2019	594	47.0	12.6	97.6
2020	616	39.8	15.4	97.1
2021	536	39.0	13.7	97
2022	512	35.5	14.4	97.3
2023	468	33.8	13.8	97.2

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 Ps 55 Benjamin Franklin

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	910	54.6	16.6	n/a
1990	992	63.1	15.7	n/a
1991	955	64.4	14.8	n/a
1992	855	56.9	15.0	n/a
1993	928	54.8	16.9	n/a
1994	967	54.1	17.9	n/a
1995	1113	63.3	17.6	n/a
1996	1113	63.3	17.6	n/a
1997	1171	59.1	19.8	78.1
1998	1210	69.1	17.5	75.6
1999	1250	41.2	30.3	73.2
2000	1200	32.5	36.9	76.3
2001	1000	34.5	29.0	91.5
2002	884	n/a	n/a	n/a
2003	884	n/a	n/a	n/a
2004	787	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	689	55.3	12.5	0
2006	668	57.0	11.7	79.5
2007	701	53.0	13.2	98.1
2008	703	45.0	15.6	99.6
2009	664	59.0	11.3	98.9
2010	709	57.0	12.4	n/a
2011	699	53.0	13.1	87.7
2012	711	56.0	12.6	91.7
2013	670	47.0	14.2	93.1
2014	694	44.9	15.4	90.5
2015	724	38.0	19.0	93.1
2016	725	42.0	17.2	91.7
2017	693	46.0	15.0	92.8
2018	637	50.0	12.7	97.6
2019	594	47.0	12.6	97.6
2020	616	39.8	15.4	97.1
2021	536	39.0	13.7	97
2022	512	35.5	14.4	97.3
2023	468	33.8	13.8	97.2

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.

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