The first Franklin School building was built at 508 Bridge Street in 1883. At the time the facility was constructed, there were 70 to 90 students per teacher and three students shared each seat. The seating capacity of the six schools in the District was less than 1,100. There were already 2,000 children living in the District. Some children went to school at night because young children could work in the mill during the day. One-fourth of the west side children didn’t even attend school at the time, because the existing schools were too far away; and if they could get transportation to the schools, they were so crowded that they were only allowed to attend for half a day.
The new Franklin School was erected in 1966 on the southeast corner of 5th and Bridge Streets. The old building was still used by the District for overflow from the high school. A tunnel connecting the old school to its playground across the street was closed. The old building was last used for the 1969-70 school year and was then demolished.
The school comprised of 46,316 square feet on 2.57 acres. In 1987, the campus acquired the 500 block of Stark and DeKalb Streets for an enlarged playground. In 1991 and 1996 Franklin School received two building additions.
The school now contains 57,398 square feet and has a campus of 4.16 acres. In 1996 a collaborative effort between the Site Council/PTO, District, and the community provided much needed renovation of the Franklin Elementary School playground. The site was vastly improved and began to be used as a neighborhood park as well as school playground.
At the October 2003 School Board meeting, the Board of Education approved the design development documents for the Franklin Elementary School elevator provided by the architect firm, Seymour Davis Seymour, Inc. Currently, there are 200+ students who attend Franklin Elementary School.