History
Franklin Towne Charter High School opened in 1999 and is one of 89 public charter schools in Philadelphia. It sits within the historic Frankford Arsenal grounds, and one of its campus buildings dates back to the War of 1812. The school's transformation from one of the lowest-performing schools in the city to one of the highest-achieving schools in the state began in 2006 when a new team of administrators, parents, staff members, and community members led a change using Breaking Ranks reform practices.
Franklin Towne prides itself on meeting the needs of its nearly 1,300 students through three strands: providing a rigorous college preparatory program; integrating performance, applied, and service learning into the regular school clay; and maintaining choice and variety as real student options. From the spring of students' eighth-grade year to well beyond graduation, Franklin Towne's goal is to provide information, assistance, and support to ensure that each student will be successful. In addition, ongoing recognition is given for outstanding performance through honor roll assemblies, perfect attendance acknowledgment, and recognition for outstanding performance on state and national tests.
The school’s outstanding track record has garnered recognition on the state and national levels including being honored from San Diego University’s National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) in 2010 for outstanding academic achievement in an urban school, and then in 2010 again from the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) named FTCHS as one of its Breakthrough Schools award recipient. Then in 2014 FTCHS was named a National Blue Ribbon School for Academic Excellence by the US Department of Education. Most recently, Franklin Towne Charter High was named The Most Spirited High School in America by Varsity Brands corporation.