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This article is about the Franklin High School in Louisiana. For others of a similar name, see Franklin High School (disambiguation)

Benjamin Franklin High School is a public magnet high school in New Orleans, Louisiana. Commonly nicknamed "Franklin" or "Ben Franklin", this school should not be confused with Franklin High School in Franklin, Louisiana.

Description.

Location.

Benjamin Franklin High School is adjacent to the campus of the University of New Orleans (UNO) in the Lakeview district of Orleans Parish, near Lake Pontchartrain. The school is located on the intersection of Leon C. Simon Drive and St. Anthony Street, near Elysian Fields Avenue.

Ben Franklin is part of the Orleans Parish School District. However, the school became a charter school under UNO after Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005.

Academics.

An admissions test is required to apply to Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin features a challenging college-preparatory curricula and an extensive AP Program.

Benjamin Franklin High School was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 2003. It is routinely ranked as the best traditional high school in Louisiana with regards to student test scores, sports, arts, and advanced placement programs.

Athletics.

Ben Franklin is best known for its girls athletics program, which is one of the best in the Greater New Orleans Area. Its school team is known as the "Falcons" and its school colors are green and orange.

History.

Benjamin Franklin High School was originally opened as a magnet school in 1955 on Carollton Avenue in Uptown New Orleans. The address of the original campus was 719 S. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana. This is now the campus of the Lusher Elementary School. The Orleans Parish School Board leased land from UNO and built a larger and more modern campus for Ben Franklin in the 1980s. Ben Franklin moved to its current Lakeview campus during the 1989-1990 school year.

Ben Franklin is located near the London Avenue Canal. Like the southern buildings of UNO and most of the schools in Orleans Parish, Ben Franklin suffered several feet of flood damage from Hurricane Katrina. The school was closed before the storm hit on August 29, 2005, and remained closed for several months. School administration, faculty, parents, students, alumni, and volunteers participated in a massive cleanup effort, without funding from and independent of the Orleans Parish School Board. The effort was chronicled by several nationwide news agencies.

The school re-opened as a charter school on January 17, 2006, the 300th birthday of its namesake Benjamin Franklin. The re-opening ceremony was held in the previously flooded-out gym. The gym had been the most severely damaged structure on campus. All of the floor tiles had to be removed and replaced, and the wind-damaged ceiling had to be repaired.

Notable Alumni.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it.

Sources.

1. Camille Bullock's reopening speech.

1. Bronston, Barri (2005-12-05). "Mind over muck". New Orleans Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2006-05-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External Links.

• Benjamin Franklin High School Official Website.

• Benjamin Franklin High School Association, the parents association website, including links to news reports on the schools reopening after Hurricane Katrina.

• Benjamin Franklin Alumni Association.

• High schools in Louisiana
• Magnet schools in Louisiana
• Charter schools