Philosophy & History
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• He was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 17, 1706.
• He attended school for only 2 years until the age of 10.
• He continued his studies on his own and learned 5 foreign languages.
• He served as an apprentice to his older brother and learned the art of printing.
• He published the Pennsylvania Gazette.
• He married Deborah Read in 1730 and they had 3 children.
• He was the only man to sign the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Peace with Great Britain, and the constitution of the United States.
• He was the oldest delegate to the Constitutional Convention.
• He published Poor Richard's Almanac.
• He was one of the first men to experiment with electricity and invented the lighting rod.
• He died April 17, 1790 and was buried in Philadelphia.

The philosophy of Benjamin Franklin School is to emphasize the teaching of basic skills and information. Its purposes are to:

• train the intellect
• teach skills
• instill a sense of pride in and respect for self, others, and country
• equip students with necessary skills to become decision makers and problem solvers
• prepare students for the world outside by challenging them to compete for achievement of standards in the classroom
• develop an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance of all students regardless of physical appearance and culture
• coordinate home and school effort in providing a solid education foundation for students

Benjamin Franklin Elementary School is Mesa's basic parent choice school to all students on a first come, first serve basis. It opened its doors to approximately 400 students August 28, 1978, more than two years after discussion began to establish such a school. The concept of the school was suggested by a citizen's group called People for Basic Education. Starting in January of 1978, parents and school staff worked together to develop proposals for all aspects of Benjamin Franklin School.

The original facility was built in 1949 as Webster Elementary School located at 236 S. Sirrine. It also served for a time as the social studies/science building for the old Mesa High School. It was also a holding for various elementary schools under construction until 1975 when it became a neighborhood school. The name Benjamin Franklin was assigned to the building after the razing of the original Franklin School near Mesa Drive and Main Street. The original location for Mesa's basic alternative school was to be the current Irving school site. The school board decided to shift the location to the Franklin site on Sirrine to avoid concern from parents in the area who did not wish to send their children to an alternative program.

In April, 1982, the Mesa governing board voted to expand Benjamin Franklin School. Additional classes at grades kindergarten through six were added in response to the parental interest. This brought the school's enrollment to 520 students for the 1982-83 school year. Further expansion of the school occurred in May of 1983, paving the way for more than 800 students to attend beginning the 1983-84 school year.

The Mesa Governing Board voted in June of 1991, to move Franklin school to 1753 E. 8th Avenue. Twelve new classrooms were constructed and fourteen more were renovated on the Parkway campus. Parkway School had been a separate special education school since 1977. Desiring to accommodate the students on the waiting list, the school board voted to reopen the original Sirrine site, creating the West Campus. In August 1992 another 500 students began experiencing the Franklin program. In April of 1994, the program expanded again to offer 7th grade with an enrollment of 100 additional students. This expansion was a result of a proposal presented to the board under the district's "New Initiatives Program" by a parent group called Parents Unified for Traditional Education. The following year an 8th grade was added and the 7th/8th grade classes were housed on a smaller campus on South Lewis near Franklin West campus. The Mesa Governing Board voted in February 1997 to add the Northeast campus (K-7, with the subsequent addition of 8th grade) on Adobe and Power Roads in Mesa. The 7th and 8th grades on Lewis were moved back to the Franklin West Campus on Sirrine and it became a K-8 campus. The bussing of students to the three Franklin campuses began in August 1997. During the 1998-99 school year, the school board decided to open the Franklin South campus located immediately East of Brimhall Junior High, to an additional 500 students starting in August of 1999. It was the board's decision that 7th & 8th grades would not be an option for incoming students attending Franklin South.