South Florida's Franklin Academy becomes first charter school to earn international education accolade across all campuses.
Now with distinguished “International Baccalaureate (IB) World School” designation across six campuses, Franklin Academy continues to raise the bar with a rigorous IB programme rooted in experiential learning.
From Palm Beach Gardens to Pembroke Pines, Franklin Academy students, ages five to 18, have found success at state curricula and an ability to thrive in the IB programme – regardless of economic status. In 2014, the charter school organization became the first charter school in Florida to receive an IB MYP World School certification and has been onboarding each of its schools through the certification process ever since, now the first charter school system in the nation with all IB World School campuses.
“This is the result of the drive and hard work of the committed, passionate educators at the [Franklin Academy] Foundation. We salute their commitment to ensuring excellent educational outcomes for students, teachers and the wider community we all serve,” said David Weiss, Head of IB World Schools.
The programme has substantially increased students’ writing skill levels and examination scores; last year’s Global Politics pass rate was 91%, which was well above the local average.
“IB enriches our students on a level that surpasses the state standards. It puts them on a path to be more marketable for universities and career-related programs, setting them up for success,” said Dr. Daniel Sandberg, Superintendent of Schools for Franklin Academy Charter Schools.
The IB programme gives Franklin Academy students a competitive edge, along with scholarship opportunities for their academic futures. They are encouraged to think critically, challenge assumptions and create global-to-local connections out of empathy and tolerance. Through community projects designed for two-way learning, students broaden their sphere of influence and impact. Examples include volunteering regularly with homebound individuals or providing limb prosthetics to Memorial Healthcare System. Community members, students and parents all become IB learners who greatly benefit from this global, well-rounded educational experience.
“The IB programme at Franklin Academy has opened doors to a whole new world for me. It has motivated me to get better grades, challenged me to expand my mind and connected me with my peers in a different light. I feel a strong sense of accomplishment with every assignment I complete, especially since my achievements translate to an international scale,” said Franklin Academy IB student Santiago Garcia.
Learn more about Franklin Academy’s rewarding and innovative IB World Charter Schools at https://ib.franklin-academy.org/.
About Franklin Academy
The foundation and core of Franklin Academy’s academic approach are inspired by the educational insights of one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin. Educational goals are set not only to achieve short term success but to promote and ensure all students have the skills necessary to achieve long term success. Building better people every day, Franklin Academy schools are tuition-free and located in Pembroke Pines, Cooper City, Sunrise, Boynton Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Their IB programmes cover grades K-12 through the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP). For the 2020-21 school year, families are also offered the choice of three options for optimal safety: learning in-person, online, or a mixture of both.
About the International Baccalaureate Programme
The IB Programme provides an education for students that focuses on teaching students to think critically and independently by inquiring with care and logic. IB prepares students to succeed in a world where asking the right questions is a crucial skill that will allow them to flourish long after they’ve left the programmes. IB is supported by IB teachers and coordinators who develop and foster the curricula at over 5,000 schools in over 150 countries around the world.
