Franklin STEAM Middle School

Overview

Franklin STEAM Middle is a Magnet School built in 1970. Franklin STEAM Middle does have air conditioning in the building and does have its own kitchen. The building does not have a Safe and Welcoming Entrance, as defined by Capital Planning, Construction, and Maintenance. The building is 125,794 square feet in size and has a design enrollment of approximately 656 students.

Between school years 2014 and 2023, Minneapolis Public Schools has invested $18,408,028 in capital expenditures for the building. In 2017, a facilities condition assessment classified the building as being in good condition. The Operations Division will be conducting another facilities condition assessment in calendar year 2025.

Franklin STEAM Middle had an enrollment of 259 students as of 01 October, 2024, with approximately 87.5% of those students qualifying for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch benefits. Note that families are still submitting Applications for Educational Benefits, so this proportion may change over the course of the school year. Total enrollment is approximately 39% of the building’s designed enrollment, making the current building use underutilized [‘underutilized’ is defined as enrollment totalling less than 70% of the design enrollment].

Building Use

At direction of the Board of Education, in October 2024 district staff performed a physical space study of all District schools. This included a walkthrough of the buildings that included many different stakeholders – Board directors, principals, teachers, central office staff, custodians, and others. The tables, figures, and plots below are a summary of data collected during the walkthrough of Franklin STEAM Middle.

Classroom Spaces

See Table 1 below for how classrooms and labs are being used in the building.

Plan Use	Actual Use	N Rooms
Classroom	Classroom	9
Classroom	Intervention Room	1
Classroom	Lab - Science	3
Classroom	Multipurpose Room	1
Classroom	Not in Use	1
Classroom	Office - General	4
Classroom	SEL Space / Calming Room	1
Classroom	Special Ed Resource Room	3
Classroom	Special Ed Self Contained Room	2
Classroom	Storage	2
Lab - Art	Classroom	1
Lab - Art	Lab - Art	1
Lab - Computer	Classroom	2
Lab - Computer	Intervention Room	1
Lab - Computer	Testing Room	2
Lab - Science	Classroom	1
Storage	Classroom	1

Table 1. Classroom and instructional spaces

Building Layout

The below figure[s] are building floorplans as annotated by building staff.

Figure 1. Floorplan for Franklin STEAM Middle, floorplan pages 1 through 2

Guided Discussion

A guided discussion consisting of three questions was held with those who participated in the walkthrough. The major themes are included below, as are more detailed summaries of walkthrough participants’ answers.

Question 1: In what ways does the physical environment in this building best support learning?

Franklin Middle School is well-organized and thoughtfully designed, with color-coded wayfinding that helps staff and students navigate easily. It is kept clean and features a strong cultural identity, featuring murals that allow students to see themselves reflected in the space. Classrooms are spacious and versatile, with some including sinks and ample storage. The building has a variety of dedicated spaces, including office areas, a calming room, and spaces for staff planning, such as a lounge and work areas. There is a clear intentionality in how spaces are set up to support students, with a focus on lighting, decor, and functionality. Different types of spaces are available for various learning needs, such as a media space, podcast area, maker spaces, and a robotics lab. Students have been involved in discussions about how they learn best and have provided input on what types of spaces would most impact their learning. Finally, the school benefits from a beautiful gymnasium and pool.

Question 2: In what way does the physical environment in this building interfere with how we would like learning to happen today and in the future?

Franklin has some interesting physical quirks, such as additional doorways that seem unnecessary and can occasionally lead to students finding non-learning spaces. The restroom layout, with boys’ and girls’ bathrooms on opposite sides, presents monitoring challenges, and the school’s bathroom management system requires four staff members to oversee facilities. The gym is considered an outlier space, and navigating it, particularly for new 6th graders, can be challenging.

Question 3: What should the district know or appreciate about the physical environment of this building?

The school is well-maintained with staff who are dedicated and enjoy working there. It provides students with opportunities to explore various aspects of learning, such as technology and fine arts, and there is potential for growth if the budget allowed for further development of spaces like the band and choir rooms. The school partners with nearby Hall for resources like the swimming pool. The building is easy to navigate and offers good visibility, ensuring safety as there are few hidden areas where students could go unnoticed. With three parking lots, there is ample space for staff parking, and the school’s proximity to the nutrition center is a great asset for field trips and meal support. Lastly, replacing the large front fences with smaller wrought iron ones would improve the school’s appearance.

Overall Discussion Themes

Building has great wayfinding
Strong cultural identity with murals throughout
Opportunities for creativity in podcast, robotics, and maker spaces
Great gymnasium and pool
Building has some supervision challenges related to layout

Survey Results

Fourteen questions were asked of walkthrough participants at the end of the walkthrough. There were 8 respondents to the survey at Franklin STEAM Middle. The questions the participants were asked are included in Table 2 below, and the response breakdowns are included in Plot 1 below.

Question	Question Short	Question Text
1	welcoming main entry	The main entry is welcoming and able to be used by all students and visitors.
2	physical space design supports program	Generally, the design of the learning spaces in the building supports the way we teach and learn (e.g. classrooms are large enough to fit student desks, small group work space, etc.; there is storage for necessary curriculum, tools, manipulatives; all students can hear when the teacher is talking).
3	enough classrooms	The building has enough classrooms to support the number of students enrolled in the program.
4	entire student body can meet together	The school has a space large enough for the entire student body to be together.
5	adequate academic intervention space	The school has sufficient pull-out space to support instructional needs.
6	adequate regulation space	The school has sufficient pull-out space to respond to student behaviors.
7	adequate SPED space	There are sufficient spaces to meet the needs of the school’s Special Education programming.
8	mental health space	There are sufficient spaces to meet the mental health needs of students.
9	adequate lunch room	The cafeteria can accommodate the entire student body in three lunch services.
10	gyms large enough	The gyms are large enough to meet the needs of the program.
11	enough admin space	There is enough administrative space to meet the needs of the program.
12	functional outdoor space	The outdoor environment provides space for both learning and play.
13	adequate restrooms	The restrooms in the building meet the needs of the student body in terms of location, quantity, and inclusion.
14	building feels bright and welcoming	The building feels bright, welcoming, and efficient.

Table 2. Survey questions

Plot 1. Survey results for Franklin STEAM Middle

Select a School

Early Childhood

Elementary

Middle Schools

High Schools

Alternative Schools

Popular Pages