7428 Maple St
New Orleans, LA 70118

Horrible! A failing school, a failing school district, led by crooks!!!

I can only comment on the elementary school: This is an excellent school with fantastic children (the ones lucky enough to get in) and some of the nest teachers I have ever seen. They emphasize reading and learning through play and art (drawing numbers in sand, performing plays about the Louisiana Purchase, etc.). They have some of the best teachers I have ever encountered, but they also have some that are strict, boring, and lack sweetness.Yes, children must pass a test and then win the lottery to get in. They turn away more students than they accept and this makes many people unhappy.I felt compelled to write this review because I saw some reviews of parents unhappy with what they would like in ethnic diversity. I have never seen a school with more diversity. My child has classmates from New Orleans Black families, African Black families, German families, Chinese families, Tibetan families, Jewish families, Muslim families, Hindu families, Christian families, and let's not forget the Mixed-Race families. The only large NOLA ethnic group I do not see represented is Vietnamese. They have more diversity than any other school in the state (and probably the Southeast).My biggest complaint is that they do not provide busses.The happiness demonstrated with the elementary school is demonstrated in the number of children who transfer from other "desirable" schools. I have children in two NOLA public schools. One where teachers are loud and put kids in rows and columns and one where they teach kindness and learning through collaboration.Some people who think like hammers see everything as nails.This school is not perfect, but I am very happy with it. I feel like I won the lottery (because I literally did).

I was a student at Benjamin Franklin. I started at this school when I was in Pre-K, and I am now in the 9th grade at Lusher School. When I attended this school before Hurricane Katrina it was a magnet school meaning you had to take a test. After Katrina the school was obliged to allow any student in without taking a test. The teachers at Benjamin Franklin do not care about the child's education, they do not have a great disciplinary system at all and they just student do whatever they choose at this school. That is why I decided to leave for 8th grade at Lusher School. I will say that the only good thing about Benjamin Franklin is that it goes from Pre-K to 8th grade. I f you want your child to go to an extraordinary school send them to Lusher Charter School.