Founded in 1914, Franklin is Portland's fourth high school. The city's high schools were filled to capacity at the time, and the population in southeast Portland was rapidly growing. It was initially founded in part of the Creston elementary school, with nine instructors and 115 student in the spring 1914 semester.[5] The current brick building, designed by
Floyd Naramore,[6] opened in September 1917.[7]
In 1942, a
statue of Benjamin Franklin, after whom the school was named, was installed outside of Franklin High School.
Due to the
baby boom and the passing of a $25 million building levy by the school district in 1947, a new addition for arts,
industrial arts, and
home economics departments was slated.[7]
In October 2010 the school decided to discontinue its competitive robotics team due to the lack of any school official sanctioning the team, allegedly by locking the team out of their workspace without access to their tools, or the more than $7000 the team had raised to sustain the program. The team had been a part of the school for seven years.[8]
Between 2015 and 2017, the school was modernized and expanded, with funding from a $482 million bond measure in 2012. The modernization included a new arts center, a new gym, biomedical, and culinary arts building, seismic retrofitting, and a new entrance.[9]
Student profile
In the 2017–2018 school year, Franklin's student population was 48.9% White, 20.5% Hispanic, 16.4% Asian, 5.6% African American, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 0.6% Native American, and 7.4% mixed race.[4]
In 2008, 80% of the school's seniors received a
high school diploma. Of 354 students, 282 graduated, 52 dropped out, five received a
modified diploma, and 15 were still in high school the following year.[10][11] In 2009, 31% of the students were transfers into the school.[12]
^Ritz, Richard Ellison (2002). "Naramore, Floyd". Architects of Oregon: A Biographical Dictionary of Architects Deceased – 19th and 20th Centuries. Portland, Oregon: Lair Hill Publishing. pp. 293–294.
ISBN0-9726200-2-8.
^Wood, Carlyle (1956). TV Personalities: Biographical Sketch Book. Vol. 2. TV Personalities. p. 152.
^"Oregon Stater". correction to previous article. Oregon State University Alumni Association. July 2002. Archived from
the original on 2010-07-03. Retrieved 2010-11-29. Correction: An article about Douglas Engelbart in the April 2002 issue of the Stater incorrectly stated that Engelbart grew up near Salem. He grew up in southeast Portland and attended Franklin High School.
^"Reception ball planned for Miss Oregon". The Oregonian. August 6, 1987. p. B03.
^"Howard Hobson; Basketball Pioneer And Coach Was 87". Obituary. New York Times. June 10, 1991. Retrieved 2010-11-29. Mr. Hobson, who was born in Portland, began his basketball career as a player at Franklin High School.
^"Meet Blazers Broadcaster Steve Jones". Portland Trail Blazers. Retrieved 2010-11-29. One of the most respected and watched NBA analysts, Steve "Snapper" Jones returns for a 21st year as courtside analyst for Blazers games on KGW-TV 8 and Fox Sports Net ... ones is a Portland native who led Franklin High School to the state basketball championship in 1959.
^"Legedu Naanee". biographical and statistical sketch. National Football League. 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-29. High School: Franklin HS [Portland, OR]
^Libby, Brian (January 14, 2011). "Manila Mata Hari". Portland Monthly. In a Franklin High School photo, young Claire looks out from beneath a tangle of youthful curls with a half-smile and a subtly mischievous gleam in her eye.