What Benjamin Franklin Charter School does

Benjamin Franklin Charter School (BFCS) is a tuition-free, public K-12 charter school operating as an Arizona nonprofit corporation since 2018, headquartered in Gilbert, AZ. Founded in 1995 as one of Arizona's first charter schools, BFCS operates four campuses in the East Valley: three elementary (K-6) sites — Crismon in Queen Creek, Gilbert, and Power in Queen Creek — and one junior high/high school (7-12), Benjamin Franklin High School, in Queen Creek. Enrollment is first-come, first-served with no attendance boundaries, processed through the PowerSchool online portal.

The school's core curriculum uses two distinct pedagogical frameworks: a Traditional Education model for grades K-6 (the Grammar Stage in classical pedagogy) covering mathematics, reading, language, history, science, and character/virtue/citizenship; and a Classical Education model for grades 7-12 that uses Socratic teaching, a Latin requirement, and intellectual-virtue emphasis. The school is Spalding-accredited, with all teachers receiving a minimum of 40 hours of Spalding training (graduate-course equivalent) and the curriculum running one year ahead. Character education is delivered through two proprietary programs: the Core Virtues Program (K-6) and the Roman Virtues Program (7-12) based on Via Romana. The school also holds Cognia accreditation and is compliant with FERPA, Title IX, and IDEA.

Revenue is generated through per-pupil state public-school funding authorized by the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools (the school's charter sponsor), supplemented by ancillary fee-based services: the Beyond the Bell before/after-school care program ($8-$16 per day plus $70 registration), transportation fees on Crismon bus routes ($200-$350 per school year starting 2026-2027), Arizona tax-credit donations (up to $200 individual / $400 joint per household), and various athletic and activity fees processed through MySchoolBucks. Free shuttle services operate between elementary campuses and BFHS. The school's distribution is direct-to-consumer (families), and operational technology consists of standard K-12 edtech integrations including PowerSchool, MySchoolBucks, Line Leader, MomentPath, Parchment, Here Comes the Bus, and Finalsite. Notable recognition includes U.S. News & World Report's #1 High School ranking in Queen Creek, AZ (2024), a top-10% ranking among Arizona's 445 districts, and Top Workplaces awards in 2022 and 2025.

Name

Benjamin Franklin Charter School

Legal name

Benjamin Franklin Charter School

Website

https://bfcsaz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Benjamin Franklin Charter School is a tuition-free, public K-12 charter school operating four campuses in Arizona's East Valley, delivering Spalding-accredited traditional (K-6) and classical (7-12) education with integrated virtue-based character programs to families across the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter School Networks (Multi-Site) (EDAJACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Charter Montessori/Waldorf/Classical/Expeditionary (Pedagogical Models) (EDAJACAL), Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

Keywords

• Charter school education
• K-12 public education
• Classical education
• Character education program
• Before and after school care

Headquarters

HQ city

Gilbert

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Public School Funding: As a public charter school, BFCS receives operating authorization and funding from the State Board of Education, State Board for Charter Schools (ASBCS), or a school district under the charter school law. Funding is publicly funded based on student enrollment.
2. Extracurricular Donations / Tax Credit Program: Parents and Arizona residents can donate to support extracurricular activities including band, orchestra, choir, arts, field trips, athletic groups, and after-school clubs. Donations qualify for Arizona tax credit up to $200 (individual) or $400 (married, filing jointly) per year per household.
3. Beyond the Bell Before/After School Care: Before and after-school care program for elementary K-6 students. Consistent AM schedule: $8/day or $40/week. Pick Your Day PM schedule: $16/day. Half days: additional $5/day. Registration fee: $70 per student.
4. Transportation Services: Free shuttle services between elementary campuses and BFHS. Starting 2026-2027 school year, busing fees apply to Crismon elementary bus routes: $200 per single rider, $350 per family (siblings) per school year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Benjamin Franklin Charter School delivers tuition-free public K-12 charter education across four campuses in Arizona's East Valley. The school offers a Kindergarten Program (Half-Day and Full-Day options), Traditional Education for grades K-6, Classical Education for grades 7-12, and supporting programs including the Core Virtues and Roman Virtues character curricula, Beyond the Bell before/after-school care, athletics, fine arts, and shuttle transportation between campuses.

Product overview

Benjamin Franklin Charter School is a tuition-free, public K-12 charter school operating as a single unified educational institution with four campuses. The school offers three elementary campuses (K-6) using Traditional Education and one Junior High/High School campus (7-12) using Classical Education. Core academic programs include the Kindergarten Program (Half-Day and Full-Day options), Traditional Education K-6 curriculum, and Classical Education 7-12 curriculum. Supporting programs include the Core Virtues Program (K-6) and Roman Virtues Program (7-12) for character education, Beyond the Bell before/after-school care, and extensive extracurricular activities including athletics, band, orchestra, and various clubs. The school is accredited by Spalding and Cognia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Beyond the Bell: Before and after-school care program for elementary (K-6) students.
• Crismon Campus
• Gilbert Campus
• Power Campus
• Core Virtues Program
• Roman Virtues Program

Products and services

• Kindergarten Program An enriching kindergarten program for children age 5+ offering both Half-Day (8:30am-11:15am or 12:15pm-3pm) and Full-Day (8:30am-3pm) options, both tuition-free. Features an accelerated curriculum where students begin first-grade curriculum in the second half of the year, taught using the Spalding language arts method with certified teachers and instructional assistants in every classroom. Targeted at East Valley families with kindergarten-age children.
• Traditional Education (K-6) The foundational K-6 curriculum during the Grammar Stage of classical education, focusing on learning fundamental rules, terms, and facts in Mathematics, Reading, Recitations, Penmanship, Spelling, Language, Composition, History, Geography, Science, Health, Music, P.E., Art, and Character/Virtue/Citizenship. Includes specials (PE, Music, Art) and extracurricular activities. Targeted at K-6 students across BFCS's three elementary campuses.
• Classical Education (7-12) Junior High and High School program (7-12) using the classical model of education to train students in intellect and heart. The program emphasizes pursuing what is good, true, and beautiful, teaching students how to think rather than what to think, with a 7-period schedule, Latin requirement, summer assignments, and Socratic teaching methodology including participation grades. Targeted at grades 7-12 students.
• Beyond the Bell Before/After-School Care Before and after-school care program for K-6 students operating 6:00am-7:30am (before school) and 3:00pm-6:00pm (after school). Offers homework help, recreation, sports, science, technology, art, music, and healthy snacks. Registration fee of $70 per student with AM care at $8/day or $40/week, and PM care at $16/day. Targeted at working parents of BFCS elementary students.
• Student Transportation Services Free shuttle services between elementary campuses and Benjamin Franklin High School for junior high and high school students. Bus transportation available for Crismon elementary campus students with fees of $200 per single rider or $350 per family (siblings only) per school year for 2026-2027. Targeted at BFCS families needing transportation between campuses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduates accepted to colleges including Georgia Tech, Dartmouth, Brigham Young University, Hillsdale College, Baylor University, and more
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Spalding EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBFCS is Spalding accredited. Spalding is a language arts program that teaches students how to read and write. All BFCS teachers receive a minimum of 40 hours of Spalding training equivalent to a graduate-level course. The school teaches one year ahead using the Spalding methodology.
• CogniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBFCS campuses are Cognia accredited, demonstrating commitment to continuous improvement and meeting rigorous standards for education quality.
• Locked In AthleticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Locked In Athletics to offer sports programs for elementary students including basketball, cheer, soccer, and more.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Legacy Traditional Schools: Large Arizona-based K-12 charter network operating tuition-free public charter schools across multiple East Valley cities. Directly comparable multi-campus charter school model with similar suburban Arizona footprint.
• Great Hearts Academies: Arizona-based K-12 charter school network built around the classical liberal arts tradition with Socratic teaching methods. Operates multiple campuses across Arizona's East Valley and is the closest competitor to BFCS in classical pedagogy and target geography.
• BASIS Charter Schools: Top-ranked Arizona charter school network offering a college-prep STEM-focused curriculum across multiple K-12 campuses in the Phoenix metro. Competes directly with BFCS for high-achieving East Valley families seeking rigorous public charter alternatives.
• Arete Preparatory Academy: Arizona classical education charter school serving grades 4-12 in Gilbert and surrounding areas. Directly competes with BFCS on the classical education model and serves an overlapping East Valley family demographic.
• Trivium Prep / Cicero Preparatory Academy: Arizona classical education charter school network serving grades K-12 in the Phoenix metro. Directly comparable on classical curriculum model and operates within BFCS's broader competitive set in Arizona.
• American Leadership Academy: Tuition-free Arizona K-12 charter school network with multiple campuses in the East Valley and Phoenix metro. Comparable in scale, public funding model, and suburban Arizona market to BFCS.

Broad incumbents

• National Heritage Academies: Large national charter management organization operating 90+ K-8 charter schools across multiple states. Comparable as a multi-site public charter operator, though operating at materially larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Charter Schools USA: One of the largest charter management organizations in the U.S., operating K-12 public charter schools across multiple states. Comparable as a multi-state charter operator with similar tuition-free public funding model.

Emerging players

• Hillsdale Charter Schools (Hillsdale College K-12 Initiative): Network of classical, character-focused public charter schools affiliated with Hillsdale College's K-12 curriculum initiative. Operates several Arizona campuses and competes with BFCS on the same classical pedagogy and college-prep positioning.

Regional players

• Seton Catholic Preparatory: Catholic college-preparatory school serving grades 6-12 in Chandler, AZ. Comparable as a classical, virtue-based East Valley secondary school, though private and tuition-based rather than a public charter.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1wfWwIp9XyBm4M0W6pKxAw
• Facebookfacebook.com/bfcsaz
• Instagraminstagram.com/bfcs_k12
• Xx.com/bfcs_k12

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Benjamin Franklin Charter School