A premier independent preschool to eighth grade school in Buffalo, NY.
Elmwood Franklin School
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Upper School

Grades 5-8
At Elmwood Franklin, our Upper School students enjoy new freedoms, privileges, and responsibilities as their studies are expanded and accelerated. Our program is specially designed to support young adolescents' intellectual, physical, and socio-emotional growth in an environment that is both rigorous and nurturing.

Individual subject teachers work together in advisory teams to ensure each student's overall success. Our robust Upper School academic program assures that our students reach a high level of understanding before moving forward, providing the foundation upon which to build subsequent learning. 

A comprehensive offering of learning experiences provides students with the chance to discover and develop their own interests, while service learning and character education encourage students to see service not as a requirement but as a way of life. Eighth grade culminates with the IDEA project, an interdisciplinary capstone project that showcases students' differing interests and viewpoints, as well as their creativity and range of skills. Upon graduation, students are confident and well-prepared academically, possess valuable organization and study skills, and demonstrate the qualities of strong and compassionate leaders.
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The IDEA Project
The IDEA Project is our eighth grade capstone project. IDEA (short for Individually Determined Exploration Area) gives students the opportunity to use the reading, writing, research, and presentation skills they’ve gained in their years at EFS and apply them to a creative, interdisciplinary, long-term inquiry project.

Students each pursue their own topic of interest, inspired by a guiding question. Working across disciplines over the course of many months, the students engage in advanced research using not just the regular references, but also primary sources, personal interviews, specialized databases, and academic journals.

To complete the project, each student writes a research paper, creates a visual “artifact,” and produces a video presentation. The eighth graders also share their discoveries with younger students through lessons they plan and teach themselves.

Program Highlights
  • Overnight outdoor education in all Upper School grades
  • Frequent field trips
  • Robotics and coding instruction
  • First Lego League competition team
  • Three world language options
  • Integrated public speaking
  • Options enrichment classes
  • Learning Lab
  • One-to-one iPad program
  • Science and Technology Fair 
  • Capstone IDEA project
  • Medieval Night
  • Overnight Washington, D.C. trip
  • National Junior Honor Society
  • Guest speakers
  • Character education
  • Service learning/community service 
  • Life skills education

Athletics
  • Physical education 5x per week
  • Interscholastic sports teams 
  • Ski club

Arts
  • Burchfield Penney docent program
  • 5/6 grade musical
  • 7/8 grade play
  • Instrumental music
  • Choral music
  • Winter and spring concerts

School Spirit
  • Blue-Gray competition
  • In-school social events
  • Student government

Facilities
  • Art studio equipped with 3D printers
  • Theatre
  • Greenhouse
  • Dining room and full kitchen
  • Gymnasium
  • Library Media Center
  • Mac and Robotics lab
  • Smart classrooms

Services
  • High school placement assistance 
  • Early morning care (7:30 a.m.)
  • Afterschool program (until 5:45 p.m.)

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Elmwood Franklin School prepares children to lead thriving lives.

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© Elmwood Franklin School | 104 New Amsterdam Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14216
admissions@elmwoodfranklin.org | 716-877-5035 | fax 716-877-9680

​Elmwood Franklin School is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools.