Benjamin Franklin High School

1934 - 1982

Benjamin Franklin High School began as an all-boys high school and was active between the years of 1934 and 1982, serving the predominantly Italian-American and Puerto Rican populations living in East Harlem. The school was founded by New York City’s first Italian American principal Leonard Covello, who created the school to implement a pedagogy that encouraged students to take pride in their heritage and culture within the school. In the 1940s, the influx of Puerto-Rican immigrants into East Harlem allowed Covello to put his theories of bilingual and bicultural education to the test at Benjamin Franklin High School. Famously in 1945, Frank Sinatra performed his song, "Aren’t You Glad You’re You?" at the invitation of Covello, who wanted to ease tensions following a riot between Black and white students at the school. Due to a record of poor performance, the school was closed in 1982 and divided into what is now Isaac Newton Middle School for Math and Science and Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics. Since then, both schools have maintained highly selective admissions due to high academic performance on New York State’s Regents Examinations.

Image of Benjamin Franklin High School building façade in 1981.
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Details

Category
School
Instructional Level
High School
Audience
Teenagers
Founder(s)
Leonard Covello
Tags
PuertoRican, community, boys, intergration, LeonardCovello, ItalianAmerican

Location

  • 280 Pleasant Ave, New York, NY 10029, USA
    ? - ?

Archival Collections

References

  1. Johanek, Michael C., and John L. Puckett. Leonard Covello and the Making of Benjamin Franklin High School: Education as If Citizenship Mattered. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2007.
  2. “Former Benjamin Franklin High School, Now Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics: Historic Districts Council's Six to Celebrate.” Historic Districts Councils Six to Celebrate.
  3. Barrett, Reiter. “Designation Report Benjamin Franklin High School - New York City.” NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.
  4. “Back to School: Exploring Historic Schools in East Harlem.” Urban Archive. Landmark East Harlem, September 20, 2021. https://www.urbanarchive.org/stories/V3XUerNc9nJ.