Taft Elementary

Summary:

Taft Elementary is a public elementary school in Orange, California, serving 447 students in grades K-6. It is part of the Orange Unified School District, which is ranked 517 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Taft Elementary faces several challenges compared to nearby schools. The school has significantly higher chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 27.1% to 36.0% in recent years, compared to 11.7% to 34.7% at other district schools. Academically, Taft's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are consistently lower than the district and state averages. In 2023-2024, only 45.25% of Taft students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 57.53% for the district and 47.04% for the state. Additionally, Taft has a very high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 93.29% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, significantly higher than the 18.26% to 92.22% range at nearby schools. The school also has a higher student-teacher ratio of 28.8, compared to 22.4 to 28.5 at other district schools.

While Taft Elementary is underperforming compared to its peers, the school's Hispanic student and English Language Learner subgroups perform relatively better, ranking in the top 25% and top 35% of California elementary schools, respectively, in recent years. The high percentage of low-income students and the higher student-teacher ratio may be contributing factors to Taft's lower academic performance. Addressing these challenges and learning from the success of higher-performing nearby schools, such as Nohl Canyon Elementary and Villa Park Elementary, could be crucial in improving educational outcomes for the students at Taft Elementary.


Detail:

Public K-6

 1829 North Cambridge
       Orange, CA  92865-4409


(714) 997-6254

District: Orange Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2465th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $5,672 Help


Students who attend Taft Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Cerro Villa Middle
High:    Villa Park High

Student/teacher ratio:  27.8 Help
Number of students:  436

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
89.0%
White:
4.1%
Two or more races:
3.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  90.4% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Taft Elementary ranks better than 57.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 18th among 27 ranked elementary schools in the Orange Unified School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 51.63. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (89%), White (4.1%), two or more races (3.7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 90.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Taft Elementary is 27.8. 22 elementary schools in the Orange Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Taft Elementary employs 15.6 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Taft Elementary is $5,672, which is the 7th highest among 27 elementary schools in the Orange Unified School District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Taft Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Taft Elementary 2465th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Taft Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:


Orange Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Orange Unified 517th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Taft Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Taft Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 44.51 2437th 4809 49.3%
2005 50.76 2159th 4822 55.2%
2006 44.75 2450th 4818 49.1%
2007 39.91 2911th 5113 43.1%
2008 37.49 3103rd 5113 39.3%
2009 35.98 3309th 5193 36.3%
2010 30.96 3779th 5314 28.9%
2011 37.30 3439th 5377 36.0%
2012 48.67 2704th 5390 49.8%
2013 39.51 3341st 5530 39.6%
2015 35.06 3321st 5611 40.8%
2016 31.70 3628th 5614 35.4%
2017 25.67 4194th 5692 26.3%
2018 25.13 4227th 5662 25.3%
2019 29.00 4013th 5789 30.7%
2022 33.12 3611th 5883 38.6%
2023 32.94 3657th 5874 37.7%
2024 51.63 2465th 5862 57.9%
See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Taft Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 36.22 1988th 3246 38.8%
2019 42.99 1609th 3275 50.9%
2022 43.36 1578th 3311 52.3%
2023 31.41 2433rd 3250 25.1%
2024 51.23 1110th 3160 64.9%
See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Taft Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 34.57 3435th 5084 32.4%
2019 39.46 3164th 5173 38.8%
2022 44.88 2605th 5264 50.5%
2023 43.77 2782nd 5374 48.2%
2024 64.77 1511th 5511 72.6%
See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Taft Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 24.01 4238th 5413 21.7%
2019 28.18 3972nd 5492 27.7%
2022 28.51 3879th 5635 31.2%
2023 27.87 3982nd 5617 29.1%
2024 42.97 2859th 5605 49.0%
See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Taft Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 27.19 3925th 5431 27.7%
2019 30.33 3776th 5510 31.5%
2022 38.88 3075th 5663 45.7%
2023 39.83 3075th 5650 45.6%
2024 62.10 1884th 5636 66.6%
See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Taft Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 32.95 3348th 4830 30.7%
2019 39.81 2976th 4963 40.0%
2022 47.10 2389th 5084 53.0%
2023 43.65 2631st 5098 48.4%
2024 65.03 1416th 5102 72.2%
See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Taft Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 







Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

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0%

  

Reviews:
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Enrollment information for Taft Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 477 14 66 68 0 n/a n/a 0 625
1989 537 23 78 86 0 n/a n/a 0 724
1990 530 19 70 103 7 n/a n/a 0 729
1991 574 13 86 118 4 n/a n/a 0 795
1992 561 9 97 139 5 n/a n/a 0 811
1993 573 9 107 195 5 n/a n/a 0 889
1994 527 11 81 222 7 n/a n/a 0 848
1995 515 22 67 286 6 n/a n/a 0 896
1996 515 22 67 286 6 n/a n/a 0 896
1997 507 18 66 349 7 n/a n/a 0 947
1998 469 18 61 385 8 n/a n/a 0 941
1999 489 17 66 425 7 n/a n/a 0 1004
2000 403 13 63 474 6 n/a n/a 0 959
2001 389 8 64 485 5 n/a n/a 0 951
2002 305 14 54 561 4 n/a n/a 0 938
2003 305 14 54 561 4 n/a n/a 0 938
2004 278 13 66 550 4 n/a n/a 29 940
2005 182 10 52 403 4 n/a n/a 22 673
2006 151 12 47 419 2 n/a n/a 13 644
2007 136 7 44 398 1 n/a n/a 14 600
2008 106 8 42 406 n/a n/a n/a 0 562
2009 94 9 36 390 0 0 2 0 531
2010 67 9 35 419 0 0 7 0 537
2011 60 6 30 421 0 0 10 0 527
2012 37 5 28 435 0 0 3 0 508
2013 34 7 16 462 0 0 5 0 524
2014 32 6 10 507 0 0 3 0 558
2015 30 2 12 532 0 0 3 0 579
2016 34 2 10 553 0 0 1 0 600
2017 33 2 11 586 1 0 2 0 635
2018 32 2 9 557 1 0 4 0 605
2019 34 4 6 517 0 0 3 0 564
2020 31 2 8 504 0 0 7 0 552
2021 26 3 7 460 0 0 6 0 502
2022 22 4 9 430 0 1 5 0 471
2023 17 5 7 408 1 0 9 0 447
2024 18 4 9 388 1 0 16 0 436

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Taft Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 625 25.0 25.0 n/a
1989 724 27.0 26.8 n/a
1990 729 29.0 25.1 n/a
1991 795 28.0 28.3 n/a
1992 811 28.5 28.4 18.2
1993 889 31.0 28.7 25.6
1994 848 30.0 28.3 32
1995 896 33.0 27.2 38.3
1996 896 33.0 27.2 38.3
1997 947 33.4 28.4 42.8
1998 941 42.0 22.4 45
1999 1004 43.4 23.1 43.5
2000 959 43.5 22.0 46.3
2001 951 45.0 21.1 47
2002 938 43.9 21.4 54.9
2003 938 43.9 21.4 54.9
2004 940 43.0 21.9 62.5
2005 673 31.0 21.7 64.4
2006 644 29.0 22.2 68.6
2007 600 31.0 19.4 67.2
2008 562 31.0 18.1 69.2
2009 531 25.8 19.0 69.3
2010 537 26.4 20.2 78.2
2011 527 n/a n/a 78.2
2012 508 18.0 28.2 99.4
2013 524 17.6 29.7 85.3
2014 558 16.9 32.8 85.8
2015 579 18.0 32.1 86.9
2016 600 20.0 30.0 83.8
2017 635 21.4 29.5 82.5
2018 605 20.4 29.5 85.3
2019 564 19.4 28.9 88.7
2020 552 n/a n/a 88.9
2021 502 17.6 28.5 85.1
2022 471 15.5 30.3 82.8
2023 447 15.5 28.8 93.3
2024 436 15.6 27.8 90.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Taft Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 625 25.0 25.0 n/a
1989 724 27.0 26.8 n/a
1990 729 29.0 25.1 n/a
1991 795 28.0 28.3 n/a
1992 811 28.5 28.4 18.2
1993 889 31.0 28.7 25.6
1994 848 30.0 28.3 32
1995 896 33.0 27.2 38.3
1996 896 33.0 27.2 38.3
1997 947 33.4 28.4 42.8
1998 941 42.0 22.4 45
1999 1004 43.4 23.1 43.5
2000 959 43.5 22.0 46.3
2001 951 45.0 21.1 47
2002 938 43.9 21.4 54.9
2003 938 43.9 21.4 54.9
2004 940 43.0 21.9 62.5
2005 673 31.0 21.7 64.4
2006 644 29.0 22.2 68.6
2007 600 31.0 19.4 67.2
2008 562 31.0 18.1 69.2
2009 531 25.8 19.0 69.3
2010 537 26.4 20.2 78.2
2011 527 n/a n/a 78.2
2012 508 18.0 28.2 99.4
2013 524 17.6 29.7 85.3
2014 558 16.9 32.8 85.8
2015 579 18.0 32.1 86.9
2016 600 20.0 30.0 83.8
2017 635 21.4 29.5 82.5
2018 605 20.4 29.5 85.3
2019 564 19.4 28.9 88.7
2020 552 n/a n/a 88.9
2021 502 17.6 28.5 85.1
2022 471 15.5 30.3 82.8
2023 447 15.5 28.8 93.3
2024 436 15.6 27.8 90.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates

Taft Elementary

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Compare
YearCompletely ImmunizedReligious ExemptionMedical ExemptionConditionalPolioHepatitis BVaricellaDTPMMR
201280.0%1.0%0.0%19.0%84.0%95.0%97.0%92.0%86.0%
201388.0%0.0%2.0%10.0%94.0%97.0%98.0%98.0%93.0%
201469.0%0.0%1.0%30.0%86.0%91.0%98.0%77.0%98.0%
201596.0%0.0%0.0%4.0%96.0%96.0%98.0%96.0%96.0%
201693.0%1.0%0.0%6.0%95.0%97.0%99.0%93.0%94.0%
201797.0%0.0%0.0%2.0%97.0%≥99.0%97.0%97.0%97.0%
2018≥99.0%≤1.0%≤1.0%≤1.0%≥99.0%≥99.0%≥99.0%≥99.0%≥99.0%
201992.0%0.0%8.0%95.0%≥99.0%≥99.0%92.0%92.0%

Data source: California Department of Public Health
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Taft Elementary

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2018 $5,672

Data source: California Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Taft Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 4013th of 5789 Elementary schoolsRanks 3657th of 5874 Elementary schools
 7.1%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Taft Elementary)2331.7
 8.7%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Orange Unified)53.452.8
 0.5%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)48.543
 5.6%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Taft Elementary)31.245
 13.9%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Orange Unified)52.755.5
 2.8%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (California)50.245.1
 5.1%
4th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Taft Elementary)51.125.4
 25.7%
   4th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Orange Unified)5954.6
 4.4%
   4th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)49.543.7
 5.7%
4th Grade Mathematics (Taft Elementary)33.726.5
 7.2%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Orange Unified)53.649.7
 3.9%
   4th Grade Mathematics (California)44.940.8
 4.1%
5th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Taft Elementary)42.126.4
 15.6%
   5th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Orange Unified)5862
 4%
   5th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)51.746.7
 5%
5th Grade Mathematics (Taft Elementary)18.222.5
 4.3%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Orange Unified)40.945.8
 5%
   5th Grade Mathematics (California)3833.4
 4.6%
5th Grade Science (Taft Elementary)18.216.9
 1.3%
   5th Grade Science (Orange Unified)3844.6
 6.6%
   5th Grade Science (California)31.731.9
 0.1%
6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Taft Elementary)37.946.8
 8.9%
   6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Orange Unified)59.256.8
 2.4%
   6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)48.544.2
 4.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Taft Elementary)20.928.6
 7.7%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Orange Unified)47.644.1
 3.4%
   6th Grade Mathematics (California)38.533.2
 5.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students564447
 20.7%
African American45
 25%
American Indian01
Asian67
 16.7%
Hispanic517408
 21.1%
Pacific Islander00
White3417
 50%
Two or More Races39
 200%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients88.7%93.3%
 4.6%


Schools Near Taft Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Taft Elementary

Students who attend Taft Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cerro Villa Middle
High : Villa Park High

In the 2023-24 school year, 436 students attended Taft Elementary.

Taft Elementary ranks 2465th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students at Taft Elementary are 89% Hispanic, 4% White, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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