Taft Elementary

Summary:

Taft Elementary is a public elementary school in Neenah, Wisconsin, serving 229 students in grades K-4. The school faces significant challenges, with consistently low academic performance, high chronic absenteeism, and a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Taft Elementary's academic performance lags far behind other schools in the Neenah Joint School District. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 20% of 3rd-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 60.85% for the district and 52.07% for the state of Wisconsin. The school's performance is particularly concerning for certain student subgroups, such as African American students and multi-racial students, who rank in the bottom 10% of Wisconsin elementary schools in their respective categories. Additionally, Taft Elementary has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 10.9% in 2018-2019 to 22.8% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the district and state averages.

Despite the higher spending per student at Taft Elementary, the school is not seeing commensurate improvements in academic outcomes. In comparison, the nearby ACE Alliance Charter Elementary, which is also part of the Neenah Joint School District, has significantly higher academic achievement, with 82.61% of 3rd-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 77.78% in Mathematics in the 2023-2024 school year. The leadership and the district should closely examine the root causes of these issues and develop targeted interventions to address the needs of the students and the community.

Detail:

Public K-4

133 S Western Ave
Neenah, WI 54956-2291

(920) 751-6980

District: Neenah Joint School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
852^nd of 1,061 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,788

Student/teacher ratio: 11.3

Number of students: 229

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.6%

Two or more races:

13.5%

Hispanic:

9.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 61.1%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Taft Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Taft Elementary ranks worse than 80.3% of elementary schools in Wisconsin. It also ranks last among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Neenah Joint School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 24.51. (See more...)

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

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (64.6%), two or more races (13.5%), Hispanic (9.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 61.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Taft Elementary is 11.3, which is the lowest among 9 elementary schools in the Neenah Joint School District! (See more...)

Compare Taft Elementary employs 20.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Taft Elementary is $16,788, which is the highest among 9 elementary schools in the Neenah Joint School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Taft Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Taft Elementary 852^nd of 1061 Wisconsin public elementary schools. (See Taft Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Neenah Joint School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Neenah Joint School District 140^th of 428 Wisconsin school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Taft Elementary.

What do you think?

Your rating for Taft Elementary?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Taft Elementary

Compare

Rank History for all students at Taft Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile
2017	42.95	685^th	1071	36.0%
2018	32.61	785^th	1025	23.4%
2019	25.19	839^th	1037	19.1%
2021	35.95	742^nd	1050	29.3%
2022	33.98	774^th	1067	27.5%
2023	20.51	886^th	1067	17.0%
2024	24.51	852^nd	1061	19.7%

See the entire list of Wisconsin Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Taft Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	10.52	73^rd	77	5.2%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Taft Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile
2019	15.21	711^th	742	4.2%
2021	62.33	198^th	746	73.5%
2022	44.30	392^nd	748	47.6%
2023	27.16	594^th	770	22.9%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Taft Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	35.13	631^st	854	26.1%
2019	33.97	641^st	874	26.7%
2021	31.22	637^th	847	24.8%
2022	27.62	687^th	859	20.0%
2023	23.04	752^nd	871	13.7%
2024	32.73	637^th	866	26.4%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin 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	WI State Percentile
2018	40.84	667^th	997	33.1%
2019	28.98	790^th	1002	21.2%
2021	27.04	796^th	1004	20.7%
2022	22.80	835^th	1017	17.9%
2023	24.33	818^th	1010	19.0%
2024	41.88	686^th	1011	32.1%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Taft Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	27.00	806^th	997	19.2%
2019	24.96	819^th	1002	18.3%
2021	43.56	635^th	1003	36.7%
2022	43.10	655^th	1017	35.6%
2023	19.46	849^th	1011	16.0%
2024	12.99	893^rd	1012	11.8%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Taft Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	14.66	137^th	138	0.7%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at Taft Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	25.33	575^th	686	16.2%
2019	7.26	695^th	718	3.2%
2022	31.22	534^th	704	24.1%
2023	15.96	652^nd	715	8.8%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 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.

Data source: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Saturday, May 19, 2018

Horrible school! Close Quote

Enrollment information for Taft Elementary

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2015	162	12	2	14	2	0	6	198
2016	179	9	2	9	1	0	9	209
2017	188	17	4	18	3	0	5	235
2018	190	15	1	19	4	0	8	237
2019	166	12	1	24	3	0	14	220
2020	159	13	4	18	3	1	17	215
2021	130	9	5	18	3	0	10	175
2022	146	13	5	21	4	0	29	218
2023	148	17	9	21	3	0	31	229

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

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2015	198	n/a	n/a	57.1
2016	209	19.0	11.0	57.9
2017	235	19.9	11.7	56.2
2018	237	18.7	12.6	51.9
2019	220	19.9	11.0	62.7
2020	215	20.4	10.5	57.7
2021	175	18.3	9.5	56
2022	218	16.9	12.8	55
2023	229	20.1	11.3	61.1

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

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2015	198	n/a	n/a	57.1
2016	209	19.0	11.0	57.9
2017	235	19.9	11.7	56.2
2018	237	18.7	12.6	51.9
2019	220	19.9	11.0	62.7
2020	215	20.4	10.5	57.7
2021	175	18.3	9.5	56
2022	218	16.9	12.8	55
2023	229	20.1	11.3	61.1

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.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Taft Elementary

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$837 (6.2%)	$12,619 (93.8%)	$13,456
2020	$943 (6.1%)	$14,502 (93.9%)	$15,444
2021	$1,219 (7.3%)	$15,569 (92.7%)	$16,788

Data source: Wisconsin 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 839^th of 1037 Elementary schools	Ranks 886^th of 1067 Elementary schools	2.1%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Taft Elementary)	19.1	27.6	8.5%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Neenah Joint School District)	47.8	43.7	4%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)	39.5	37.9	1.6%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Taft Elementary)	21.4	41.4	20%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Neenah Joint School District)	58.5	61.9	3.4%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)	50.5	48.8	1.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Taft Elementary)	50	8.3	41.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Neenah Joint School District)	61.5	53.4	8.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)	43.9	45.8	1.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Taft Elementary)	27.3	20	7.3%
4th Grade Mathematics (Neenah Joint School District)	61.3	60.8	0.5%
4th Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)	46.2	46.5	0.2%
4th Grade Social Studies (Taft Elementary)	50	17.1	32.9%
4th Grade Social Studies (Neenah Joint School District)	65.6	64	1.6%
4th Grade Social Studies (Wisconsin)	53.4	59.7	6.4%
4th Grade Science (Taft Elementary)	50	17.1	32.9%
4th Grade Science (Neenah Joint School District)	69.7	61.9	7.8%
4th Grade Science (Wisconsin)	53.9	52.1	1.8%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Taft Elementary)	28.1	18.4	9.7%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Neenah Joint School District)	54.3	49.9	4.4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)	40.9	39.2	1.7%
5th Grade Mathematics (Taft Elementary)	25	47.4	22.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (Neenah Joint School District)	57	65.9	9%
5th Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)	47.8	48.4	0.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	220	229	4.1%
African American	12	17	41.7%
American Indian	3	3
Asian	1	9	800%
Hispanic	24	21	12.5%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	166	148	10.8%
Two or More Races	14	31	121.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	62.7%	61.1%	1.6%

Schools Near Taft Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2024)						Forward Exam Mathematics (2024)						Forward Exam Social Studies (2024)		Forward Exam Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Forward Exam English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 4th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 5th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 8th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 7th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 4th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 8th Grade	Forward Exam Science 4th Grade	Forward Exam Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Taft Elementary	Public	K-4	133 S Western Ave	Neenah	54956	Winnebago County	Neenah Joint School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 751-6980	229	20	11.3	61.1%	148 (64.6%)	17 (7.4%)	21 (9.2%)	9 (3.9%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (13.5%)	24.5	852^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	19.7%		20.5	886^th of 1067 public elementary schools	17.0%	34	20.0	43.5					28.6	47.8					47.8		47.8		$16,788	$1,219	$15,569
Spring Road Elementary	Public	K-4	1191 County Road II	Neenah	54956	Winnebago County	Neenah Joint School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 751-6975	359	25	14.1	34.0%	291 (81.1%)	3 (0.8%)	35 (9.7%)	18 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.3%)	59.3	496^th of 1061 public elementary schools	53.3%		69.1	315^th of 1067 public elementary schools	70.5%	181	58.7	54.6					71.4	53.6					64.3		51.8		$14,264	$463	$13,801
Hoover Elementary	Public	K-4	950 Hunt Ave	Neenah	54956	Winnebago County	Neenah Joint School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 751-6960	236	19	12.7	64.8%	135 (57.2%)	11 (4.7%)	41 (17.4%)	16 (6.8%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	30 (12.7%)	46.7	659^th of 1061 public elementary schools	37.9%		28.7	827^th of 1067 public elementary schools	22.5%	168	51.5	56.7					57.6	50.0					53.3		43.3		$16,428	$1,711	$14,717
Tullar Elementary	Public	K-4	925 Tullar Rd	Neenah	54956	Winnebago County	Neenah Joint School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 751-6985	392	25	15.7	17.6%	351 (89.5%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (1.8%)	13 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (4.8%)	79.5	170^th of 1061 public elementary schools	84.0%		86.6	80^th of 1067 public elementary schools	92.5%	90	61.3	64.9					78.7	89.5					75.4		70.2		$10,693	$294	$10,399
Horace Mann Elementary	Public	K-4	1021 Oak Street	Neenah	54956	Winnebago County	Neenah Joint School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 751-6995	267	20	13.3	57.3%	210 (78.7%)	11 (4.1%)	17 (6.4%)	7 (2.6%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.1%)	38.3	746^th of 1061 public elementary schools	29.7%		41	700^th of 1067 public elementary schools	34.4%	46	47.3	38.8					58.2	47.8					47.8		47.8		$14,222	$796	$13,426
ACE Alliance Charter Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	920 Higgins Ave	Neenah	54956	Winnebago County	Neenah Joint School District	Yes	No	No	No	(920) 751-6995	121	6	18.9	9.1%	108 (89.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	6 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.0%)	84.4	95^th of 1061 public elementary schools	91.0%		92.2	25^th of 1067 public elementary schools	97.7%	70	82.6	94.4	84.2	85.7			60.9	77.8	57.9	71.4			88.9		83.3		$8,768	$287	$8,481
Fox Valley Virtual School	Public, Virtual, Charter	PK, KG-8	100 Main Street	Menasha	54952	Winnebago County	Menasha Joint School District	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(920) 967-1421	65	12	5.4	66.2%	38 (58.5%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (32.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (9.2%)	51.4	612^th of 1061 public elementary schools	42.3%		60.5	449^th of 1067 public elementary schools	57.9%	163	50.0	58.3	42.9	77.8	42.9	50.0	50.0	41.7	42.9	44.4	50.0	33.3	58.3	66.7	66.7	50.0
Coolidge Elementary	Public	K-4	321 Alcott Dr	Neenah	54956	Winnebago County	Neenah Joint School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 751-6955	349	26	13.5	39.3%	278 (79.7%)	20 (5.7%)	23 (6.6%)	8 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.7%)	71	300^th of 1061 public elementary schools	71.7%		69.8	297^th of 1067 public elementary schools	72.2%	3	73.7	61.7					77.6	65.0					68.3		55.0		$12,901	$342	$12,559
Butte des Morts Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	501 Tayco St	Menasha	54952	Winnebago County	Menasha Joint School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 967-1900	336	30	11.2	66.7%	233 (69.3%)	20 (6.0%)	45 (13.4%)	7 (2.1%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.3%)	35	781^st of 1061 public elementary schools	26.4%		37.4	739^th of 1067 public elementary schools	30.7%	42	41.3	35.9	46.7				45.7	41.5	50.0				52.8		35.9		$16,416	$1,992	$14,423
Banta Bilingual Elementary	Public	K-5	328 Sixth St	Menasha	54952	Winnebago County	Menasha Joint School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 967-1880	165	16	10.4	58.8%	39 (23.6%)	2 (1.2%)	121 (73.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.8%)	40.2	722^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	32.0%		40.1	710^th of 1067 public elementary schools	33.5%	12	42.9	38.9	52.4				36.7	50.0	54.6				55.6		55.6		$13,600	$729	$12,871

Frequently Asked Questions about Taft Elementary

What schools do graduates of Taft Elementary attend?

Students who attend Taft Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Neenah Middle School
High : Neenah High

What is the racial makeup of Taft Elementary?

Students at Taft Elementary are 65% White, 14% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic, 7% African American, 4% Asian, 1% American Indian.

What district is Taft Elementary in?

Neenah Joint School District

Is Taft Elementary a good school?

Taft Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.7% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

How many students attend Taft Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 229 students attended Taft Elementary.

Rate Taft Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

WIWisconsin Elementary School Rankings

WIWisconsin District Rankings

Schools in Neenah, WI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Taft Elementary!

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

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.