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William Howard Taft High School (Chicago)

Coordinates: 41°59′04″N 87°47′31″W / 41.9844°N 87.79192°W / 41.9844; -87.79192
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taft High School
Address
Map
6530 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue

Chicago
,
Illinois
60631

United States
Coordinates41°59′04″N 87°47′31″W / 41.9844°N 87.79192°W / 41.9844; -87.79192
Information
TypePublic Secondary
Motto"Teaching Academics For Tomorrow."
Opened1939
School districtChicago Public Schools
PrincipalRyan Glowacz
Teaching staff269.00 (FTE)[1]
Grades7–12[1]
GenderCoed
Enrollment4,464 (2022-23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio16.59[1]
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)   Blue & silver
SongFly Like an Eagle
Athletics conferenceChicago Public League
MascotEagles
AccreditationNorth Central Association of Colleges and Schools
YearbookAerie[2]
Websitetafthighschool.org

Taft High School is a public four-year high school located in the Norwood Park neighborhood on the northwest side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Taft serves communities on the far northwest side, specifically Norwood Park, Edison Park, Jefferson Park, Forest Glen and O'Hare. Taft is operated by the Chicago Public Schools district.

Taft's NJROTC unit won a Distinguished Unit award every year from 2001 to 2014.[3] In the late 1990s—to stanch the loss of students—Chicago Public Schools made significant changes to the school to attract more neighborhood students. These included an NJROTC unit, a selective-enrollment academic center for 7th and 8th grade students, and an International Baccalaureate Diploma program. Taft's IB program became authorized in 2001, and since 2014 has been a "wall-to-wall" IB World School.

Academics

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Taft High School is rated a 5 out of 10 by GreatSchools.org, a national school quality information site. [4] GreatSchools’ Summary Rating is based on four of the school’s themed ratings: the Test Score Rating, Student or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, and Equity Rating and flags for discipline and attendance disparities at a school.

Athletics

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Taft competes in the Chicago Public League (CPL) and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The boys baseball team were Public League champions in 1968, CPS quarter-finalists in 1985, and regional champions in 2009. The girls volleyball team were Public League champions in the 1979–80 season.[5]

In 2018, the boys varsity football team brought home its first Chicago Public League championship since 1972 with a 29–13 win over Eric Solorio Academy High School.

The wrestling team won four consecutive Chicago Public League Championships. (2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021)

A nine-hole putting green was installed during the summer of 2023, costing ultimately $32,000.[6]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Taft High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  2. ^ 1967 Taft High School Yearbook- Chicago, Illinois
  3. ^ Taft NJROTC
  4. ^ "Best High Schools in Chicago, IL | GreatSchools". GreatSchools.org. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  5. ^ IHSA Chicago (Taft)
  6. ^ Nadig, Brian (July 15, 2023). "Taft gives update on graduates, new putting green". Reporter. Vol. 58, no. 29. Edgebrook, Wildwood, Sauganash, Lincolnwood, Skokie, and Niles, Illinois: Nadig Newspapers. p. 13.
  7. ^ Havill, Adrian (2001). The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. xix. ISBN 0-312-98629-7. Robert Philip Hanssen, a senior at Chicago's William Howard Taft High School in 1962, also saw the first James Bond movie that year.
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