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Taft Elementary

Q: Is Taft Elementary a good school?

Taft Elementary ranks 2684 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2684^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of California elementary schools

Summary

Taft Elementary is a public elementary school in Orange, California, serving 436 students in grades K-6 and part of the Orange Unified School District. While the school's academic performance, as measured by standardized tests, is generally lower than the district and state averages, there are some interesting insights to consider.

Taft Elementary's proficiency rates in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics range from 34% to 50.91% and 33.82% to 48%, respectively, which is lower than the district's 51.78% to 62.7% and the state's 44.21% to 48.81%. Additionally, the school has relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.8% to 24.9% in recent years, which is higher than the district and state averages. Interestingly, when comparing Taft Elementary to nearby schools within the same district, such as Nohl Canyon Elementary and Cambridge Elementary, there are significant differences in academic performance, with Nohl Canyon consistently outperforming Taft and the district/state averages.

Despite the higher spending per student at Taft Elementary, which has increased from $12,541 in 2020-2021 to $16,538 in 2023-2024, the school's academic performance remains below the district and state averages. This suggests that factors beyond funding, such as teaching quality, curriculum, and school climate, may play a significant role in student outcomes. Addressing the underlying causes of the school's high chronic absenteeism rates could also be an important area for improvement.

387

Students ?

26.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,538

Per pupil spending ?

88.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1829 North Cambridge
Orange, CA 92865-4409

(714) 997-6254

District: Orange Unified

Students who attend Taft Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cerro Villa Middle
High:	Villa Park High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

87.6%

White:

5.2%

Asian:

3.4%

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Compare Taft Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 40th percentile in 2013 → 54th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2013

✓Above the California median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg50%

California avg41%

2,684^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▲ up 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 41% (2015) to top 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

18^th of 27Elementary Schools in the Orange Unified

483^rd of 1,543Orange Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.2	2684 of 5857	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.6	2469 of 5869	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.9	3650 of 5859	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.1	3611 of 5883	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.0	4013 of 5789	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.1	4227 of 5662	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.7	4194 of 5692	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	31.7	3628 of 5614	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	35.1	3321 of 5611	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	39.5	3341 of 5530	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.7	2704 of 5390	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	37.3	3439 of 5377	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	31.0	3779 of 5314	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	36.0	3309 of 5193	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	37.5	3103 of 5113	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	39.9	2911 of 5113	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	44.8	2450 of 4818	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	50.8	2159 of 4822	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	44.5	2437 of 4809	49.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	51.2	1111 of 3162	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.4	2430 of 3245	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.4	1578 of 3311	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.0	1609 of 3275	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	36.2	1988 of 3246	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.0	2838 of 5597	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.0	2864 of 5612	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.9	3976 of 5609	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.5	3879 of 5635	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.2	3972 of 5492	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.0	4238 of 5413	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.6	1631 of 5107	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.0	1418 of 5107	72.2%	★★★★☆
2023	43.7	2628 of 5087	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.1	2389 of 5084	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.8	2976 of 4963	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.9	3348 of 4830	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.0	1901 of 5460	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.8	1514 of 5517	72.6%	★★★★☆
2023	43.8	2779 of 5363	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.9	2605 of 5264	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.5	3164 of 5173	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.6	3435 of 5084	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.1	2379 of 5628	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.1	1887 of 5643	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.8	3072 of 5638	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.9	3075 of 5663	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.3	3776 of 5510	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.2	3925 of 5431	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2025)68th percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)65th percentile+11 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)65th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)58th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)49th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics43%+5 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy41%-8 vs state

Science26%-6 vs state

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Schools Near Taft Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Taft Elementary	Public	K-6	1829 North Cambridge	Orange	92865	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6254	387	15	26.2	88.9%	20 (5.2%)	4 (1.0%)	339 (87.6%)	13 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.8%)	48.2	2684^th of 5857 public elementary schools	54.2%		51.6	2469^th of 5869 public elementary schools	57.9%	215	26.3	26.3	34.0	34.0	50.9	42.7	40.9	43.8	48.0	47.4	33.8	42.6							$16,538	$1,545	$14,993
California iInspire Academy	Public	K-6	1080 North California St.	Orange	92867	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6104	699	25	27.9	83.1%	23 (3.3%)	4 (0.6%)	649 (92.8%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.1%)	44.7	2907^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.4%		42.9	3001^st of 5869 public elementary schools	48.9%	94	23.1	23.1	25.0	50.5	44.4	53.0	44.0	27.5	43.8	30.8	37.0	35.3							$15,498	$1,443	$14,055
Fletcher Mandarin Language & GATE Academy	Public	K-6	515 West Fletcher St.	Orange	92865	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6181	493	23	21.6	48.7%	73 (14.8%)	2 (0.4%)	220 (44.6%)	149 (30.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	47 (9.5%)	83	1022^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	82.6%		76.2	1328^th of 5869 public elementary schools	77.4%	306	45.1	45.1	70.5	67.9	64.3	64.6	66.9	61.8	63.2	56.3	56.9	59.5	98.2						$14,833	$1,182	$13,651
Serrano Elementary	Public	K-6	17741 Serrano Ave.	Villa Park	92861	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6275	524	21	24.8	40.1%	201 (38.4%)	7 (1.3%)	189 (36.1%)	59 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	66 (12.6%)	69.3	1636^th of 5857 public elementary schools	72.1%		66.9	1737^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.4%	101	52.6	52.6	43.7	56.0	63.2	63.2	56.7	46.5	61.3	43.4	37.2	47.0	96.3						$15,485	$1,182	$14,303
Olive Elementary	Public	K-6	3038 North Magnolia	Orange	92865	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 637-8218	319	15	21.3	74.6%	56 (17.6%)	1 (0.3%)	227 (71.2%)	15 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	18 (5.6%)	35.9	3501^st of 5857 public elementary schools	40.2%		38.8	3246^th of 5869 public elementary schools	44.7%	255	28.1	28.1	27.8	46.9	40.4	41.9	39.3	33.3	37.5	22.8	23.3	28.0	92.0	94.0	96.0	92.0	92.0	92.0	$16,165	$1,340	$14,825
Handy Elementary	Public	K-6	860 North Handy St.	Orange	92867	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6183	377	16	23.8	90.5%	21 (5.6%)	2 (0.5%)	339 (89.9%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	39.3	3268^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.2%		38.5	3270^th of 5869 public elementary schools	44.3%	2	24.1	24.1	33.3	37.5	47.4	41.9	40.5	36.5	21.4	31.0	37.1	32.2							$17,402	$1,597	$15,805
Tomorrow's Leadership Collaborative (TLC) Charter	Public, Charter	K-6	1130 East Walnut Ave.	Orange	92867	Orange County	Tomorrow's Leadership Collaborative (TLC) Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(657) 284-5228	192	9	21.3	70.8%	21 (10.9%)	5 (2.6%)	155 (80.7%)	7 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	2 (1.0%)	17.2	5079^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.3%		28.8	4043^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	31.1%	1036	15.8	15.8	26.1	30.8	26.3		27.0	21.7	25.0	5.6		14.5	89.1	93.8			90.6	93.8	$20,902	$1,267	$19,635
Nohl Canyon Elementary	Public	K-6	4100 East Nohl Ranch Rd.	Anaheim	92807	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6203	524	19	27.7	20.0%	196 (37.4%)	1 (0.2%)	122 (23.3%)	134 (25.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	69 (13.2%)	96	242^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	95.9%		95.1	332^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	94.3%	90	67.5	67.5	69.4	81.7	86.3	88.0	81.7	72.2	82.9	77.5	81.9	78.9	90.9	93.5	96.1	93.5	92.2	94.8	$15,570	$1,182	$14,388
Cambridge Elementary	Public	K-6	425 North Cambridge	Orange	92866	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6103	415	18	22.5	85.5%	30 (7.2%)	6 (1.4%)	365 (88.0%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.4%)	16	5183^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	11.5%		24.7	4399^th of 5869 public elementary schools	25.0%	784	12.5	12.5	29.2	13.2	21.8	34.9	24.5	26.2	9.4	8.9	18.6	16.1	95.5						$16,327	$1,942	$14,385
Villa Park Elementary	Public	K-6	10551 Center Dr.	Villa Park	92861	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6281	604	21	29.2	32.6%	296 (49.0%)	0 (0.0%)	169 (28.0%)	74 (12.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (10.4%)	89.2	704^th of 5857 public elementary schools	88.0%		92.5	531^st of 5869 public elementary schools	91.0%	173	46.2	46.2	67.4	74.7	78.5	67.1	71.6	84.3	71.6	53.9	62.7	69.3							$15,247	$1,182	$14,065

Frequently Asked Questions about Taft Elementary

How many students attend Taft Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 387 students attended Taft Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Taft Elementary attend?

Students who attend Taft Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cerro Villa Middle
High : Villa Park High

What is the racial makeup of Taft Elementary?

Students at Taft Elementary are 88% Hispanic, 5% White, 3% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American.

Is Taft Elementary a good school?

Taft Elementary ranks 2684^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Taft Elementary in?

Orange Unified

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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.