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Taft Middle School

Q: Is Taft Middle School a good school?

Taft Middle School ranks 227 th of 344 Iowa middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

227^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 344 Iowa Middle Schools

Better than 34% of Iowa middle schools

Summary

Taft Middle School is a public middle school located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 596 students. The school is part of the Cedar Rapids Community School District, which is ranked 279 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Taft Middle School consistently outperforms the Cedar Rapids Community School District and the state of Iowa in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subjects. However, the school has experienced higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to the state average, ranging from 21.6% to 35.7% in recent years. Additionally, Taft Middle School has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 36.59% to 40.1% in recent years, suggesting a higher proportion of students from low-income families attending the school.

When compared to nearby schools, Taft Middle School has a lower student-teacher ratio, ranging from 14.2 to 14.7 in recent years, which may contribute to its strong academic performance. However, Oak Ridge Middle School, located outside the Cedar Rapids district, significantly outperforms Taft Middle School and the other nearby schools in both academic achievement and school ranking.

593

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,361

Per pupil spending ?

46.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5200 E Ave NW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52405

(319) 558-2243

District: Cedar Rapids Community School District

Feeder schools for Taft Middle School:

Elementary:	Maple Grove Elementary
	West Willow Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.6%

African American:

13.8%

Two or more races:

10.6%

See top rated Iowa middle schools

Compare Taft Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 70th percentile in 2015 → 34th in 2025

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 22% Iowa)

!Ranking has slipped — down 36 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school73%

District avg63%

Iowa avg74%

227^th of 344

Iowa public middle schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 36 pts since 2015

From top 30% (2015) to bottom 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 6Middle Schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District

279^th of 313Cedar Rapids Community School District among Iowa 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	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	45.0	227 of 344	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.2	244 of 337	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.9	192 of 334	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.8	224 of 337	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.3	243 of 324	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	65.3	108 of 342	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.0	126 of 318	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	52.8	167 of 327	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	61.8	129 of 343	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	67.4	106 of 349	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	72.9	65 of 337	80.7%	★★★★☆
2013	71.3	65 of 350	81.4%	★★★★☆
2012	54.9	162 of 349	53.6%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts79%+3 vs state

Mathematics70%-3 vs state

Science66%-4 vs state

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Taft Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISASP English Language Arts (2025)				ISASP Mathematics (2025)				ISASP Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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	ISASP English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Taft Middle School	Public	6-8	5200 E Ave NW	Cedar Rapids	52405	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 558-2243	593	38	15.4	46.5%	395 (66.6%)	82 (13.8%)	38 (6.4%)	13 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	63 (10.6%)	45	227^th of 344 public middle schools	34.0%		38.2	244^th of 337 public middle schools	27.6%	17		75.0	74.9	85.5		69.8	69.1	71.5		66.5	$15,361	$386	$14,975
Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy	Public	6-8	300 13th ST NW	Cedar Rapids	52405	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 558-2153	484	34	14.2	71.1%	166 (34.3%)	196 (40.5%)	50 (10.3%)	7 (1.4%)	3 (0.6%)	12 (2.5%)	50 (10.3%)	6.1	324^th of 344 public middle schools	5.8%		11.7	315^th of 337 public middle schools	6.5%	9		51.5	60.2	67.5		43.8	50.0	53.3		45.0	$15,027	$360	$14,667
Wilson Middle School	Public	6-8	2301 J St SW	Cedar Rapids	52404	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 558-3387	422	31	13.6	78.0%	151 (35.8%)	135 (32.0%)	78 (18.5%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.4%)	42 (10.0%)	0.7	339^th of 344 public middle schools	1.5%		3.2	326^th of 337 public middle schools	3.3%	13		41.1	47.6	53.2		36.3	39.7	40.5		36.0	$17,810	$271	$17,539
McKinley STEAM Academy	Public	6-8	620 10th ST SE	Cedar Rapids	52403	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 558-2348	426	32	13.4	60.6%	216 (50.7%)	117 (27.5%)	34 (8.0%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (11.7%)	12.6	312^th of 344 public middle schools	9.3%		14.6	308^th of 337 public middle schools	8.6%	4		64.2	67.8	61.8		52.6	59.0	54.2		52.7	$16,456	$251	$16,204
Franklin Middle School	Public	6-8	300 20th ST NE	Cedar Rapids	52402	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 558-2452	469	34	13.8	58.6%	271 (57.8%)	93 (19.8%)	39 (8.3%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	56 (11.9%)	17.3	301^st of 344 public middle schools	12.5%		18	298^th of 337 public middle schools	11.6%	3		65.7	66.2	75.0		55.5	52.5	64.1		50.6	$15,204	$665	$14,539
Harding Middle School	Public	6-8	4801 Golf ST NE	Cedar Rapids	52405	Linn County	Cedar Rapids Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 558-2254	710	44	15.9	43.8%	472 (66.5%)	48 (6.8%)	84 (11.8%)	28 (3.9%)	1 (0.1%)	8 (1.1%)	69 (9.7%)	56.3	163^rd of 344 public middle schools	52.6%		53.8	178^th of 337 public middle schools	47.2%	15		67.7	77.8	83.2		72.9	76.4	81.5		81.5	$14,559	$562	$13,997
Prairie Point	Public	7-8	8015 Kirkwood Blvd	Cedar Rapids	52404	Linn County	College Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 848-5500	868	55	15.8	37.6%	586 (67.5%)	145 (16.7%)	40 (4.6%)	23 (2.6%)	2 (0.2%)	6 (0.7%)	66 (7.6%)	35.6	264^th of 344 public middle schools	23.3%		47.1	208^th of 337 public middle schools	38.3%	56			68.2	81.0			66.7	76.1		58.0	$11,981	$180	$11,800
Prairie Creek	Public	5-6	8451 Kirkwood Blvd SW	Cedar Rapids	52404	Linn County	College Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 848-5310	846	59	14.2	34.2%	582 (68.8%)	120 (14.2%)	61 (7.2%)	14 (1.7%)	3 (0.4%)	8 (0.9%)	58 (6.9%)								(n/a)	74.9	72.5			69.5	69.1			63.2		$12,382	$358	$12,023
Vernon Middle School	Public	5-8	1350 4th Avenue	Marion	52302	Linn County	Marion Independent School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 377-9401	587	46	12.8	37.8%	470 (80.1%)	31 (5.3%)	38 (6.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.9%)	40 (6.8%)	55.2	170^th of 344 public middle schools	50.6%		54.2	177^th of 337 public middle schools	47.5%	7	73.7	69.5	81.4	80.4	82.7	78.6	76.4	79.1	66.2	71.4	$11,914	$388	$11,527
Oak Ridge Middle School	Public	7-8	4901 Alburnett Road	Marion	52302	Linn County	Linn-Mar Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 447-3410	534	37	14.4	21.3%	367 (68.7%)	28 (5.2%)	35 (6.6%)	75 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (5.1%)	72.6	68^th of 344 public middle schools	80.2%		72.9	72^nd of 337 public middle schools	78.6%	4			91.4	86.8			82.0	79.6		78.5	$12,711	$282	$12,430

Frequently Asked Questions about Taft Middle School

How many students attend Taft Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 593 students attended Taft Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Taft Middle School?

Students at Taft Middle School are 67% White, 14% African American, 11% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

What district is Taft Middle School in?

Cedar Rapids Community School District

Is Taft Middle School a good school?

Taft Middle School ranks 227^th of 344 Iowa middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Taft Middle School!

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