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William Howard Taft Elementary

Q: Is William Howard Taft Elementary a good school?

William Howard Taft Elementary ranks 2706 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2706^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of California elementary schools

Summary

William Howard Taft Elementary is a K-6 public school in the Riverside Unified district, serving about 635 students in a community where a significant majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, Taft is a mid-performing school with notable strengths in mathematics and science, where it often outperforms both the district average and nearby schools like Alcott Elementary and Victoria Elementary. The school shows exceptional effectiveness in supporting English Language Learners, ranking well above its overall performance for this group. However, there is a noticeable performance gap between male and female students, and proficiency in English Language Arts remains slightly below state averages. Attendance has improved dramatically in recent years, though chronic absenteeism is still higher than at some higher-performing schools in the district, such as Benjamin Franklin Elementary.

An interesting point for parents is that Taft receives more funding per student than several higher-ranking schools nearby, including John F. Kennedy Elementary and Castle View Elementary, suggesting factors beyond budget influence success. Compared to schools with similar student demographics, like Emerson Elementary, Taft often achieves better academic results. The school also outperforms schools in the neighboring Moreno Valley Unified district, such as Seneca Elementary, highlighting possible district-level advantages.

635

Students ?

24.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,558

Per pupil spending ?

73.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

959 Mission Grove Pkwy. North
Riverside, CA 92506-6226

(951) 776-3018

District: Riverside Unified

Students who attend William Howard Taft Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Amelia Earhart Middle
High:	Martin Luther King Junior High
	Riverside STEM Academy

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

67.7%

White:

19.1%

Two or more races:

6.0%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare William Howard Taft Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 46th percentile in 2013 → 54th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2013

✓Above the California median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg38%

California avg41%

2,706^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▲ up 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 43% (2015) to top 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 29Elementary Schools in the Riverside Unified

755^th of 1,543Riverside 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	47.9	2706 of 5857	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.7	2810 of 5869	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.4	3170 of 5859	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.2	2840 of 5883	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.6	3649 of 5789	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.3	3066 of 5662	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.6	3197 of 5692	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	42.3	2939 of 5614	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	37.3	3182 of 5611	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	45.4	2980 of 5530	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	37.2	3447 of 5390	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	45.6	2856 of 5377	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	60.4	1962 of 5314	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	59.7	1928 of 5193	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	58.0	1951 of 5113	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	59.4	1856 of 5113	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	49.5	2216 of 4818	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	49.4	2226 of 4822	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2004	44.8	2426 of 4809	49.6%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	46.5	897 of 2227	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.6	1447 of 2585	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.9	988 of 2128	53.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	61.5	671 of 3162	78.8%	★★★★☆
2023	43.1	1611 of 3245	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.7	2071 of 3311	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.1	2564 of 3275	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.6	2084 of 3246	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.4	2986 of 5597	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.5	2954 of 5612	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.4	3048 of 5609	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.7	2767 of 5635	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.4	3459 of 5492	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.1	3205 of 5413	40.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.2	2352 of 5107	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.9	2556 of 5107	50.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.5	2520 of 5087	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.7	2291 of 5084	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.1	3156 of 4963	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.3	2459 of 4830	49.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.4	2842 of 5460	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.3	2965 of 5517	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.8	2713 of 5363	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.1	2528 of 5264	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.2	3777 of 5173	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.3	2988 of 5084	41.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.3	2363 of 5628	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.0	2519 of 5643	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.6	3081 of 5638	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.7	2731 of 5663	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.3	3513 of 5510	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.3	2772 of 5431	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.8	1208 of 2847	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.0	1095 of 2635	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	28.3	1730 of 2420	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	66.0	908 of 2598	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.1	1347 of 2651	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.4	2046 of 2661	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.9	1712 of 2726	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.6	1773 of 2834	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.6	1878 of 2737	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)79th percentile+27 vs school

White (2025)65th percentile+11 vs school

Disabled (2022)60th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)58th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2025)58th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)54th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)48th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2025)47th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy45%-4 vs state

Mathematics37%~ state avg

Science32%~ state avg

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, June 7, 2018

Great School!! My child is doing great here amazing staff and parent involvement. Close Quote

Schools Near William Howard 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
William Howard Taft Elementary	Public	K-6	959 Mission Grove Pkwy. North	Riverside	92506	Riverside County	Riverside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 776-3018	635	26	24.4	73.4%	121 (19.1%)	28 (4.4%)	430 (67.7%)	10 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.1%)	38 (6.0%)	47.9	2706^th of 5857 public elementary schools	53.8%		45.7	2810^th of 5869 public elementary schools	52.1%	104	32.1	32.1	42.9	53.1	39.5	42.7	44.8	41.8	42.9	34.6	27.7	37.2	98.0				98.0		$18,558	$1,500	$17,058
Castle View Elementary	Public	K-6	6201 Shaker Dr.	Riverside	92506	Riverside County	Riverside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 788-7460	684	31	22.0	52.9%	118 (17.3%)	34 (5.0%)	475 (69.4%)	24 (3.5%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	28 (4.1%)	63.5	1902^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	67.5%		63.9	1884^th of 5869 public elementary schools	67.9%	18	36.1	36.1	47.7	52.8	52.9	54.0	51.9	49.4	43.8	47.1	49.5	47.5	91.7	96.2	97.7	94.7	94.7	95.5	$17,216	$1,061	$16,155
John F. Kennedy Elementary	Public	K-6	19125 Schoolhouse Ln.	Riverside	92508	Riverside County	Riverside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 789-7570	864	35	24.4	56.8%	201 (23.3%)	73 (8.4%)	439 (50.8%)	94 (10.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (6.5%)	72.1	1515^th of 5857 public elementary schools	74.1%		73	1449^th of 5869 public elementary schools	75.3%	66	34.4	34.4	72.6	57.8	56.7	58.1	60.8	71.7	60.9	43.3	38.0	52.7							$16,222	$722	$15,500
Benjamin Franklin Elementary	Public	K-6	19661 Orange Terrace Pkwy.	Riverside	92508	Riverside County	Riverside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 571-6502	767	30	25.5	48.9%	227 (29.6%)	46 (6.0%)	330 (43.0%)	115 (15.0%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (5.7%)	86.7	835^th of 5857 public elementary schools	85.7%		81.7	1083^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	81.5%	248	61.8	61.8	59.6	62.6	62.4	74.0	64.8	67.3	70.2	63.4	61.3	65.7							$16,501	$999	$15,502
Alcott Elementary	Public	K-6	2433 Central Ave.	Riverside	92506	Riverside County	Riverside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 788-7451	603	23	26.1	62.5%	153 (25.4%)	34 (5.6%)	371 (61.5%)	13 (2.2%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	27 (4.5%)	38.5	3314^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.4%		49.3	2590^th of 5869 public elementary schools	55.9%	724	34.7	34.7	27.3	37.4	41.2	36.7	35.8	47.2	29.3	31.6	26.7	33.5							$17,045	$1,216	$15,829
Victoria Elementary	Public	K-6	2910 Arlington Ave.	Riverside	92506	Riverside County	Riverside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 788-7441	488	22	22.1	81.6%	49 (10.0%)	13 (2.7%)	402 (82.4%)	12 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.3%)	41.2	3138^th of 5857 public elementary schools	46.4%		40.4	3157^th of 5869 public elementary schools	46.2%	19	17.0	17.0	30.7	44.1	34.0	51.7	40.3	25.8	33.8	49.1	38.3	36.2							$20,321	$1,725	$18,596
Seneca Elementary	Public	K-6	11615 Wordsworth Rd.	Moreno Valley	92557	Riverside County	Moreno Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 571-4650	472	19	24.7	87.9%	41 (8.7%)	87 (18.4%)	292 (61.9%)	20 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (6.6%)	27.2	4199^th of 5857 public elementary schools	28.3%		27.4	4169^th of 5869 public elementary schools	29.0%	30	11.4	11.4	29.1	43.8	36.6		36.3	24.1	34.3	17.1		25.2							$22,672	$5,443	$17,229
Emerson Elementary	Public	K-6	4660 Ottawa Ave.	Riverside	92507	Riverside County	Riverside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 788-7462	669	29	22.9	84.3%	38 (5.7%)	73 (10.9%)	510 (76.2%)	27 (4.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.8%)	27	4224^th of 5857 public elementary schools	27.9%		27	4205^th of 5869 public elementary schools	28.4%	19	26.0	26.0	30.4	26.2	38.5	37.2	33.1	20.4	23.8	25.0	23.1	23.0	97.1	98.1	98.1	98.1	97.1		$17,827	$1,388	$16,439
Washington Elementary	Public	K-6	2760 Jane St.	Riverside	92506	Riverside County	Riverside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 788-7305	818	35	23.3	63.7%	104 (12.7%)	21 (2.6%)	657 (80.3%)	19 (2.3%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	14 (1.7%)	23.1	4582^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	21.8%		30.1	3922^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	33.2%	660	12.8	12.8	23.6	33.3	29.0	34.1	29.5	26.8	34.4	18.1	20.0	25.1							$16,546	$855	$15,691
Edgemont Elementary	Public	K-5	21790 Eucalyptus Ave.	Moreno Valley	92553	Riverside County	Moreno Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 571-4570	482	20	23.9	97.1%	11 (2.3%)	56 (11.6%)	393 (81.5%)	5 (1.0%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.7%)	13.2	5404^th of 5857 public elementary schools	7.7%		7.2	5806^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.1%	402	5.9	5.9	30.6	19.5	25.0		24.9	27.4	7.9	4.8		12.9							$21,560	$3,082	$18,478

Frequently Asked Questions about William Howard Taft Elementary

How many students attend William Howard Taft Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 635 students attended William Howard Taft Elementary.

What district is William Howard Taft Elementary in?

Riverside Unified

What schools do graduates of William Howard Taft Elementary attend?

Students who attend William Howard Taft Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Amelia Earhart Middle
High : Martin Luther King Junior High
High : Riverside STEM Academy

What is the racial makeup of William Howard Taft Elementary?

Students at William Howard Taft Elementary are 68% Hispanic, 19% White, 6% Two or more races, 4% African American, 2% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

Is William Howard Taft Elementary a good school?

William Howard Taft Elementary ranks 2706^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate William Howard Taft Elementary!

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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.