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Taft Union High

Q: Is Taft Union High a good school?

Taft Union High ranks 1258 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1258^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 42% of California high schools

Summary

Taft Union High is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in the rural community of Taft, California, with a current enrollment of about 1,064 students, most of whom come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

When looking at academics, the school has clear strengths and challenges. It consistently outperforms both its own district and the state average in English Language Arts, which is a significant achievement. However, math proficiency is a major area for improvement, as the school's scores are well below the state average, a pattern also seen at nearby schools like Maricopa High and Cuyama Valley High. Despite these academic hurdles, Taft Union High excels at graduating its students, with a rate that beats the state average and is notably higher than some neighbors, showing a strong commitment to student support and persistence.

Compared to other local schools, Taft Union High operates with a higher student-to-teacher ratio but spends less per student than the continuation school, Buena Vista High, while achieving better outcomes in several areas. The school has also made impressive progress in reducing chronic student absenteeism in recent years. Overall, Taft Union High serves as the area's primary comprehensive high school, demonstrating notable success in literacy and graduation within a challenging regional context.

1,064

Students ?

18.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$29,096

Per pupil spending ?

81.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

701 Wildcat Way
Taft, CA 93268-2319

(661) 763-2300

District: Taft Union High

Feeder schools for Taft Union High:

Elementary:	Conley Elementary
	Elk Hills Elementary
	Jefferson Elementary
	McKittrick Elementary
	More...
	Midway Elementary
	Parkview Elementary
	Roosevelt Elementary
	Taft Primary
Middle:	Lincoln Junior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

61.7%

White:

35.4%

Two or more races:

1.2%

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Compare Taft Union High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 43rd percentile in 2015 → 42nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (28% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Mathematics scores 26 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg26%

California avg41%

1,258^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 42%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High Schools in the Taft Union High

1161^st of 1,543Taft Union High 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	40.0	1258 of 2162	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.4	1207 of 2159	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.9	1484 of 2170	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.5	1441 of 2123	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.9	852 of 1290	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.9	1322 of 2133	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.7	1201 of 2017	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.7	1228 of 2021	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	44.2	1120 of 2039	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	41.8	1135 of 1994	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	67.5	354 of 2426	85.4%	★★★★☆
2012	66.9	367 of 2354	84.4%	★★★★☆
2011	66.0	379 of 2367	84.0%	★★★★☆
2010	67.8	335 of 2281	85.3%	★★★★☆
2009	51.5	703 of 2238	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	43.6	829 of 2117	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	47.9	703 of 2063	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	47.7	677 of 1968	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	54.4	514 of 1901	73.0%	★★★★☆
2004	48.2	529 of 1653	68.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	25.7	962 of 1161	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.8	306 of 555	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.2	1062 of 1117	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.1	839 of 1052	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	40.8	561 of 1085	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.5	322 of 1064	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	27.1	945 of 1044	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.7	414 of 467	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.4	815 of 941	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	739 of 938	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.2	1296 of 1906	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.3	1187 of 1915	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.9	1365 of 1915	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.7	1304 of 1858	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.3	796 of 1054	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.4	1268 of 1833	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.2	1175 of 1760	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.1	1176 of 1900	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.8	1084 of 1902	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.7	1384 of 1917	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.8	1361 of 1861	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.8	1155 of 1814	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.9	1050 of 1742	39.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.3	1210 of 2013	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.4	1008 of 2026	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.5	1311 of 2030	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.5	1326 of 1943	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.1	751 of 1126	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.6	1217 of 1937	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.3	1117 of 1862	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.9	1010 of 1942	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.3	1076 of 1948	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.1	1351 of 1963	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.5	1371 of 1916	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.8	733 of 1122	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.4	1154 of 1880	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.6	1108 of 1834	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.9	64 of 85	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.0	81 of 85	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.9	62 of 74	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	3.2	409 of 422	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.9	683 of 1252	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.0	504 of 1216	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	29.0	869 of 1197	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.6	868 of 1155	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	923 of 1173	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.4	996 of 1193	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.7	1017 of 1204	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.7	984 of 1222	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.9	940 of 1173	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)48th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)48th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2025)45th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)40th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)38th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2025)32nd percentile-10 vs school

White (2025)25th percentile-17 vs school

Migrant (2025)25th percentile-17 vs school

Disabled (2022)17th percentile-15 vs school

Multi-racial (2019)3rd percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy52%+3 vs state

Science21%-11 vs state

Mathematics11%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Taft Union High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores 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)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Taft Union High	Public	9-12	701 Wildcat Way	Taft	93268	Kern County	Taft Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 763-2300	1,064	58	18.3	81.9%	377 (35.4%)	3 (0.3%)	656 (61.7%)	10 (0.9%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	13 (1.2%)	40	1258^th of 2162 public high schools	41.8%		41.4	1207^th of 2159 public high schools	44.1%	51	22.0		21.4	51.7	51.7	11.0	11.0	$29,096	$27,028	$2,068
Buena Vista High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	900 North 10th St.	Taft	93268	Kern County	Taft Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 763-2383	85	5	16.3	94.1%	26 (30.6%)	1 (1.2%)	53 (62.4%)	1 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.7%)	19.4	1706^th of 2162 public high schools	21.1%		12.1	1940^th of 2159 public high schools	10.1%	234	10.8		9.5	29.0	29.0	5.4	5.4	$34,654	$33,430	$1,224
Maricopa High	Public	9-12	955 Stanislaus St.	Maricopa	93252	Kern County	Maricopa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 769-8231	72	9	8.3	95.8%	30 (41.7%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (56.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33.2	1421^st of 2162 public high schools	34.3%		45.8	1104^th of 2159 public high schools	48.9%	317				46.2	46.2	7.1	7.1	$84,495	$80,230	$4,265
Cuyama Valley High	Public	9-12	4500 Highway 166	New Cuyama	93254	Santa Barbara County	Cuyama Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 766-2293	55	5	12.0	81.8%	10 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.8%)								(n/a)		13.3	13.3					$40,111	$39,650	$461
Sierra Madre High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	4500 Highway 166	New Cuyama	93254	Santa Barbara County	Cuyama Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 766-2293	2	1	3.9		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								$55,719	$50,094	$5,625

Frequently Asked Questions about Taft Union High

How many students attend Taft Union High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,064 students attended Taft Union High.

What is the racial makeup of Taft Union High?

Students at Taft Union High are 62% Hispanic, 35% White, 1% Two or more races.

Is Taft Union High a good school?

Taft Union High ranks 1258^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Taft Union High in?

Taft Union High

What schools feed into Taft Union High?

Taft Union High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Conley Elementary
Elementary : Elk Hills Elementary
Elementary : Jefferson Elementary
Elementary : McKittrick Elementary
Elementary : Midway Elementary
Elementary : Parkview Elementary
Elementary : Roosevelt Elementary
Elementary : Taft Primary
Middle : Lincoln Junior High

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.