Summary:
Zip code 93268 has two public high schools in Taft serving grades 9–12: Taft Union High enrolls 1,064 students, and Buena Vista High (Continuation) enrolls 85. Their reported 2025–2026 proficiency results show a large academic difference: Taft Union had 51% proficiency in ELA, 13% in math, and 29% in science, compared with 0% reported for Buena Vista in each subject. The biggest takeaway is that the two schools offer very different reported academic outcomes, especially in ELA, where they are 51 percentage points apart.
Taft Union stands out academically and is the only school to meet or exceed a state proficiency rate: its ELA result is 1 percentage point above the state’s 49%, while its math and science results are 26 and 7 points below state rates. Buena Vista is below the state in all three subjects based on its reported 0% results. Its graduation and dropout figures are comparatively strong—97% graduated and 3% dropped out, versus 88% and 8% statewide—but its chronic absenteeism rate is 59%, compared with 18% statewide. SchoolDigger ranks Taft Union 1,221 of 2,137 schools (43rd percentile, 2 stars) and Buena Vista 2,130 of 2,137 (0th percentile, 0 stars).
Across the two schools, the simple average proficiency fell from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026 by 15 percentage points in ELA, 2 in math, and 1 in science, even as state results rose. That overall decline does not describe both schools equally: Taft Union improved by 2 points in math and 8 in science, while its ELA result dipped by 1 point; Buena Vista’s reported results fell in all three subjects. For context, Buena Vista has a lower student–teacher ratio (16.3 versus 18.3) and a higher share of students reported as free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025 (94% versus 82%). The proficiency trend covers two years; Buena Vista’s zeros are reported values, while 12th-grade science dashes are unknown state-suppressed results.
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