Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Taft Elementary

Public Grades K-4

874^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Taft Elementary is a public elementary school in Neenah, Wisconsin, serving 185 students in grades K-4. The school is part of the Neenah Joint School District, which is ranked 130 out of 426 districts in the state.

Despite the district's overall ranking, Taft Elementary consistently underperforms compared to the district and the state in academic proficiency across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 27.03% of 3rd-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 63.34% for the district and 52.14% for the state. The school also struggles to support certain student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 10% of Wisconsin elementary schools for African American, White, and Multi-racial students, as well as students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Further, Taft Elementary has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 13.1% to 19.5% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school also has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 55.05% to 65.41% over the past few years, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population. Despite these challenges, Taft Elementary spends significantly more per student ($16,788 in 2020-2021) compared to the nearby schools, which may indicate a need for additional resources and support to address the school's performance gaps.

179

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,788

Per pupil spending ?

59.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

133 S Western Ave
Neenah, WI 54956-2291

(920) 751-6980

District: Neenah Joint School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.8%

Hispanic:

12.8%

Two or more races:

11.7%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Taft Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 36th percentile in 2017 → 16th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (34% vs 55% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2017

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg66%

Wisconsin avg55%

874^th of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 20 pts since 2017

From bottom 36% (2017) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Neenah Joint School District

130^th of 426Neenah Joint School District among Wisconsin 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	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	19.9	874 of 1044	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.5	852 of 1061	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	886 of 1067	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.0	774 of 1067	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.9	742 of 1050	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.2	839 of 1037	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.6	785 of 1025	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	42.9	685 of 1071	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2023	14.7	137 of 138	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	37.2	716 of 1001	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.9	686 of 1011	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.3	818 of 1010	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.8	835 of 1017	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.0	796 of 1004	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.0	790 of 1002	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.8	667 of 997	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	14.5	806 of 870	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	32.7	637 of 866	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	752 of 871	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.6	687 of 859	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.2	637 of 847	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.0	641 of 874	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.1	631 of 854	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	11.8	891 of 1000	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	893 of 1012	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.5	849 of 1011	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.1	655 of 1017	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.6	635 of 1003	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.0	819 of 1002	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.0	806 of 997	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	13.8	106 of 113	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.5	73 of 77	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	32.5	558 of 802	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.2	594 of 770	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.3	392 of 748	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	62.3	198 of 746	73.5%	★★★★☆
2019	15.2	711 of 742	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	13.3	668 of 718	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	652 of 715	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	31.2	534 of 704	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.3	695 of 718	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.3	575 of 686	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)30th percentile+14 vs school

Female (2025)28th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)11th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)7th percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)7th percentile-9 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)6th percentile-10 vs school

African American (2023)1st percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies56%-8 vs state

Science32%-18 vs state

Mathematics31%-24 vs state

English Language Arts27%-25 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate Taft Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, May 19, 2018

Horrible school! Close Quote

Schools Near Taft Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2025)					Forward Exam Mathematics (2025)					Forward Exam Social Studies (2025)	Forward Exam Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
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	Forward Exam English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 4th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 5th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 7th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 4th Grade	Forward Exam Science 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Taft Elementary	Public	K-4	133 S Western Ave	Neenah	54956	Winnebago County	Neenah Joint School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 751-6980	179	15	12.0	59.2%	116 (64.8%)	11 (6.1%)	23 (12.8%)	5 (2.8%)	3 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (11.7%)	19.9	874^th of 1044 public elementary schools	16.3%		24.5	852^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	19.7%	22	27.0	26.5				23.7	38.2				55.9	32.4	$16,788	$1,219	$15,569
Spring Road Elementary	Public	K-4	1191 County Rd II	Neenah	54956	Winnebago County	Neenah Joint School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 751-6975	299	22	13.4	36.5%	224 (74.9%)	11 (3.7%)	37 (12.4%)	17 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.3%)	70.4	308^th of 1044 public elementary schools	70.5%		59.3	496^th of 1061 public elementary schools	53.3%	188	70.8	56.5				71.2	68.3				64.5	58.1	$14,264	$463	$13,801
Tullar Elementary	Public	K-4	925 Tullar Rd	Neenah	54956	Winnebago County	Neenah Joint School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 751-6985	343	23	14.9	20.4%	283 (82.5%)	9 (2.6%)	15 (4.4%)	19 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	15 (4.4%)	78.6	183^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	82.5%		79.5	170^th of 1061 public elementary schools	84.0%	13	68.5	68.9				75.3	79.7				69.9	63.0	$10,693	$294	$10,399
ACE Alliance Charter Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	920 Higgins Ave	Neenah	54956	Winnebago County	Neenah Joint School District	Yes	No	No	No	(920) 751-6995	225	12	18.0	9.3%	196 (87.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.7%)	12 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.9%)	84.4	101^st of 1044 public elementary schools	90.3%		84.4	95^th of 1061 public elementary schools	91.0%	6	84.9	66.7	86.7	88.9		69.7	71.4	53.3	66.7		90.5	81.0	$8,768	$287	$8,481
Horace Mann Elementary	Public	K-4	1021 Oak Street	Neenah	54956	Winnebago County	Neenah Joint School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 751-6995	401	30	13.4	50.1%	303 (75.6%)	11 (2.7%)	41 (10.2%)	8 (2.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (8.7%)	44.3	666^th of 1044 public elementary schools	36.2%		38.3	746^th of 1061 public elementary schools	29.7%	80	53.8	49.3				52.7	44.3				55.7	40.9	$14,222	$796	$13,426
Fox Valley Virtual School	Public, Virtual, Charter	PK, KG-8	100 Main Street	Menasha	54952	Winnebago County	Menasha Joint School District	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(920) 967-1421	90	9	9.8	60.0%	57 (63.3%)	3 (3.3%)	16 (17.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (10.0%)	48.2	614^th of 1044 public elementary schools	41.2%		51.4	612^th of 1061 public elementary schools	42.3%	2	83.3	36.4	66.7	33.3	72.7	80.0	45.5	50.0	50.0	50.0	45.5	45.5
Coolidge Elementary	Public	K-4	321 Alcott Dr	Neenah	54956	Winnebago County	Neenah Joint School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 751-6955	329	26	12.8	39.5%	222 (67.5%)	25 (7.6%)	30 (9.1%)	19 (5.8%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (8.2%)	75	237^th of 1044 public elementary schools	77.3%		71	300^th of 1061 public elementary schools	71.7%	63	62.0	68.6				67.6	75.7				74.3	60.0	$12,901	$342	$12,559
Butte des Morts Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	501 Tayco St	Menasha	54952	Winnebago County	Menasha Joint School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 967-1900	445	42	10.5	65.8%	254 (57.1%)	24 (5.4%)	94 (21.1%)	13 (2.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (12.8%)	33.2	782^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	25.1%		35	781^st of 1061 public elementary schools	26.4%	1	41.9	38.9	41.5			38.7	43.1	50.9			48.6	40.3	$16,416	$1,992	$14,423
Banta Bilingual Elementary	Public	K-5	328 Sixth St	Menasha	54952	Winnebago County	Menasha Joint School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 967-1880	184	17	10.8	62.5%	38 (20.7%)	3 (1.6%)	140 (76.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	37.7	748^th of 1044 public elementary schools	28.4%		40.2	722^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	32.0%	26	24.0	53.6	52.9			44.0	39.3	38.9			60.7	42.9	$13,600	$729	$12,871
Lakeview Elementary	Public	K-4	1645 S Commercial St	Neenah	54956	Winnebago County	Neenah Joint School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 751-6965	317	20	15.5	14.8%	287 (90.5%)	5 (1.6%)	9 (2.8%)	6 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.8%)	90	31^st of 1044 public elementary schools	97.0%		90.4	32^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	97.0%	1	78.1	81.0				82.8	85.7				81.0	79.4	$9,375	$292	$9,083

Frequently Asked Questions about Taft Elementary

What schools do graduates of Taft Elementary attend?

Students who attend Taft Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Neenah Middle School
High : Neenah High

What is the racial makeup of Taft Elementary?

Students at Taft Elementary are 65% White, 13% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 6% African American, 3% Asian, 2% American Indian.

How many students attend Taft Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 179 students attended Taft Elementary.

What district is Taft Elementary in?

Neenah Joint School District

Is Taft Elementary a good school?

Taft Elementary ranks in the bottom 16.3% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

Rate Taft Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

WIWisconsin Elementary School Rankings

WIWisconsin District Rankings

Schools in Neenah, WI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Taft Elementary!

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

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.