William Howard Taft Senior High School in Burbank, California

“A school is what you make it. As a parent its my responsibility to be informed about what the school offers, to become familiar with the administrators and counselors, but ultimately to provide information to my child so that he/she has the best high school experience. Taft is not perfect, but its a whole lot better than other schools.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Taft High School is a terrible school for children to attend.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I am sending my daughter to Taft for 9th grade because my experience with my oldest daughter who went to Taft and graduated out of El Camino. Taft staff/teachers seem to like kids and their jobs. While the school is a little rundown, their staff is not!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I found Taft to have the most involved teachers. Teachers who seemed to like their jobs. My eldest daughter went to Taft and El Camino Real. I prefer Taft. El Camino, left me as a parent, completely uniformed about college and the process, including scholarships for a 4.2 gpa, honors and hearing impaired. I won't make the mistake twice. Taft- You Rule!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“As a parent of a Taft high school student I find that I get no support from the school for my child.I Have tried time after time to get help for my son and none has came yet.I have left work to come and talk to staff members only to be turned away.What happen to no child left be hind I am a concern parent at this point with no help from your school.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I was really torn about sending my child here for 9th grade. There were a lot of bad press about the school in the past. Fortunately I did a lot of painstaking research, and decided on Taft. My other choice was Granada Hills Charter, an excellent school. I am so glad we went with Taft. The academics are excellent; the campus environment, as my child puts it, 'has a real community feel'. We love it. And needless to say the football team is a powerhouse....games are great fun.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Best School In the Valley i go there and it will be one of the most memorable experiences of my life.”
This review was posted by a student.

“Taft HS has blossomed to be one of the greatest schools in LA Unified. Their teachers & staff work hard to provide the best to the students. I can not thank all the teachers, administrators, and staff for making Taft such a great school. Although my student is graduating I will forever be of ANY assistance to this wonderful school. If you want to hear about all the great stuff that is going on go to their website at www.tafthigh.org!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“At first, I will admit I was not fond of Taft at all. As I continued on in my high school years so did my liking for Taft. At first many do not like Taft. Once they realize that there is no where really better to go they will either come back to the school if they left or they will remain there and be content. Taft is a school that will help potential students become more worldly as it is not a homogeneous environment such as a school like El Camino Real High School. I reccomend this school and good luck to you.”
This review was posted by a student.

“I've had two kids attend Taft. It's a mixed bag. My daughter got totally lost in the large classrooms, and she finished at another high school My son currently attends, and has had a few exceptional teachers (unfortunately, by the end of this semester, all will have left for other opportunities), many passable-to-mediocre ones, and two or three who just shouldn't be teaching. Because class-size is so large, it's difficult for students to get individual help. We've ended up spending a few thousand dollars on private tutoring too keep our kids on-track with what's being taught. I must say that the administration at Taft is excellent. The counseling office staff is always very helpful, and Mrs. Thomas is a very effective principal.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“If your child does not excel in academics, they get overlooked easily at this school. There are some great teachers but most aren't so great. It takes quite some time for teachers/counselor's to respond and by the time they do it is too late to help your help. Telephone calls, e-mails and hand delivered notes just aren't responded to in a timely manner. Class size is way to big to help all the average kids. The sports teams are great and I have enjoyed interacting with some coaches that geniunely love to coach. Thanks to Coach Mercado and Coach Rizzo.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Taft is a wonderful school. There are a ton of clubs, sports teams, and extracurricular activities that one should have no problem finding something he/she enjoys doing. As far as Taft being an 'unsafe' school, this is not true. The staff is very good at keeping the students safe and looking out for potential harm. As for some of the comments that only AP/honors students are taken care of, this is not true. In fact, Taft is so motivated to making sure everyone 'belongs' somewhere, that it has recently created many small learning communities in which students can excell in the things that interest them, so that they are more motivated to succeed. Taft is located in a wonderful area, and the student body is diverse. Take it from me, I'm a Taft student.”
This review was posted by a student.

“taft high school provides many opportuneties for your child.”
This review was posted by a teacher.

“Good school, but has it's problems.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“'Both my children have gone to ANLC since they were 5 years old. ANLC is a school where the children come first. Each child is encouraged to do their personal best without being labeled as the smart or dumb kids. The teachers are highly skilled and work hard to bring out the best in each child. The principal is kind and knows each child by name. She is a great example of a leader and I will miss seeing her everyday as my daughter graduates this year. Thank you ANLC for bringing out the best in my children and giving them the encouragement and confidence they need to go out into the world! ' 'This school has been a big disappointment. It is probably fine for most kids, but our eighth grader needs accelerated learning opportunities which have not been available. Its outstanding music program dramatically deteriorated while my child was here, so that it is at best mediocre currently. The special advanced algebra class for 8th grade was cancelled just before he reached 8th grade, and the caliber of most of his English teachers has been shockingly poor. It has therefore given none of the advantages of a huge school, with all of the disadvantages. I can recommend it only in contrast to most of the other public schools in the district.'”
This review was posted by a student.

“If you are thinking of having your child attend Taft, make sure he or she is part of the Advanced Placement program: it is within this program that the best teachers teach. The availability of extracurricular activities is respectable, but they are, as it were, 'underground'; your child may need to do some hunting to find them, but they certainly do exist.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Unless your child is apart of the honors/advance placement program, then don't bother to enroll your child in this school. Taft is horrible over crowded, so stuudents are over looked and not given enough attention from the teachers and faculty. Most of the students in the regular classes don't want to learn, and results in the teachers not wanting to teach or care. Also, Taft is ethnically and culturally diverse, which would seem great, but in actuality it causes cliques and tension between ethnic and racial groups. The only good thing in Taft is the advance placement program. Taft has many A.P. classes. So if your child is smart, wants to take A.P. classes, and one day attend college, then enroll him/her in Taft. Otherwise, enroll him/her somewhere else.”
This review was posted by a former student.

“We've had 3 children go through Taft in the last 7 years and all 3 have had a great education and great experience. Taft has everything for success; however, like any other school it is up to the student to be proactive and take advantage of what Taft has to offer. The majority of teachers are top notch who are not just out to collect a paycheck-they truly care and put in countless unpaid hours offering help for students who need it or running programs such as music or drama. It is a large school and therefore it is important that parents become involved both to know what is going on and to help their students stay on top of things. Students get a true multicultural and divers economic experience, just like dealing with the real world.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The academic programs or ok not the best but they are still pretty good. There is basically any sport you want to play here. The music program is great and very successful. The level of parent involvement is low; how do I know this is because my mom is apart of the parent assoication and she says people dont give enough money to the school and people dont help out.”
This review was posted by a student.

“Very good, experienced teachers at Taft. The only concern is safety at Taft, where there have been a few recent skirmishes.”
This review was posted by a former student.

“I've attended Wiliam Howard Taft High School for two years; (my freshman and sophmore years). The teachers are horrible, they don't care about the students and their educational needs, they are only concerned about their pay checks. Besides sports, there are virtually no extracurricular activities. In order to recieve a decent education you have to be in Honors, AP's, and other such academically enriched programs; and even then the education is not all that wonderful. The students are extremely materialistic and ignorant. Besides a good boys basketball team, and sometimes football team this school doesn't have much to offer. I wouldn't recommend anyone go to this school.”
This review was posted by a student.