heart ACADEMICS LIE AT THE OF THE TAFT SCHOOL MISSION.

A Taft education is built on academic rigor, driven by intellectual curiosity, and supported by an ever-evolving and innovative curriculum. Taft students carve out individualized academic paths, choosing from 200 academic courses along the way. They may also work with faculty to design independent tutorials, or even take classes with students from more than 120 independent schools around the world through the Global Online Academy. Tafties are required to take some traditional core courses, but also choose from classes like these:

3-D Design and Prototyping

Programming in Python

Performance Engineering

Scientific Ethics

Forensic Science

Literature of the Sea

Black Speculative Fiction

Honors Politics of Race, Gender, and Sexuality

Women in History

Honors Topics in Modern Chinese History

Media and Identity

Principles of Marketing

Art History of Spain and Latin America

Film I: The Art of Visual Storytelling

Theater Technology and Design and more!

Honor Code

Taft’s Honor Code is the practical application of one of our school’s founding tenets and core values: Character, above all else, determines success in life. Pointed, timeless, and unwavering, the Honor Code places the responsibility and understanding of academic honesty and personal integrity firmly on the shoulders of each student. It is an anchor and a compass, grounding and guiding students throughout their Taft careers. And it is continually reinforced: Every assessment— whether daily homework or a final exam—ends with the student’s written pledge: “I have neither given nor received aid on this paper.” It is a simple but important commitment: Honesty and integrity matter, and your word is your bond.

Learn more about the honor code at www.taftschool.org/ about/honor-code

A TAFT EDUCATION GOES BEYOND THE TRADITIONAL DELIVERY OF A CORE CURRICULUM.

Experiential and applied learning opportunities at Taft transform theory into practice, knowledge into understanding, and passion into action. Our diverse programs and learning opportunities prepare Taft students to not only thrive in the 21st century, but to lead the way as globally literate, intellectually robust, and ethically principled citizens of an increasingly interconnected world community.

Academic Assessments

Taft teachers deserve their reputation for providing in-depth, thoughtful evaluations. In addition to getting a numerical achievement grade, you’ll also get a more nuanced evaluation— two “habits” grades. One stands for planning and preparation (P/P)—evidence of your organization, communication, and relationship with feedback (mostly outside class). The other reflects engagement and scholarship (E/S)—evidence of your engagement with the teacher, classmates, material, and norms (mostly in class). Grade reports are issued midsemester, with full report cards coming out twice each year at the end of the semester. Report cards also include detailed, personal narratives from each student’s classroom teachers, class dean, and advisor.

Academic Requirements

Taft students may choose from more than 200 one-unit courses offered in each of our two academic-year semesters to fulfill our 36-unit graduation requirement. Students in grades 9 and 10 must carry a minimum of five academic courses each term, while students in grades 11 and 12 must carry a minimum of four academic courses.

Minimum Course Requirements By Discipline

B 1 unit of English every semester

B 4 units of History (2 US)

B 4 units of Laboratory Science

B Level III of a World Language

B Algebra II and Trigonometry

B One semester of Arts each year