The Taft School

110 Woodbury Road

Watertown, CT 06795

12 Reviews

School District
Grade

9-12
Type

private

Find Homes for Sale in this School Zone

Reviews

Submitted by parent on July 07, 2015

Taft fufills its founders mission to educate the "Whole Person". As a parent of four Taft graduates I value that each took away from their years at Taft a commitment to lifelong learning along with a dedication to serving others as an integral part of their adult lives. The school feels a deep responsibility to create and sustain a diversified student body. The teachers are excellent and do a wonderful job of getting their students to think - not merely memorize. My kids developed life long friendships from their time at Taft - although there is no "perfect" place to spend your high scool years for our family Taft came pretty close.
Submitted by parent on December 27, 2014

parent of two recent students and an alum from the late seventies, i've seen the school transform itself over the past thirty+ years. the critical comments here (preference for legacy money, discrimination against day students) strike me as more valid re the past than present. in general, taft is about excellence, broadly defined -- academic, athletic, ethical, and social. if your kid has a chance to go, i say move heaven and earth, rob a bank if you have to, don't let a chance like this go by. the prep school ideal will always repel egalitarians. my kids lucked out vis a vis smarts and sports, sadly not sp much re family money. big deal: get over it, you'll be a better person for having done so. as for hyp, christ, when did this obsession with big name schools get so crazy? when i was a kid, the recruiters came to us; even the ivies were eager. if my kids' experience is any indication, the market has turned itself upside down. blame it on asia and the nouveaux riches... word is, yale passes on more triple 800s than it lets in. now does that sound like a game any sane person should play?
Submitted by parent on May 18, 2013

Wonderful school that is academically challenging along with great community spirit. Outstanding learning environment and supportive staff and administration.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2013

this is not such a terrific school as i expected when i had the application process with taft. the teachers are not very responsible. if students can not keep the learning pace with other students, teachers and faculty will embarass teh kid,
Submitted by parent on February 18, 2011

Legacy issue with taking suboptimal students happens. We had superbly qualified students at the private school my student attends with better SSAT scores, grades and ECs who did not get in over legacy families who donate. That happens frequently in private schools and even at the college level. Taft is academically rigorous, but not every student who gets in is going to get A's. That will impact the college acceptances and does. Hence varsity athletes (some) and gifted performance artists (some) and academic superstars (few) will go on to Ivies. The campus is well known for being historic and beautiful, but if there is another school that will be a better fit for your child, consider it. The boarders definitely have the edge here. Our students knew students at Choate and there the day students were part of the community. Here at Taft, they don't seem to be. This is our personal opinion, and others of course may differ. Academics are rigorous as in any private high school. It's a small school where parents are generally wealthy and expect that after 4 years HYP is in the student's future. And for one or two lucky parents, it will be.
Submitted by student on January 26, 2011

I'm a current day student at Taft I can attest to the previous parents comment that day students are treated poorly. As the minority and more often than not scholarship students of the school we are treated as second class citizen. I believe that in order to receive the full "Taft Experience" one must be a boarder. Secondly, SSAT scores don't mean jack. As long as you can pay and have connections or have some sort of talent it dosen't matter what you scored, and it dosen't matter anyway because there is no aptitude test in the world that tests for being able to succede at Taft. However, I've grown to love it.
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2010

We've been delighted with the challenges and support that our two sons have enjoyed at Taft. Comment about legacy below is not supported. While legacy does give a leg up, legacy kids are also generally strong candidates. My kids were in the 99% of SSAT as well as legacy. Day students are well liked by boarder peers and faculty. Just like the rest of life, you get what you put into it!
Submitted by parent on April 20, 2010

This has been a great school for my daughters. Taft is academically rigorous, has a beautiful campus and terrific kids!
Submitted by parent on April 06, 2010

Day student population is not treated as well as boarders. Large use of legacy to get in over more qualified students without legacy. College placement average except for superstar students or athletes. Beautiful campus.
Submitted by parent on March 22, 2008

N/A
Submitted by student on June 03, 2007

N/A
Submitted by parent on September 29, 2006

N/A