William Howard Taft High School (Chicago)


Taft High School is a public four-year high school located in the Norwood Park neighborhood on the northwest side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Taft serves communities on the far northwest side, specifically Norwood Park, Edison Park, Jefferson Park, Forest Glen and O'Hare. Taft is operated by the Chicago Public Schools district. Rydell High School in Grease (musical) is based on Taft.
Taft's NJROTC unit won a Distinguished Unit award every year from 2001 to 2014.
In the late 1990s—to stanch the loss of students—Chicago Public Schools made significant changes to the school to attract more neighborhood students. These included an NJROTC unit, a selective-enrollment academic center for 7th and 8th grade students, and an International Baccalaureate Diploma program. Taft's IB program became authorized in 2001, and since 2014 has been a "wall-to-wall" IB World School.
WWW tafths.org

Athletics

Taft competes in the Chicago Public League and is a member of the Illinois High School Association. The boys baseball team were Public League champions in 1968, CPS quarter-finalists in 1985, and regional champions in 2009. The girls volleyball team were Public League champions in the 1979–80 season.
In 2018, the boys varsity football team brought home its first Chicago Public League championship since 1972 with a 29–13 win over Eric Solorio Academy High School.
The wrestling team won four consecutive Chicago Public League Championships.
A nine-hole putting green was installed, costing ultimately $32,000.
In 2024, the girls' flag football team was both the city and state regional champions.
In 2025, the boys' soccer team won the Chicago Public League city championship, with an undefeated regular season record, against Lane Tech College Prep High School. They became the first boys soccer team in CPS to finish a regular season unbeaten, untied, and as city champions since Harrison High School in 1974. This was their second city championship in the past two years; they defeated Sarah Goode in 2023. Despite losing in the state playoffs to Niles West, the boys soccer team finished #4 in the state of Illinois for the 2025 season.

Academic Center

The Academic Center at William Howard Taft High School is a selective enrollment program offering the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme curriculum. Students may earn up to nine high school credits, depending on how many classes they pass.
7th Grade8th Grade
IB MYP Language Arts-ReadingHonors IB MYP English I*
IB MYP Social ScienceIB MYP Middle School Civics
Honors IB MYP Scientific Inquiry and Design*Honors IB MYP Biology*
HS Algebra for MG*HS Algebra for MG* or
Honors IB MYP Integrated Mathematics II*
Honors IB MYP World Language  
Spanish I*		Honors IB MYP World Language
Spanish II*
IB MYP Exploring Computer Science*IB MYP Fine Arts Elective*
IB MYP Physical EducationIB MYP Physical Education

*''denotes high school credit''

Academic Center Staff

While Taft has over 250 staff members, its Academic Center has a limited amount of teachers, as about 90 students are enrolled each year. Some of these teachers teach freshman classes.
NameGradeClassTotal Possible Credit
Mr. Michael Bakula7th GradeHonors IB MYP Scientific Inquiry and Design1
Mr. Kerstan Crowe7th GradeHonors IB MYP World Language  
Spanish I		1
Karen Devine8th GradeN/A N/A
Kelly Figueroa8th GradeIB MYP Middle School Civics0
Jeffrey Lucco7th GradeIB MYP Social Science0
Vanessa Munoz7th GradeIB MYP Language Arts-Reading0
Richard Niebaum8th GradeHonors IB MYP Integrated Mathematics II1
Ms. Sara Solger7th GradeN/A N/A
Allison Taylor8th GradeHonors IB MYP English I1
Andrew Albert8th GradeHonors IB MYP Biology1
Ms. Bridget Doherty Trebing8th GradeIB MYP Fine Arts Elective1
Señorita Casey8th GradeHonors IB MYP World Language
Spanish II		1

Notable alumni