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Schools›Iowa›Cedar Rapids
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CEDAR RAPIDS COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 190654000261

Taft Middle School

5200 E AVE NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405 · (319) 558-2243 · Linn County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL593 STUDENTS
Enrollment
593
Middle
DISTRICT 450 · STATE 400
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
38 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.6:1 · STATE 15.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
47%
276 students
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 41%
Community
4
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 618131%
Grade 720535%
Grade 820735%
Student demographics
52%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 48% · US 70%
White
39567%
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 70% · US 43%
Hispanic
386%
DISTRICT 10% · STATE 14% · US 30%
Black
8214%
DISTRICT 23% · STATE 7% · US 15%
Asian
132%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 2% · US 6%
Two+
6311%
DISTRICT 11% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Native American
10%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
10%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 1% · US 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
31954%
Female
27446%

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Test scores

ISASP 2024-25 . % Proficient
English Language Arts
78.5%
IA avg 73.6% . +4.3pp since 2023
Math
70.1%
IA avg 70.9% . +5.0pp since 2023

What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 79 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 70 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores are up about 4 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 5 points.

ISASP results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2578.5%70.1%
2023-2474.2%65.1%
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
71.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
68.7%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.3pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 71% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 69% typical for Iowa schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Iowa's top nor bottom 10%.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Where Taft Middle School ranks

Among middle schools
MeasureThis schoolIn IowaIn Linn County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
71.0%#152 of 224#11 of 17
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
70.1%#159 of 224#12 of 17
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
78.5%#113 of 224#8 of 17
Enrollment
ranked largest first
593#53 of 246#6 of 17
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
15.4:1#131 of 180#12 of 15
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
52.1%#51 of 180#6 of 15
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+0.2%#61 of 61N/A
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list.

7-year change

SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
593
+1 (+0%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
was 16.7:1
% White
67%
was 76%
% Hispanic
6%
was 5%
% Black
14%
was 7%
% Asian
2%
was 3%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree or reduced lunch
2024-2559338.515.4:147% (276)
2023-2459640.314.8:140% (239)
2022-2357840.514.3:138% (218)
2017-1859235.516.7:132% (187)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Taft Middle School.

About Taft Middle School

Taft Middle School is listed by the National Center for Education Statistics as a middle school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The school had 593 students in grades 6 through 8 in 2024-25. Average enrollment for middle schools in Iowa is about 400, so this school runs 48% above that.

Taft Middle School is part of Cedar Rapids Comm School District, where 35 schools serve 15,494 students.

By race and ethnicity, Taft Middle School is 67% White. The school is also 14% Black, 11% multiracial, 6% Hispanic, and 2% Asian. That is lower than the 84% White share among all Linn County residents. The chance that two students picked at random at Taft Middle School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 52%.

Teacher staffing is 38.5 full-time equivalents, or about 15.4 students per teacher. Middle schools in Iowa average about 15.2:1, a similar figure. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 47%.

Taft Middle School scores 71.0% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 68.7%.

Linn County has these Census figures: median household income is about $77,649, roughly 35% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. The public schools of Linn County number 83 and enroll about 36,480.

The nearest other public school, Truman Early Learning Center, is about 0.2 miles away. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Taft Middle School. On state test proficiency, Taft Middle School ranks 3rd in a group of 6 nearby schools.

Locale data from NCES put Taft Middle School inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000 (City: Mid-size).

From 2017-18 to 2024-25, enrollment held near 593, starting from 592. White students went from 76% of enrollment in 2017-18 to 67% in 2024-25. The school's ratio fell from 16.7:1 to 15.4:1 between 2017-18 and 2024-25.

Conversations here can range across sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.

Linn County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
230,004
Census ACS
Median income
$77,649
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
35%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
83
36,480 students

Quick facts

School name
Taft Middle School
District
Cedar Rapids Comm School District
Address
5200 E AVE NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405
Phone
(319) 558-2243
County
Linn County
Level
Middle
Grade range
06–08
Total enrollment
593
Teachers (FTE)
38
Student–teacher ratio
15.4:1
Free/Reduced lunch
276 (47%)
Locale
12-City: Mid-size
NCES ID
190654000261
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Cedar Rapids Comm School District
Other schools in Cedar Rapids
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Taft Middle School
How large is Taft Middle School?
Taft Middle School enrolls approximately 593 students in grades 06-08.
Is Taft Middle School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Taft Middle School is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many students per teacher at Taft Middle School?
Approximately 15.4:1 students per teacher at Taft Middle School.
How diverse is Taft Middle School?
Taft Middle School reports a student body of 67% White, 6% Hispanic, 14% Black, 2% Asian, 11% Two or more.
Is Taft Middle School public or private?
Taft Middle School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Cedar Rapids Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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