The top reported proficiency rate is 79% in English language arts. The lowest is 66% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Taft Middle School
Taft Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in the Cedar Rapids Community School District, a large urban system that is the second-largest public education provider in Iowa. The school is a regular public middle school located on the western side of Cedar Rapids, a mid-sized city that functions as the economic hub of Eastern Iowa and is a national center for corn and grain processing.
The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a full picture of special-population support is not possible from this information alone.
For a middle school, Taft offers a solid academic floor. On the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), the school posted proficiency rates across tested subjects and grades that land below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Linn County. English language arts proficiency was higher than math proficiency, and science proficiency was lower than both. These are baseline signals. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how it supports students who are below grade level, particularly in math, and what interventions are available.
This is a single snapshot year; no multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether performance is improving, declining, or stable. The absence of that history limits the read here; a parent may want to ask the school for its most recent trend results.
The neighborhood around the school reflects the broader Cedar Rapids housing market. Home values in the area are below the state average, and rents have been climbing. The monthly cost of renting is moderately below the estimated mortgage payment, a dynamic that may matter for families deciding whether to buy or rent.
The district itself is in a period of significant change. Cedar Rapids Community School District has been executing a multi-year elementary facilities master plan. Three new elementary schools opened between 2022 and 2024, funded primarily through Iowa's statewide sales tax for school infrastructure rather than new local property taxes. The district has also redrawn attendance boundaries district-wide, which directly affects which school a child attends. At the same time, CRCSD approved budget reductions for the 2024-25 school year, including staff cuts and program adjustments, to address a budget shortfall driven by declining enrollment and state funding that has not kept pace with inflation. Families should be aware that the resources available at Taft may shift over the next few years as the district rightsizes.
The city of Cedar Rapids offers a conventional mid-sized urban environment. The downtown core sits along the Cedar River and includes cultural institutions such as the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, and the Paramount Theatre. Major employers include Collins Aerospace, CRST, Aegon, and large grain-processing facilities operated by Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, and General Mills. The metropolitan area has seen steady growth, and a major data center was announced in 2025. The city has navigated recovery from a devastating flood, and the built environment reflects that history.
Taft Middle School sits within a district that is both investing in new facilities and adjusting to enrollment decline. Its academic results are mixed, with English language arts a relative strength and math and science areas a parent may want to investigate further. For a family looking at this school, the broader district context of boundary changes and budget constraints matters as much as the school's own numbers.
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