The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Social studies. The lowest is 52% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Robert Taft Middle School
Robert Taft Middle School serves students in grades six through eight in Crown Point, Indiana, part of the Crown Point Community School Corporation. It is a regular public school with no charter or magnet status. The school’s enrollment is large for a middle school, with a student body that is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Roughly one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that positions the school in a moderate range for its area. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available in the reporting, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
The school is located just south of Crown Point’s historic downtown, a compact area organized around the Lake County Courthouse square. The downtown offers restaurants, breweries, a farmers’ market, and seasonal festivals such as the Taste of Crown Point and the Corn Roast. Outside the square, the city is a car-dependent suburban environment with residential neighborhoods, parks, and recreational trails. Crown Point has seen modest steady growth in recent years, and the district passed an operating referendum renewal in 2023 that continues a property-tax levy originally approved several years prior. That levy funds teacher compensation, academic programs, and district operations, which gives families some assurance about school funding stability but also means ongoing tax implications.
Academically, Robert Taft Middle School’s performance on Indiana’s ILEARN assessments places it well above most of its peers. On the state’s math assessment, a clear majority of students scored at the proficient or above level. In English language arts, just over half of students reached that same threshold. Science results, which are tested only in a single middle-school grade, showed a similar pattern, with a majority of students meeting proficiency. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades lands in the top quarter among districts in Lake County, a strong position relative to its regional context. Social studies data was available only from an older assessment from several years ago and is not directly comparable to current measures, so it offers little for today’s evaluation.
The school’s size is a defining feature. With a large enrollment, families can expect a wider array of course offerings and extracurriculars than a smaller school might provide, but also a less intimate setting. There is no reported data on class sizes, discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, or course access in the available records. A parent considering Taft would be wise to ask about these practical details—how large the typical class is, what elective and intervention programs are available, and what the school’s climate looks like day to day. The district’s renewed operating referendum suggests investment in teacher compensation and programs, which could translate into stronger staffing and offerings, but that link is not directly documented for this specific building.
For a family weighing school options in the region, Taft represents a middle school with a large student body, a majority-white enrollment with moderate economic diversity, and academic outcomes that rank comfortably high among its Lake County neighbors. The surrounding community offers a mix of suburban living, an active downtown, and ongoing population growth. The missing pieces around special education, English learner services, and school environment measures mean that a visit and a conversation with school staff would fill in the gaps that data alone does not cover.
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