The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in English language arts. The lowest is 11% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Taft Middle
Taft Middle sits on Schulte Road in Albuquerque's northwest quadrant, serving sixth through eighth graders as a regular public school within Albuquerque Public Schools. It is a small middle school for its grade band, with an enrollment that reflects a compact, neighborhood-scale student body rather than a large regional campus.
The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with only a scattering of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Virtually every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which places Taft firmly among schools serving families with the greatest economic need. Data on students receiving special education services and English learners was not reported, so those population segments go undescribed here.
On the most recent state assessments, Taft's results were low across all three tested subjects. Math proficiency was strikingly weak, with only a small fraction of tested students reaching proficiency. English language arts performance was somewhat better but still modest, with roughly three in ten students demonstrating proficiency. Science results fell between the two, again reflecting a low share of proficient students. Only one year of data is available, so there is no trend to report. Whether these numbers represent a dip, a plateau, or a longer-standing pattern is something a parent would want to ask the school about directly. The school's average scale scores and participation rates were not reported, which limits what the state results can tell us on their own.
Taft does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. No data on course access, staffing levels, attendance, or discipline was provided, which leaves a real gap in understanding the day-to-day environment. A parent considering Taft would benefit from asking the school directly about teacher retention, available electives, extracurriculars, and any intervention supports in place for students performing below grade level.
Albuquerque is New Mexico's largest city, and Taft sits in its northwest quadrant. The city is sprawling and car-oriented, organized around a quadrant grid system centered on Central Avenue and the railroad tracks. Walkable street life is concentrated in nodes like Old Town, Downtown, and the Nob Hill area near the University of New Mexico rather than spread evenly across neighborhoods. The Rio Grande and its bosque run through the city center, with the Sandia Mountains to the east and Petroglyph National Monument on the West Mesa. Major employers include Sandia National Laboratories, Kirtland Air Force Base, the University of New Mexico, Presbyterian Healthcare Services, and state and city government. A growing film and media sector, including a Netflix production hub, has added to the local economy. The city's population has been roughly flat to slightly declining in recent years.
The housing market in Taft's zip code is moderate by national standards and sits slightly above the statewide benchmark for New Mexico. Home values have moved up only modestly year over year, and rents have risen a bit more briskly. For a family weighing the cost of living against school options, the area remains relatively affordable compared with many comparable metro areas, though mortgage costs at current interest rates outpace rents by a meaningful margin.
Publicly available information about recent district-level policy changes, curriculum shifts, or facility investments specific to Albuquerque Public Schools was not found in the search, so nothing can be reported here on that front. A parent may want to check with the district directly for any strategic priorities or bond-funded improvements that could affect Taft.
What the picture amounts to is this: Taft is a small, economically disadvantaged middle school in a working part of a large, spread-out city, with state assessment results that point to serious academic challenges, particularly in math. The absence of program, staffing, and school-environment data means a family would need to go to the school itself to understand what supports exist and what the classroom experience looks like day to day.
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