The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in Math. The lowest is 29% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on William H Taft Elementary School
William H Taft Elementary is a small, neighborhood school serving Pre-K through sixth grade in Cincinnati's downtown area. The school enrolls about two hundred fifty students across eight grades, with the vast majority identified as Black and substantial smaller populations of white, multiracial, and Hispanic students. The racial composition reflects the surrounding downtown Cincinnati community.
The school's state test results show proficiency rates in the lower range. In math and English language arts for grades three through six, about one in three students tested at proficient levels or above. Science proficiency was lower, at under one in three. These results place the school in the bottom quartile for proficiency compared to other schools in Hamilton County. Neither the district brief nor available data indicated what programs or supports the school offers, so parents would want to ask the school directly about reading intervention, math support, special education services, English learner instruction if applicable, and enrichment offerings.
The school sits in downtown Cincinnati, a neighborhood being remade by convention-district development and riverfront entertainment investment. The Banks entertainment district with stadiums, the Taft Museum, and Fountain Square are nearby. Downtown is walkable with bus and free streetcar connections. The immediate housing context shows moderate home values and modest increases in rental rates. Publicly reported data notes that Cincinnati has added residents over the past year, with development concentrated in suburbs and downtown apartments rather than the immediate school neighborhood.
The Cincinnati Public Schools district, which operates Taft, faced significant budget constraints heading into the 2025-26 school year. The district reduced spending by a major amount, eliminating more than one hundred classroom positions and dozens of support roles. Notably, a planned Montessori classroom expansion at William Howard Taft was paused as part of these cuts. The district also transitioned school health services to in-house staffing. These changes mean families should clarify directly with the school what services and staffing are in place. On a positive note, voters renewed the district's operating levy in November 2025, which locks in stable funding for preschool expansion and core K-12 operations for the next decade without raising taxes.
The district has also shifted how reading is taught across all elementary schools, adopting Science of Reading instruction and structured literacy approaches. This pedagogy change includes foundational skills training in kindergarten through third grade and reading intervention for students in grades three through six. Third-grade reading proficiency rose measurably from the previous year under this model. For families at Taft, this means the school is part of a district-wide effort to strengthen early literacy using evidence-based methods.
A parent considering Taft should visit the school, ask about current staffing levels and programs given recent cuts, clarify what intervention and enrichment supports exist, and ask how the Science of Reading shift is being implemented at this particular school. The school's low proficiency results warrant a direct conversation about what academic support and next steps the school recommends for students at different levels.
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