| William H. Taft High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
 New entrance and library, completed 2022 | |
| Address | |
11600 Culebra Road , , 78253 | |
| Coordinates | 29°29′54″N 98°43′18″W / 29.498255°N 98.721580°W |
| Information | |
| School type | Public, high school |
| Founded | 1985 |
| School district | Northside Independent School District |
| Superintendent | Dr. Brian T. Woods[1] |
| Principal | Martha Cortinas-Fernandez |
| Vice Principal | Richard Halle |
| Academic Dean | Jacquelyn Lambert |
| Assistant Principal | Leandra Valdez Jennifer Rios Fernando Nieto Brett Jeffries |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 2,646[2] (2023) |
| Language | English |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Red and white |
| Athletics conference | UIL Class AAAAAA |
| Mascot | Raider |
| Sports District | 28-6A |
| Feeder Middle Schools | H.B. Zachry John B. Connally Coke R. Stevenson Wallace B. Jefferson Dolph Briscoe John Folks |
| Rival schools | William J. Brennan High School Earl Warren High School Sandra Day O'connor High School |
| Website | Official Website |
William Howard Taft High School is a public high school in the Northside Independent School District (NISD) of San Antonio, Texas, United States. As with all NISD high schools, the school is named for a United States Supreme Court justice, in this case former Chief Justice William Howard Taft, who was also the 27th President of the United States.
Taft High School was the fifth NISD high school, and the first outside Loop 1604. It is home to the magnet school Communications Arts High School which focuses primarily on college readiness and technology. The building was designed by Noonan & Dockery & Noonan & Rogers Architects and was built by the H.B. Zachry Company.
Taft was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 1997-98.[3] In 2017, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency, with a 2-Star Distinction for Academic Achievements in Social Studies and Top 25 Percent Closing Performance Gaps.[4]
Athletics
The Taft Raiders compete in the following sports:[5]
Marching Band
The Taft Raider Band has over 190 students from Communications Arts and Taft. The band qualified for the state marching contest in 2014. They participate in Region 29 and Area H UIL competitions.
Taft Raiders football
In December of 2001 the Taft Raiders competed in the 2001 class 5A Division 1 State Championship game. The Taft Raiders faced the Mesquite Skeeters at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio,Texas. But the Taft Raiders would lose to the Skeeters by a final score of 14-13. And the Taft Raiders became 2001 State runner-up. The Taft Raiders year by year results of Texas high school football are below from 1997-2022
| Years | Records | Head Coach | Season Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | N/A | N/A | State Semifinalist losing to Katy Tigers 16-35 (5A D1) | |
| 2001 | 12-3 | Bridges | State Finalist losing to Mesquite Skeeters 13-14 (5A D1) | |
| 2003 | 7-4 | Bridges | Bi District round losing to Smithson Valley Rangers 14-24(5A D2) | |
| 2004 | 10-4 | Bridges | State Quarterfinalist losing to Smithson Valley Rangers 24-42 (5A D2) | |
| 2005 | 2-8 | Davenport | No playoffs | |
| 2006 | 4-6 | Davenport | No playoffs | |
| 2007 | 4-7 | Davenport | Bi District round losing to East Central 17-22 (5A D2) | |
| 2008 | 3-7 | Davenport | No playoffs | |
| 2009 | 5-5 | Davenport | No playoffs | |
| 2010 | 1-9 | Davenport | No playoffs | |
| 2011 | 1-9 | Davenport | No playoffs | |
| 2012 | 3-7 | Davenport | No playoffs | |
| 2013 | 2-8 | Davenport | No playoffs | |
| 2014 | 4-6 | Davenport | No playoffs | |
| 2015 | 3-7 | Davenport | No playoffs | |
| 2016 | 4-6 | Davenport | No playoffs | |
| 2017 | 2-8 | Davenport | No playoffs | |
| 2018 | 3-8 | Stade | No playoffs | |
| 2019 | 3-7 | Stade | No playoffs | |
| 2020 | 8-4 | Stade | 3rd round playoff loss to Hays 41-62 (6A D2) | |
| 2021 | 9-3 | Stade | 2nd round playoff loss to Edinburg Vela 24-27 (6A D2) | |
| 2022 | 8-4 | Stade | 2nd round playoff loss to San Benito 19-38 (6A D1) | |
| 2023 | 6-5 | Stade | Bi District finalist losing to Laredo United 28-35 (6A D1) |
Notable alumni
- Derek Cecil (Class of 1991) — Actor; starred in House of Cards on Netflix[6]
- Otis McDaniel (Class of 2004) — Gold medal winning sprinter specializing in the 100 and 200 meters dashes[7]
- Ike Ofoegbu (Class of 2004) - American-Nigerian Israeli Premier Basketball League player[8]
- James Roday (Class of 1994) — Actor, director, screenwriter; known for USA Network series Psych[6]
- Haley Scarnato (Class of 2000) — Singer; placed 8th on Season 6 of American Idol[9]
References
- ↑ "Northside ISD Superintendent". Archived from the original on 2018-03-12. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
- ↑ "Explore Taft High School". Niche.com.
- ↑ "National Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-2017, Page 198, PDF" (PDF). U.S. Department of Education. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
- ↑ "TEA 2017 Accountability Reports". Texas Education Agency. Archived from the original on 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
- ↑ "The Athletics Department". Archived from the original on 2016-08-12. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
- 1 2 Fanning, Timothy (December 21, 2021). "These famous people went to high school in San Antonio". San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023.
- ↑ "Otis McDaniel Profile at IAAF". Archived from the original on 2018-03-16. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
- ↑ "Ike Ofoegbu Player Profile, Southern Methodist". RealGM.
High School: William Howard Taft High School [San Antonio, Texas]
- ↑ Jakie, Jeanne (January 10, 2015). "Scarnato says 'Idol' has kept her career buzzing". San Antonio Express-News.
