William Howard Taft Charter High School

Not to be confused with William Howard Taft High School.

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Public school in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States

Taft Charter High School

Address

5461 Winnetka Avenue

Woodland Hills, Los Angeles

California

91364

United States

Coordinates| 34°10′08″N 118°34′23″W﻿ / ﻿34.1689°N 118.5730°W﻿ / 34.1689; -118.5730
Information
Type| Public
Established| 1960
Principal| Daniel Steiner
Staff| 98.75 (FTE)[1]
Enrollment| 2,236 (2023–2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio| 22.64[1]
Color(s)| Red, gold and black

Athletics conference| CIF Los Angeles City Section
Nickname| Toreadors
Newspaper| Taft Tribune
Website| Official Website

William Howard Taft Charter High School is a public school located on the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Winnetka Avenue in the Woodland Hills district of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California, within the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school gained affiliated charter status beginning with the 2013–2014 school year.

## History

[edit]

Named after former U.S. president William Howard Taft, the school first opened in 1960.[2]

It was in the Los Angeles City High School District until 1961, when it merged into LAUSD.[3]

In the 2013–2014 school year, Taft High School became a charter school.

## Notable alumni

[edit]

* Jeshua Anderson – track and field sprinter[4]
* Rick Auerbach – MLB shortstop 1971–1981[5]
* Steve Bartek – musician, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Oingo Boingo[6]
* Matteo Barzini – Italian filmmaker
* Justine Bateman – actress, TV series Family Ties[6]
* Mike Bercovici – college and pro football quarterback
* Sandra Black \- Member of Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers
* Scott Bloch – Office of Special Counsel[7]
* Mike Borzello – 5-time World Series champion. Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees[8]
* Craig Buck – Olympic volleyball player[6]
* Phil Buckman – musician, actor, and voiceover artist, bass player for Filter
* Kihei Clark – NCAA champion basketball player at Virginia
* DeAndre Daniels – professional basketball player, college player at UConn
* Bryce Dejean-Jones – basketball shooting guard[9]
* Larry Dierker – MLB pitcher, manager, broadcaster[10]
* Spencer Dinwiddie – NBA guard for the Los Angeles Lakers[11]
* Larry Drew II – basketball point guard[12]
* Eazy-E – rapper, West Coast hip hop[13]
* Everlast – rapper/singer House of Pain
* Jordan Farmar – basketball point guard, 2-time NBA champion[14]
* William Finnegan – Pulitzer Prize winning writer surfing essayist
* Jeff Fisher – Former NFL player and Tennessee Titans coach from 1995 to 2010, as well as the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams from 2012 to 2016
* Char Fontane – actress and singer[6]
* Barry Green – orchestral and solo double bass player and teacher[6]
* Guy Hansen – professional baseball pitcher and coach[15]
* Steve Hartman – sportscaster[16]
* Ice Cube – rapper, actor, director, producer, Friday, Are We There Yet?, Straight Outta Compton[6]
* Airabin Justin – NFL and CFL defensive back[17]
* Gabe Kapler – Former MLB outfielder and current San Francisco Giants manager, 2021 National League Manager of the Year[18]
* Brad Kearns – professional triathlete, Guinness world record speedgolfer, The New York Times bestselling author[19]
* Kevin Kennedy – MLB manager and radio-TV baseball commentator[6]
* Dave Koz – smooth jazz saxophonist, radio personality[6]
* Lisa Kudrow – actress, TV series Friends[6]
* Pete LaCock – MLB first baseman and coach[20]
* Dale Launer – comedy screenwriter, My Cousin Vinny, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Ruthless People.[21]
* Ken Levine – Emmy-winning comedy writer, screenwriter, radio announce and play-by-play commentator[22]
* Epic Mazur – vocalist, rapper, and record producer
* Maureen McCormick – actress, TV series The Brady Bunch[6]
* Danny Boy O’Connor – rapper, House of Pain[23]
* Susan Olsen – actress, TV series The Brady Bunch[6]
* Kelly Paris – MLB third baseman[24]
* Dana Plato – actress, TV series Diff'rent Strokes
* DaShon Polk – NFL linebacker[25]
* Paul Pratt – NFL defensive back for Detroit Lions[26]
* Jordan Roberts[citation needed] \-- Screenwriter, Academy Award-winning films, March of the Penguins and Big Hero 6.
* Malcolm Smith – Super Bowl XLVIII champion and MVP[27][28]
* Steve Smith – NFL wide receiver, Super Bowl XLII champion[29]
* Jan Smithers – actress, TV series WKRP in Cincinnati[6]
* Jeff Stork – volleyball Hall of Famer, member of 1988 Summer Olympics gold-medal U.S. men's team[6]
* Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan – NASA Space Shuttle astronaut[6]
* Michael Thomas – NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver, New Orleans Saints[30]
* Justin Tryon – NFL cornerback[31]
* Mark Tulin – musician, founding member of The Electric Prunes[32]
* Wilmer Valderrama – actor, TV series That '70s Show[33]
* Holly Beth Vincent – musician, member of Holly and the Italians[34]
* Duffy Waldorf – professional golfer, member of UCLA Sports Hall of Fame[35]
* Quincy Watts – athlete, winner of two gold medals at 1992 Summer Olympics[6]
* Darrion Weems – NFL offensive tackle[36]
* Jane Wiedlin – musician, singer and original member of band The Go-Go's
* Brad Wilk – drummer for Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave[37]
* Antwaun Woods – Nose tackle for the Dallas Cowboys, college Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2016
* Robin Wright – actress, The Princess Bride, Forrest Gump, House of Cards, Wonder Woman[38]
* Larry Yount – MLB pitcher[39]
* Robin Yount – Baseball Hall of Fame player, 19 seasons with Milwaukee Brewers of MLB[40]

## In popular culture

[edit]

There have been a handful of films and TV shows filmed at Taft. The 1976 film The Boy in the Plastic Bubble was filmed at the high school, as well as the films Mask (1985), Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), The Prom (2020), and the television series Never Have I Ever (2020).

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Taft Charter High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
2. ^ "LAUSD School Profile". Search.lausd.k12.ca.us. September 16, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
3. ^ "Los Angeles City School District". Los Angeles Unified School District. Archived from the original on February 7, 1998. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
4. ^ "Jeshua Anderson". Washington State High School. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
5. ^ "Rick Auerbach Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Achievements". Taft Charter High School. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
7. ^ "Bush appointee turns the spotlight inward". Los Angeles Times. May 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
8. ^ "Mike Borzello". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
9. ^ "Bryce Dejean-Jones Stats – Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com.
10. ^ "Larry Dierker Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
11. ^ "Spencer Dinwiddie Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
12. ^ "Larry Drew Stats – Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com.
13. ^ McFly, Marty (January 10, 2013). "Celebrity Real Estate: The Late Eazy-E's Wife Gets Foreclosed in Calabasas and the Search For Eazy's Playhouse". San Fernando Valley Blog - via Blogspot.
14. ^ "Jordan Robert Farmar". Basketball-Reference.Com. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
15. ^ "Scout Who Discovered Saberhagen Convinced the Royals With Radar Scout Who Discovered Saberhagen Convinced the Royals With Radar". Los Angeles Times. June 14, 1986. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
16. ^ "GIVING IT THAT XTRA EFFORT: San Diego Station Establishes a Base in Redondo Beach and Tries to Reach L.A. Sports Audience". Los Angeles Times. January 27, 1991.
17. ^ "Airabin Justin". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
18. ^ "Gabe Kapler Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
19. ^ "Brad Kearns". bradkearns.com. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
20. ^ "Pete LaCock Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
21. ^ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0490958/
22. ^ "Author Ken Levine details one suburban teen's journey through the '60s". Daily News. October 27, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
23. ^ "Danny Boy O'Connor". Danny Boy O'Connor. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
24. ^ "Kelly Paris Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
25. ^ "He Plays Hitter but Not a Heavy : When Taft High's DaShon Polk Takes the Field, He Smiles on Contact". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
26. ^ "Paul Pratt". University of Nevada Athletics. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
27. ^ "Malcolm Smith". The Official Site of USC Trojan Athletics. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
28. ^ Football: The pride of Taft High, Malcolm Smith, is Super Bowl MVP, Los Angeles Times, February 2, 2014
29. ^ "Steve Smith No. 12 WR". NFL Enterprises LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
30. ^ "Michael Thomas". NFL.com. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
31. ^ "Justin Tryon". The Official Athletics Site of Arizona State University. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
32. ^ "PASSINGS: Mark Tulin". Los Angeles Times. March 3, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
33. ^ Jason Buchanan (2013). "Wilmer Valderrama". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
34. ^ Art Fein, "LA's Italians a Hit in England," Los Angeles Times, March 2, 1980.
35. ^ "HIGH SCHOOL SPRING SPORTS DIGEST: AN EARLY GLANCE AT TOP TEAMS AND PLAYERS : Golf : Taft Again Has Another Solid Team". Los Angeles Times. March 13, 1987. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
36. ^ "Darrion Weems". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
37. ^ "Achievements". Taft Charter High School. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
38. ^ Derek Armstrong (2013). "Robin Wright". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
39. ^ "Larry Young Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
40. ^ "Robin Yount Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 26, 2012.

## External links

[edit]

* Greater Los Angeles portal
* Schools portal

* Official William Howard Taft Charter High School website
* Great Schools Inc.org: "Taft Senior High School"
* U.S.News.com: "Taft High School"
* LAschoolboard.org: Taft High School 2013-2018 Charter Term – (Archive).

* v
* t
* e

Woodland Hills, Los Angeles

Geography

Areas|

* Warner Center

Education

Primary and secondary schools|

* Los Angeles Unified School District
* El Camino Real Charter High School
* William Howard Taft Charter High School
* Louisville High School

Other education|

* Los Angeles Community College District
* Los Angeles Pierce College
* Los Angeles Public Library

Other

Landmarks|

* Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital
* Warner Center Los Angeles Metro station

This list is incomplete.

* v
* t
* e

San Fernando Valley schools

Public high schools/notable schools

Los Angeles USD|

* Arleta HS
* Birmingham HS
* Canoga Park HS
* Chatsworth HS
* César Chávez LA
* Cleveland HS
* East Valley HS
* El Camino Real HS
* Francis Polytechnic
* Granada Hills HS
* Grant HS
* Kennedy HS
* Monroe HS
* North Hollywood HS
* Northridge Academy
* Panorama HS
* Daniel Pearl Magnet
* Reed MS
* Reseda HS
* San Fernando HS
* Sherman Oaks CES
* Sylmar HS
* Taft HS
* Valley Oaks CES
* Van Nuys HS

Burbank USD|

* Burbank High
* John Burroughs High

Glendale USD|

* Clark Magnet High
* Glendale High
* Herbert Hoover
* Other schools are in the Crescenta Valley

Las Virgenes USD|

* Calabasas
* Other schools are in the Conejo Valley

Non-LAUSD charter schools
and other publics|

* Charter High School of the Arts
* High Tech Los Angeles

Private schools

Secular|

* Buckley
* Bridges Academy
* Chatsworth Hills Academy
* Harvard-Westlake High school
* Int'l School of Los Angeles (LILA) Multiple campuses
* Oakwood
* Sierra Canyon
* Viewpoint

| Closed|

* Montclair College Prep

|

Religious|

* AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian
* Campbell Hall
* Chaminade College Prep
* The Concordia Schools
* Crespi Carmelite HS
* de Toledo HS (formerly New Community Jewish HS)
* Ferrahian Armenian
* Jewish Educational Trade School
* Louisville HS
* Notre Dame HS
* Our Lady of the Valley
* Providence HS
* St. Genevieve HS
* Village Christian
* West Valley Christian

| Closed|

* Bellarmine-Jefferson HS
* Holy Family HS

|

* v
* t
* e

Los Angeles Unified School District

K–12 schools|

* James A. Foshay Learning Center
* Marlton School (special school)
* Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools (complex)

6–12 schools|

* Boys Academic Leadership Academy (magnet)
* Girls Academic Leadership Academy (magnet)
* Los Angeles CES (magnet)
* Rancho Dominguez Prep (zoned)
* Sherman Oaks CES (magnet)
* Valley Oaks CES (magnet)

7–12 zoned schools|

* Eagle Rock HS

7–12 alt. schools|

* J. P. Widney High School

Zoned high schools|

* Arleta
* Banning
* Bell
* Belmont
* Bernstein
* Birmingham
* Canoga Park
* Carson
* Chatsworth
* Chávez LA
* Cleveland
* Contreras LC
* Crenshaw
* Dorsey
* East Valley
* ELARA
* El Camino Real
* Fairfax
* Francis Polytechnic
* Franklin
* Fremont
* Gardena
* Garfield
* Granada Hills
* Grant
* Hamilton
* Hollywood
* Huntington Park
* International Studies Learning Center
* Jefferson
* Jordan
* Kennedy
* Lincoln
* Locke
* Los Angeles
* Manual Arts
* Marshall
* Maywood Academy
* Monroe
* Narbonne
* North Hollywood
* Northridge Academy
* Palisades Charter
* Panorama
* Reseda
* Diego Rivera
* Roosevelt
* Roybal LC
* San Pedro
* San Fernando
* Santee EC
* South East
* South Gate
* Sylmar
* Taft
* Torres
* University
* Venice
* Verdugo Hills
* Washington Preparatory
* West Adams Preparatory
* Wilson

Alt. high schools|

* Animo (South LA)
* Animo (Venice)
* Bravo Medical Magnet
* CA Academy
* EAGLES Academy
* Camino Nuevo
* Central City
* College Ready
* Córtines School of Visual and Performing Arts
* Crenshaw Arts Tech
* De La Hoya Animo
* Downtown Magnets
* Discovery Charter
* High Tech Los Angeles
* King/Drew
* Leap
* Legacy
* Linda Esperanza Marquez
* Middle College
* Orthopaedic Hospital Medical Magnet
* Daniel Pearl Magnet
* View Park
* Vladovic Harbor Teacher Prep. Acad.
* Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets

Zoned middle schools|

* Emerson Charter
* Young Oak Kim Acad
* Walter Reed
* Virgil
* others

Zoned elementary schools|

* Carpenter Community Charter
* Glassell Park
* Wonderland Avenue
* others

Superintendents|

* Susan Miller Dorsey
* Ramón C. Cortines
* Roy Romer
* David L. Brewer III
* John E. Deasy
* Michelle King
* Austin Beutner
* Alberto M. Carvalho

* v
* t
* e

William Howard Taft

* 10th Chief Justice of the United States (1921–1930)
* 27th President of the United States (1909–1913)
* 3rd Provisional Governor of Cuba (1904)
* 42nd United States Secretary of War (1904–1908)
* Governor-General of the Philippines (1901–1904)
* 6th Solicitor General of the United States (1890–1892)

Presidency
(timeline)|

* 1909 inauguration
* Dollar diplomacy
* Income Tax amendment
* Payne–Aldrich Tariff Act
* Weeks Act
* Federal Corrupt Practices Act
* Wireless Ship Act of 1910
* Apportionment Act of 1911
* North Pacific Fur Seal Convention of 1911
* Mann–Elkins Act
* Radio Act of 1912
* Defense Secrets Act of 1911
* Pinchot–Ballinger controversy
* Commission on Economy and Efficiency
* U.S. occupation of Nicaragua
* United States Chamber of Commerce
* Ceremonial first pitch
* State of the Union Address 1912
* Cabinet
* Judicial appointments
* Supreme Court
* First Oval Office
* Wilson transition

Chief Justice,
Supreme Court|

* Supreme Court career
* Judiciary Act of 1925
* Creation of the Supreme Court Building
* Taft Court cases

Other actions|

* Taft Commission
* Insular Government of the Philippine Islands
* Philippines Civil Governor, 1901–1904
* Taft–Katsura agreement
* 1906–1909 Occupation of Cuba
* League to Enforce Peace
* National War Labor Board

Life and legacy|

* Early life
* Birthplace, home, and historic site
* Malacañang Palace
* Woodbury Point
* Taft Bridge
* Bibliography
* U.S. Postage stamps
* SS President Taft
* Taft, Montana
* High school (New York City
* Chicago
* Los Angeles
* San Antonio)

Elections|

* 1908 Republican National Convention
* 1908 U.S. presidential election
* 1912 Republican National Convention
* 1912 U.S. presidential election

Family|

* Helen Herron Taft (wife)
* Robert Alphonso Taft (son)
* Helen Taft Manning (daughter)
* Charles Phelps Taft II (son)
* William Howard Taft III (grandson)
* Robert Alphonso Taft Jr. (grandson)
* Seth Taft (grandson)
* Alphonso Taft (father)
* Louise Taft (mother)
* Charles Phelps Taft (brother)
* Henry Waters Taft (brother)
* Horace Dutton Taft (brother)
* Peter Rawson Taft (paternal grandfather)

Related|

* Billy Possum
* Progressive Era
* Pauline Wayne (cow)
* Backstairs at the White House (1979 miniseries)
* Theodore Roosevelt (2022 miniseries)

* ← Theodore Roosevelt
* Woodrow Wilson →

* Category

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI

Geographic|

* NCES

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