Achievements
- US News and World Report - Check our rankings at: USNEWS Award-Winning High School
- Taft Charter High School has won the National Academic Decathlon - Three Times!
- Taft has the largest SAS (School for Advanced Studies) Program in LAUSD
- 48% of Taft's student body has been identified as Gifted
- 56% of the resident (non-Magnet) school is in the School for Advanced Studies
- Taft High School boasts of three Olympic medal winners.
- Taft's Football team won the city championship in 1998 & 2021
- Taft's Baseball team won Div. 1 championship in 2021
- Taft's Boys Basketball team won the city championship: 1980, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2012 & 2023
- Taft Girls Basketball team won the city championship in 2007
- Taft Boys Tennis Team won in 2014 & 2019
- Taft Girls Tennis Team won in 2018
- Taft's Boys Volleyball team won the city championship in 1990, 1999, 2000, 2001 & 2010 & 2016
- Taft's Girls Volleyball team won the city championship in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2013 & 2014
- Girls Soccer won the city championship in 2016
- Taft Competitive Cheer Won in 2018
- Beach Volleyball Pairs won in 2022
- Beach Volleyball Team won in 2023
- Taft's Vocal Ensemble has achieved "Superior" ratings in each of the last six years.
Some famous Taft graduates include:
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- Robin Yount (baseball)
- Larry Yount (Milwaukee Brewers Minor league system)
- Pete LaCock (Major League Baseball Player)
- Gabe Kapler, (Major League Baseball Player & Coach)
- Rick Auerbach (Class of '68 -played for the Brewers, Dodgers, and Reds)
- Kevin Kennedy (former manager for the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox, Fox Sports analyst)
- Jeff Fischer (NFL head coach)
- 1992 Olympic Gold Medal Winner Quincy Watts
- Steve Smith, Superbowl Champion NFL Wide Receiver (NY Giants and Philadelphia Eagles)
- Jordan Farmar, Championship NBA player (LA Lakers)
- Malcom Smith (NFL, Super Bowl MVP for the Seattle Seahawks)
- Antwuan Woods (NFL, Dallas Cowboys)
- Deandre Daniels (NCAA Champion, UCONN Basketball Team)
- Kihei Clark (NCAA Champion, University of Virginia Basketball Team)
- O'Shea 'Ice Cube' Jackson (actor and recording artist)
- O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Actor)
- Jillian Michaels (Fitness Advocate and TV personality)
- Spencer Dinwiddie (NBA, Dallas Mavericks)
- Wilmer Valderrama (Actor, 'That 70's Show' & 'NCIS Hawaii')
- AJ Johnson (NBA, Milwaukee Bucks)
- Lisa Kudrow (who played 'Phoebe,' on "Friends")
- Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady - the Brady Bunch television series)
- Susan Olson class of 79 (Cindy Brady - the Brady Bunch)
- Char Fontane (Actress - Valerie in the TV series "Joe and Valerie")
- Jan Smithers, Actress (Bailey Quarters in "WKRP in Cincinnati")
- Kathryn D. Sullivan (Ph.D.) NASA Astronaut
- David Schwartz (Co-author, "The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows", and TV Historian at Game Show Network)
- Jeff Stork (volleyball player)
- Craig Buck (Olympic Volleyball player)
- Larry Dierker (manager of the Houston Astros)
- Rick Dierker (Astros)
- Rhodes scholar Melissa Sturm
- Dave Koz (saxophonist, jazz recording artist, morning DJ for The Wave radio station)
- Mindy Naud (actress)
- Justine Bateman (actress)
- Barry Green (double bass soloist and author)
- Steve Bartek (Musician and Orchestrator, 'Oingo Boingo' founding member and Danny Elfman collaborator)
- Brad Wilk - Drummer, Rage Against the Machine
- Alfie Green (Grammy Nominated Record Producer)
- Robert Woolsey (Grammy Nominated Record Producer)
- Valarie Venrnon (Actress and Recording Artist, 'Power Rangers')
- Gary Saderup (Artist)
Taft has also been a filming location for a number of major Movie and Series, including:
- The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976)
- Crazy Stupid Love (2011)
- Amazing Spider-Man (2014)
- Prom (2020)
- Never Have I Ever (2020-2023)
