The Taft School
Address
110 Woodbury Road Watertown , Connecticut 06795 United States
Coordinates	41°36′16″N 73°7′27″W / 41.60444°N 73.12417°W / 41.60444; -73.12417
Information
Type	Private, day and boarding, college-prep
Motto	Non ut sibi ministretur sed ut ministret (Not to be served but to serve)
Established	1890 (134 years ago) (1890)
Founder	Horace Dutton Taft
CEEB code	070880
Head of school	Peter Becker
Faculty	124
Grades	9–12
Gender	Co-educational
Enrollment	600[1]
Average class size	11
Student to teacher ratio	5:1
Campus size	224 acres (0.91 km2)
Color(s)	Maroon and navy blue
Mascot	Rhino,Big Red
Nickname	Rhinos, Big Red
National ranking	14
Annual tuition	$69,500 - Boarding $49,500 - Day
Website	www.taftschool.org

The Taft School is an elite private coeducational school located in Watertown, Connecticut, United States. Taft is known for its rigorous academics and selective admissions process. The school was initially founded by Horace Dutton Taft, the brother of President William Howard Taft.

Overview

The Taft school houses 85% of its students on campus, with 15% living nearby. The total school strength is 580 students. The school boasts of a diverse student body. As written on the website, "Students come from over 61 countries".^[2] Students from the Taft school have occupied many congressional and gubernatorial seats in New England.^{[citation needed]}

The Taft School has a $415 million endowment.^{[citation needed]} Its acceptance rate is 16%.^{[citation needed]} The school first started educating pupils in 1890 and remains amongst the oldest prep schools in the New England Area. The current head of school for the Taft school is Peter Becker.^{[citation needed]}

In 2021, it ranked 14th on the Business Insider list of the top boarding schools in America.^[3]

The school has a rivalry with the Hotchkiss School. The schools compete on the last Saturday of the winter and compete in every sport. The rivalry is similar to the Choate-Deerfield rivalry, or the Exeter-Andover rivalry.

Campus and facilities

The campus includes The Lady Ivy Kwok Wu Science and Mathematics Center, Pinto Language Lab, Moorhead Academic Center, Hulbert Taft Jr. Library, Belcher Reading Room, Mortara Academic Wing, Pailey Dance Studio, Tremaine Art Studio, Gail Wynne Art Studio, Potter Gallery, two theaters, an 18-hole golf course, 16 tennis courts (four indoor), eight squash courts, two field houses, two ice hockey rinks (one Olympic-sized and one NHL-sized), and more than 10 fields around Potter's Pond.^[4]

Athletics

Taft's athletic teams are known as the Rhinos and their colors are cardinal red and navy blue. The following sports are offered at Taft:^[5]

Taft is part of the Hotchkiss–Taft rivalry.

Tuition

Tuition for the 2023-2024 academic year is $72,000 for boarding students, and $53,500 for day students.^[6]

Notable alumni