The Taft School is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

school located in

Watertown, Connecticut Watertown is a New England town, town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 22,105 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The ZIP codes for Watertown are 06795 (for most of the ...

, United States. It teaches students in 9th through 12th grades and post-graduates. About three-quarters of Taft's roughly 600 students live on the school's campus. The Taft School was founded in 1890 by

Horace Dutton Taft Horace Dutton Taft (December 28, 1861 – January 28, 1943) was an American educator, and the founder of The Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, United States. Early life He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the younger brother of William Howa ...

, brother of President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

. The original campus was in Pelham Manor, New York; the school moved to Watertown two years later. In its 130-year history, Taft has had only five headmasters. William R. MacMullen, a 1978 graduate of Taft, has served as Head of School from 2001 to 2022.

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 A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

, 16

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be u ...

s (four indoor), eight

squash courts Squash is a racket-and-ball sport played by two or four players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow, rubber ball. The players alternate in striking the ball with their rackets onto the playable surfaces of the four walls of the court. Th ...

, two field houses, two

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

rinks (one Olympic-sized and one NHL-sized), and more than 10 fields around Potter's Pond.

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: *Baseball (boys) *Basketball (boys & girls) *Crew (boys & girls) *Cross country (boys & girls) *Equestrian (boys & girls) *Field Hockey (girls) *Football (boys) *Golf (boys & girls) *Ice hockey (boys & girls) *Lacrosse (boys & girls) *Sailing(boys & girls) *Skiing (boys & girls) *Soccer (boys & girls) *Softball (girls) *Squash (boys & girls) *Tennis (boys & girls) *Track (boys & girls) *Volleyball (girls) *Wrestling (boys) Taft is part of the Hotchkiss–Taft rivalry.

Notable alumni

References

External links

* {{Authority control Boarding schools in Connecticut Preparatory schools in Connecticut Private high schools in Connecticut Schools in Litchfield County, Connecticut Educational institutions established in 1890 Watertown, Connecticut 1890 establishments in Connecticut