The Taft School

The Taft School Founded in 1890 with a mission to "educate the whole student," The Taft School is a coeducational da

Living where they learn, academically talented students from all over the world are guided by an extraordinary faculty on a 226-acre campus in Western Connecticut. With the motto “Not to be served but to serve” as a moral foundation, Taft graduates matriculate at our nation’s leading colleges and universities.

Doors open. 🚪Rhino ready. 🦏Excitement 💯.
08/26/2026

Doors open. 🚪
Rhino ready. 🦏
Excitement 💯.

Convocation is a Taft tradition. It marks the first time our school community—faculty, staff and students alike—comes to...
08/25/2026

Convocation is a Taft tradition. It marks the first time our school community—faculty, staff and students alike—comes together in full at the start of a new school year. It marks the first day of classes and allows us to begin the new school year with connection, intention, and reflection on who we are as a school.⁠
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“At the very center of Taft is a commitment to learning–first and foremost, to developing a rigorous life of the mind–and also learning to live well together; a commitment to care for one another, to demonstrate compassion and shared responsibility for this diverse and pluralistic community as preparation for going out into the world.”⁠
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- Head of School Peter Becker’95⁠
2025 Convocation Address⁠
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Convocation 2026 will take place September 8. We’re excited to begin our 2026-27 school-year journey together.⁠
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At Taft, your science teacher may also be your dorm parent, your class dean, your coach. Your roommate may be your fall ...
08/24/2026

At Taft, your science teacher may also be your dorm parent, your class dean, your coach. Your roommate may be your fall team captain, the head of your favorite club, your best friend, a close confidant. As time passes, those roles may shift; those relationships may change. Knowing and appreciating members of our close-knit community in different ways and in different seasons of your Taft experience is a measure of personal growth.

“Different people can hold completely different roles in your life at once. Taft is constructed to make this not just possible, but inevitable. Taft layers people into your life because the campus is too small and the schedules too shared for anyone to stay confined to a single role for long.”

- Louisa Prentice’26, Commencement 2026

Sara Hendren is among the group of fascinating speakers who will visit Taft during the coming school year as our communi...
08/23/2026

Sara Hendren is among the group of fascinating speakers who will visit Taft during the coming school year as our community considers the 2026-27 guiding question, "What does creativity look like in the 21st century?"

Hendren is an artist, filmmaker, producer, design researcher, writer, and part of the College of Arts Media and Design at Northeastern University. She is also the author of What Can a Body Do? How We Meet the Built World, which explores the places where disability shows up in design at all scales: assistive technology, furniture, architecture, urban planning, and more. It was named one of the Best Books of 2020 by NPR and won the 2021 Science in Society Journalism book prize. Her art and design works have been exhibited at the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Seoul Museum of Art, and many others, and is held in the permanent collections at MoMA and the Cooper Hewitt.

During her January 28 visit to Taft, Hendren will speak about creativity and spaces of belonging.


Photo courtesy SaraHendren.com

Counting the minutes until these beautiful pathways spring to life with full-on Rhino energy. ⏳️🦏🤩🌪️
08/21/2026

Counting the minutes until these beautiful pathways spring to life with full-on Rhino energy. ⏳️🦏🤩🌪️

Taft’s Strategic Plan notes that, as a school, we “aim to deliver a transformational four-year educational experience.” ...
08/20/2026

Taft’s Strategic Plan notes that, as a school, we “aim to deliver a transformational four-year educational experience.” In her Prize Night 2026 speech, Allison Palmer contextualized the concept of transformation at Taft.

“The ways in which Taft has molded each of our characters is unique to what we’ve experienced here. What we built here together and the way Taft shaped our characters belongs to us.

"Our Taft character lives within all of us and will go with us after we take our next steps into the world. If, after graduation, you find yourself looking for some grand revelation of who you are and what your character is made of, take a look behind you and feel comforted in knowing that you’ve already built it. It’s already there.”
- Allison Palmer ’26

~What does creativity look like in the 21st century? That’s the question Taftie’s will explore during the coming school ...
08/20/2026

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What does creativity look like in the 21st century?

That’s the question Taftie’s will explore during the coming school year. The journey will include our all-school read, community conversations, morning meetings, work by faculty in and outside our classrooms, and our major speaker series. Author David Gelles opens the series October 1 (see earlier post); writer and editor Vauhini Vara picks up the mantle in on November 19.

Vara began her career as a technology reporter at the Wall Street Journal and later launched, edited, and wrote for the business section of the New Yorker’s website. She has also written and edited for The New York Times Magazine and The Atlantic, among others.

Vara’s latest book, Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age, is a work of nonfiction investigating and enacting the cognitive dissonance of living with big tech companies’ products. It won the Porchlight Business Book Award and was shortlisted for the Atta Galatta-Bangalore Literature Festival Book Prize and the Kalinga Literary Festival Book Award. At Taft, Vara will talk about creativity, stories, and the use of AI.



Image credit: Matt Cashore
Courtesy VauhiniVara.com

As new Taft students prepare to join our community in the fall, many are likely wondering what their experience will be;...
08/17/2026

As new Taft students prepare to join our community in the fall, many are likely wondering what their experience will be; what it really means to be a Taftie. In his 2026 Commencement speech, Isaac Obeng reflected on his personal journey at Taft, and that of his fellow graduates.

"Each moment you’re at Taft, you’re connecting with others. And each connection builds you into the person you become.

"Behind all our titles, beneath all our accomplishments, underlying who we are today are the people and moments that got us here. At the center of who we are isn’t just growth, but meaningful connection.”
– Isaac Obeng

Once again, the Taft community demonstrated what is possible when generosity and shared purpose come together. Through t...
08/17/2026

Once again, the Taft community demonstrated what is possible when generosity and shared purpose come together. Through the dedication and Non ut sibi spirit that define our school, 2,744 donors contributed more than $6 million to the Taft Fund. These gifts go straight to the heart of the Taft experience—supporting the students, teachers, and programs that make a Taft education extraordinary.

None of this happens without the volunteers behind the scenes—class agents, Parents’ Committee members, board members, and event leaders who generously give their time and energy all year long. We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who supported the Taft Fund this year. Thank you, and go BIG RED!

Read more about the results and Class Award winners at https://bit.ly/TaftFund2026

08/17/2026

🌟Co-head mons Myles and Anna are back with a message for new Rhinos: At Taft, it’s all about community and connections.🫶⁠
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🦏Rhinos, what’s your favorite thing about Taft? Drop it in the comments!⬇️⁠
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110 Woodbury Road
Watertown, CT
06795

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