4514 N Austin Ave
Chicago, IL 60630

I am an 8th grader at this school, and it is GOD AWFUL. Every single year feels like hell, as during the third quarter, the teachers think it's just okay to dump an unimaginable amount of projects, essays, and assignments on the students. And the work we have to do? I can't remember anything from the past three units in my math class. More than half of the time, I just cheat and learn the material last minute before a test because of how unmotivated I feel to continue working. Luckily, I am a quick learner, but it never feels worth it. You don't feel rewarded or refreshed at all after you finish your work because you know you'll just get more the next day. For example, the 4th quarter just started last week, and now the progress reports will be released next Monday?? I missed ONE assignment in both classes, mind you, and I have a 30% in science and a 66% in math. Whatever happened to waiting a full five weeks for progress reports? And if you thought it couldn't get any worse, the school sends the list of kids that have to go to summer school the SAME day that progress reports are done, and the grades that they choose to base it on are the same grades in which there are TWO assignments in the gradebook. One of my friends who used to be a straight-A student from grades 1-6th has started attempting suicide and cutting themselves due to the pressure that they feel, and I don't blame them. At this point, I'm just ranting on about my personal problems, but future 8th graders should expect this, and I wouldn't blame you if you transferred.Separately from the education, the school itself isn't very great. Students intentionally destroy and vandalize school property because they know Prussing isn't a good school at all. For example, apologies for the vulgar vocabulary, people defecate in the urinals and sinks. The school has threatened to do DNA tests to figure out who is doing these horrible things, but everybody knows that they can't afford to do that. Additionally, the bathrooms often just don't have soap in the soap dispensers, and the same goes for the paper towel dispensers. The janitors aren't good at their jobs as well, as everything is still dusty, and there is always mud on the ground when you walk into the school. Overall, if you ever consider bringing your child here, do it while they're little and let them express THEIR opinion on whether or not they want to stay.

While my experience was a bit better at high school than at grammar school, some of the things that I encountered gave me some weird vibes. One of them is that almost every time you go into the bathroom, you smell something weird, someone is doing drugs, or the bathrooms are filthier than at home. Not to mention, some weird things have happened in school, such as someone spraying liquid fart in the hallway (which is just gross), and there would be fights students would have with others over something little. That aside, they have teachers who are willing to teach, but at the same time, you will have teachers who are lazy but willing to help. Some of the policies they put into place regarding having to get a tardy slip to get into class, even if you were a few seconds late was a bit unnecessary, not to mention you would need a specific hallpass if you needed to use the bathroom (not to mention there would be times where the bathrooms were closed). I also realized that this school isn't a college prep school anymore, since more often than not, a student from Taft would graduate and go on to college, and they would struggle a lot, since the school doesn't really prepare kids for college.But otherwise, this is just your average suburban high school. You certainly can still have good experiences, though you have to be careful who you surround yourself with, as things can make a turn for the worse if you don't. Unless this is the only school you can attend, you have better options.