696 N RIVER BEND RD
OTIS, OR 97368

My child has been going here for some time but the way some of the staff handles things is actually ridiculous. It feels like there are sometimes too many cooks in the kitchen. The way children with mental health issues and learning disabilities are handled is absolutely pathetic.

Taft Elementary school has been a great experience for my kids. They got off to the best start possible with their kindergarten experience and have continued to have bright, engaging teachers since then.

I have transfered from this school in the middle of my junior year, and after going to Taft Elementary and Taft High for a combined total of 9 years I would say that I know broadly that Taft is unsatisfactory in almost every department. I've tried time and time again to find a place in Taft, any place, but the only thing that ended up happening is that I turned the other cheek to get slapped. If there was a song that I could compare it to it would probably be comparable to "Hot & Cold" by Katy Perry. To sum it up, it starts when I was in the "Talented and Gifted" program in around 5th or 6th grade. I always wanted to be the smartest, I loved school so much. This school would end up burning me out and leaving me to dry later, when I entered the 7th grade. My grades started slipping and I started feeling inferior, but it was fine, I was still in advanced classes and advancing into the next grade, I was "fine." Going into high school I had extreme pressure on myself, because everything leading up until that point made me feel like high school was my chance for success. I actually did pretty well my freshman year, getting a solid 3.08 GPA, but afterwards, I started to burn out (I have been for awhile, but thats when it became extremely transparent). School stress made me have such bad school anxiety that I hid under my bed and ran away from home because anything was less stressful than school. I tried to get accommodations and the school barely provided a flimsy 504 plan that helped very little. The vice principal straight up downplayed my anxiety during a video meeting between us, and my parents, further still acting unprofessional towards me during mental crises, another teacher that I asked for help saying that I was "too smart for and IEP" and that my "grades were too high" and just so many horror stories of mental breakdowns at school, crying in bathrooms, disordered eating, having an "infeority complex," and school avoidance. This place was the darkest time in my life, hands down. I really wish that I had better to say about this school, but the only thing that was keeping me there was the kind teachers that kept me sane. Those were the people who gave me support that I really needed. I've had to go to a lot of therapy because of all of this, and other factors too. I've been diagnosed with BPD, Depression, Anxiety, and OCD. I'm glad that I can look past high school, and look towards a better future, look at the big picture and be proud of who I am.

Taft Middle School is a great public middle school with a caring staff and experienced and dedicated teachers. Students have the opportunity to participate in a wonderful band program, STEAM classes, a vibrant theatre program and a well established athletics program. Core classes prepare students well for high school. Lincoln city is a beautiful place to raise kids.