Taylor Middle School was built in 1939 by the Worker Progress Administration and received the California Distinguished School Award in 1986, 1994 and 2001 and the National Blue Ribbon honor in 1996.
It has a high state academic performance index (API) of 856, and the state ranked Taylor a 9 out of 10 for academics. As of the 2007-2008 academic year, Taylor spent $4,125 per student, almost half the district and state average. Teacher salaries were $68,235, lower than both the district and the state average.
The school is 54 percent Asian and 14 percent Latino. Forty percent of students speak another language at home, and 17 percent are economically disadvantaged. Due to the very diverse student community, all teachers have additional certification for English learners.
There are 43 teachers, and the average class size is about 25. The school has a gifted child curriculum, special education and an ESL program.