Taft Oil Technology Academy

The Taft Union High School District encompasses three of the five largest producing onshore oilfields in the lower 48 states- in fact the story of Taft is a story of oil. Because of this, Taft Union High School started the Taft Oil-Technology Academy in 2001. A California Partnership Academy, this program is a three-year, sequential program of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders, in a college preparatory curriculum, and has approximately 150 students out of the 1,000 that attend Taft Union High School. All students volunteer to enter the program and have to go through an extensive application, screening and interview process during their 9th grade year to be accepted. Interest, focus, enthusiasm, and participation of the students, staff and business partners have remained high during the existence of the Taft Oil Technology Academy.

A California Partnership Academy is a partnership between a school, the California State Department of Education, and local business partners. The Taft Oil-Technology Academy offers many opportunities for these students, and offers the petroleum industry opportunities for possible future employees with a better understanding and appreciation of the petroleum industry at an earlier age. This unique program is designed to meet the needs of both the college-bound student, and the student who aspires to enter the workforce right out of high school.