Chicago, IL·D299
Homes in the
Taft HS district.
Homes near Taft High School put you in the heart of Norwood Park, one of Chicago's most settled and neighborly corners of the Northwest Side.
- Homes for sale
- 129
- Typical list
- $549,900
- Most expensive
- $2,500,000
- Most affordable
- $145,000
6022 Ionia Avenue →
8455 Leland Avenue →
Eagles · Blue and Silver · 4,464 students · Chicago Public League
Active listings
129 homes on the market
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Market snapshot
The Taft HS area, by the numbers
Live MRED data, refreshed daily. What this market is actually doing right now, sales included, not a portal estimate.
Homes for sale now
195
Typical list price
$525,000
Avg time on market
9 days
Sold in the last year
563
Typical sale price · last 90 days
$521,000
Living near Taft HS
The area, not just the school
Norwood Park is the kind of Chicago neighborhood that feels a little like a small town tucked inside the city. It is one of the city's 77 community areas, set on the far Northwest Side, and it holds the oldest standing building in all of Chicago, the Noble-Seymour-Crippen House from 1833. The area is anchored by Old Norwood, a city-recognized historical district with curving streets, mature trees, and a Memorial Day parade that has run every year since 1922. You will find a rooted community here, with longtime families and plenty of city workers, teachers, and first responders who like being close in while still having a yard.
Housing leans classic Northwest Side: solid Chicago brick bungalows, Georgians, Cape Cods, and newer infill, on real lots with garages and alleys. This is squarely the bungalow belt, so buyers who love sturdy brick construction tend to feel right at home. Pockets like Oriole Park, Union Ridge, Big Oaks, and Old Norwood each have their own feel, from the leafy historic blocks to the more suburban-style streets near the city edge.
Getting around is one of Norwood Park's quiet advantages. The Metra Union Pacific Northwest Line runs right through the area with its own Norwood Park stop, putting downtown within an easy commute, and the Kennedy Expressway and CTA Blue Line are close by for drivers and L riders alike. O'Hare is just to the west, which is a real plus for anyone who travels for work.
🦅Home of the Eagles
Taft competes in blue and silver in the Chicago Public League.
🎓IB World School
A wall-to-wall International Baccalaureate school since 2014.
🏛️Opened in 1939
Built in 1939 with major additions in 1959 and 1974.
👥Large neighborhood school
About 4,464 students in grades 7-12 (2022-23).
🎬The real Grease high school
Taft inspired the musical Grease through alum Jim Jacobs.
🚆Easy commute
Metra Union Pacific Northwest Line and the Kennedy Expressway reach downtown.
The school
About William Howard Taft High School
Taft High School opened in 1939 in the Norwood Park neighborhood on Chicago's far Northwest Side, with major additions built in 1959 and 1974. Named for President William Howard Taft, the school sits inside the city-recognized Norwood Park Historical District, near the Noble-Seymour-Crippen House, the oldest standing building in Chicago. Taft is famous as the inspiration for the musical Grease: co-writer Jim Jacobs based much of the show on growing up in Norwood Park and attending Taft in the 1950s and 1960s. Beginning in the late 1990s, Chicago Public Schools added an NJROTC unit, a selective-enrollment academic center for 7th and 8th graders, and an International Baccalaureate program, and since 2014 Taft has operated as a wall-to-wall IB World School.
Taft is a wall-to-wall International Baccalaureate World School, offering the IB Middle Years, Diploma, and Career-related Programmes alongside Advanced Placement and dual-credit courses. The school's selective-enrollment Academic Center serves 7th and 8th graders, where students can earn high school credit before they formally enter high school. Taft also runs an NJROTC program, and recent graduating classes have reached a graduation rate near 93 percent.
Taft competes in the Chicago Public League and is a member of the Illinois High School Association. The boys soccer team won the Public League city championship in 2023 and again in 2025, the football team won its first Public League title since 1972 in 2018, and the wrestling team captured four straight Public League titles from 2018 through 2021. Taft's trophy case is built on Public League championships and IHSA regional and sectional titles rather than state crowns.
- District
- D299
- Founded
- 1939
- Principal
- Ryan Glowacz
- Conference
- Chicago Public League
- Address
- 6530 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, IL 60631
Notable alumni
- Jim Jacobs. Co-writer of the musical Grease, which he based on his teenage years at Taft.
- Terry Kath. Guitarist and founding member of the rock band Chicago.
- Donna Mills. Actress best known as Abby on the TV series Knots Landing.
- Jerry Krause. Former Chicago Bulls general manager whose teams won six NBA championships.
- Jim Grabowski. Former NFL running back who played in Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II with the Green Bay Packers.
Facts on this page sourced from Wikipedia and the District D299 website. Last verified 2026-06-27.
Listings filtered by the school the MRED listing agent assigned. Roughly 7 in 10 active listings have this field populated; the remaining listings will surface once the school-district boundary pipeline ships. School assignment is not a guarantee. Always verify with the district before writing an offer.
The questions buyers actually ask
Taft HS FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping the Taft HS district. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- What school district serves homes near Taft High School?
- Taft is a Chicago Public Schools high school in the Norwood Park neighborhood on the city's far Northwest Side. If you want me to set up alerts for new listings near Taft, text or call me at 224-385-8779.
- Which neighborhoods does Taft High School serve?
- Taft draws from communities on the far Northwest Side, including Norwood Park, Edison Park, Jefferson Park, Forest Glen, and O'Hare. Boundaries can change, so confirm a specific address with CPS before you make an offer based on schools.
- How big is Taft High School?
- Taft is one of the larger CPS high schools, enrolling about 4,464 students across grades 7 through 12 in the 2022-23 school year.
- What kind of homes are near Taft and Norwood Park?
- Norwood Park is classic Chicago bungalow-belt living, with solid brick bungalows, Georgians, and Cape Cods on real lots, a settled feel, and easy Metra and expressway access downtown. Want to talk through what is on the market right now? Reach me at 224-385-8779.
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This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC for the period July 21, 2025 through July 21, 2026. Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by Midwest Real Estate Data LLC may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.