Harley’s Approach to College Counseling
“Club Rush” is an afternoon every fall in the Upper School when students have the chance to sign up for clubs for the year, and each year it is very different because new clubs are created based on student initiative and enthusiasm.
Each and every year, students at The Harley School participate in HAC Athletics, and their success continues to be impressive, both as students and athletes. Our athletic program is an integral part of Harley, teaching student-athletes invaluable lessons about teamwork, time management, persistence, and competition. Our program allows them to develop physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally as they represent their school on and off the field. They grow, mature, and work hard to be the best teammate they can, while creating lifelong memories with teammates who often remain friends for life. 
Our Upper School is filled with formal and informal opportunities for students to take on leadership roles. Whether following passions or learning new skills, student-driven opportunities take many shapes.
Unlike this class, death is not an elective. Although it is one of two universal human experiences, our culture often ignores, denies, or misconstrues the true nature of death and dying. What happens when we bear witness to this natural process in the cycle of life and develop our ability to be fully present with others when they need us more than ever? It has the potential to change us deeply and fundamentally while shining a brilliant light on the path of our own lives.
This program utilizes environmentally-focused approaches to education and hands-on learning in order to foster the next generation of leaders through a lens of sustainability and problem-solving.
At Harley, our students learn how to evaluate social systems in order to identify complex problems in society through a lens of social justice. They take a hands-on approach to working for a fair, equitable society by researching, exploring and evaluating different perspectives, and offering solutions—both theoretical and practical.
Students may create independent studies with supervising teachers throughout their Upper School experience or, during Grade 12, they can design Capstone projects—intensive collaborations with Harley faculty and off-campus mentors—involving rigorous academic study and culminating in public presentations. 
Preparing Students to lead lives of great purpose
Founded in 1917, The Harley School is a private, independent school in Rochester, NY offering a college preparatory program for approximately 500 students in Nursery through Grade 12.
When you set foot on the Harley campus, you can immediately sense education is different here.
Our approach yields outstanding outcomes to be sure: the highest SAT scores in the region for the past five years, and 100% college acceptances for our graduates at prestigious colleges and universities, including Harvard, Stanford, and Vanderbilt for the graduating class of 2019.
However, the most important part of our story isn’t results like these; it’s how our students are given the opportunity, the gift really, to be who they are: authentically and with the support of a caring community all around them
Average SAT Score (Class of 2023)
Average Composite ACT Scores '20-'22
Sq. ft. Sustainable Living Building
Different Sports Teams
1317
Average SAT Score (Class of 2023)
29
Average Composite ACT Scores '20-'22
15000
Sq. ft. Sustainable Living Building
18
Different Sports Teams
More facts about Harley
Where Our Students Are Going
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In Their Own Words
“Science is about curiosity, asking questions, and finding new ways to explore possibilities and gather information. The best scientists are lifelong learners who think critically about the world around them. Harley’s approach to teaching the whole child produces the informed and engaged citizens of tomorrow. I couldn’t be happier to partner with Harley in my work and to be a Harley parent for my curious daughter.”
“The strong connection with my teachers and coaches is what I appreciate most about my Harley education. Knowing that they are available and always willing to help makes me feel confident in my ability to take on academic challenges. I know that their presence in my experience at Harley will last past my graduation and well into my future.”
Watch and Listen to Our Community in Action
Grade 5: Wolf Tank Project
Wolf Tank is much like “Shark Tank,” a popular TV show that gives entreprenuers the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of business people and investors. Middle School students in Grade 5 were given the opportunity to develop their own inventions—from prototype to pitch.
The Solenoid-Based, Midi-Playing Marble Metallophone
Grade 2: Twoville Post Office Project
Among a number of inventive, interactive projects, the Twoville Post Office, begun in 1982, is an annual student favorite. The goal? To give the students an enjoyable way to learn how to read, practice authentic writing, try new things, and hold roles of responsibility.
Grade 3: Harlic Garlic Project
One annual tradition that ties Grade 3 students to the Microfarm is Harlic Garlic. Each year, Grade 3 students sell the garlic that they have grown the previous year (and harvested over the summer), and at the end of the fall, they plant another round of garlic for the next class.
Harley Podcasts
Harley News
Alumni News: Exchange student Chris Dwyer ’93
Chris Dwyer ’93 was a 17-year-old student living in a small English town and a member of the debate team at Colchester Royal Grammar School when he was introduced to the English-Speaking Union, an education charity for international students “working to give young...
A Newly Decorated Space: Harley Inspired from Start to Finish
Back in 2017, Mary Critikos ’54 was visiting Harley and noticed a group of students sitting on the floor, among backpacks and jackets, at the top of the stairs outside the doorway that leads to the theater. She loved the joy on their faces as they talked and laughed,...
Alumni News: Cliff Costello ’07
Dr. Cliff Costello ’07 didn’t always want to be a doctor, but he was always interested in science. At Harley, he, along with four other determined, science-minded classmates Alex Duckles, Mac Inglis, Eric Dobson, and James Greenebaum battled their way through...
Alumni News: Exchange student Simon Williams ’88
Simon Williams '88 says when he set off for his year abroad at Harley in the late 1980s “Travel was expensive, phone calls were expensive, there was no internet—America was still a long way away.” He’d exchanged a couple of letters with the McLear's, but arrived with...
Alumni News: Talethea Best ’82
Talethea Best ’82 joined Harley in Grade 7. Although she and her sister Nicolle were doing fine at the public city school in their 19th Ward neighborhood, her parents were very education-minded people and were drawn to the idea of the smaller class sizes, the...
In Memoriam: Joseph Curtis Briggs ’48
Joseph Curtis Briggs ’48 passed away on January 22, 2021, at the age of 90. Joe attended The Harley School until 1945 and was considered a member of the Class of 1948. He was one of a long line of Briggs family members to attend The Harley School: sisters Barbara...
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