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Our Values

We’re a school like no other. Come explore.

Who We Are

A message from Larry Frye,
Harley’s Head of School

Education should prepare a young person for life as we actually encounter it—full of challenges, rapid changes, and the search for happiness and meaning. It is no longer enough to simply have a strong GPA or to have aced all of your exams—selective colleges and universities are overrun by such students. The complex intensity of our world requires not just “great students” but young people who can combine science and art, compassion and logic, inspiration and discipline.

We prepare children for that world. 

The Harley program is highly personalized. Our classes are student-centered and inquiry-based, an approach which can’t be replicated in large sections or within the confines of the Common Core. We feature extraordinary strengths in the arts, in STEM, in civic and global engagement, mindfulness and empathy, and education for a sustainable future. We are a diverse community that celebrates academic seriousness and intellectual playfulness, care for the world and the self, a love for learning and for life. 

Harley is a college-preparatory school, and we have an extraordinary record of college admissions, but we’re actually aiming much higher. Our goal is to prepare our students to lead lives of purpose, joy and meaning; to lead lives that make our world better. 

We are The Harley School and I invite you to learn more about us. 

Grandparent and Special Friends Day is a beloved annual  tradition at Harley

Leadership

The Head of School, Administration & Board of Trustees

The Head of School is supported by a dedicated administrative team. The board and administration work together to advance Harley’s mission, provide organizational oversight, and set policy.

Harley’s board of trustees provides strategic leadership by enlisting its members’ talents, expertise, and commitment to the school in areas of governance, finance, enrollment, diversity, and philanthropy.

Meet Our Administration

Our Mission

We are a diverse, inclusive school. We provide a balanced education that prepares our students to meet the challenges of tomorrow and lead lives of great purpose.

  1. We inspire academic excellence.
  2. We foster joy in learning in both the arts and the sciences.
  3. We promote physical and mental fitness.
  4. We show how to care for the world and other people.
  5. We empower our students to become confident, lifelong learners.

Commitment to Diversity

The Harley School believes diversity enriches all groups or communities, and the individuals that are a part of them. Diversity of race, ethnicity, geographical origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, familial or economic status, etc., forms the fabric of our society. The Harley School seeks out students, families, and employees who value and contribute to the diversity of our institution and community.

Harley's Diversity Mission

In the Characteristics of a Harley Graduate, a faculty-driven aspirational document that guides our decision-making and vision, we say we  seek to cultivate A civic person…a pluralist (globally aware, tolerant, appreciative of difference); a respectful steward of community and  environment; and a compassionate individual who knows what it means to take care of another human being. A commitment to pluralism and  empathy, then, is integral to the mission and purpose of the school. We see a pluralistic and empathetic outlook as a core “outcome” for our  students. 

Toward that end, we seek to be a diverse community in which diversity in all its forms is cherished and freely explored. We do so in academic  contexts, choosing as readings and projects work that supports this goal; we do so in community contexts, cultivating mutual understanding  and respect among our students and a sense of responsibility to the broader community; we do so in social contexts, developing the skills of  empathy, appreciation, and collaborative problem-solving; we do so in admissions, financial aid, and hiring, as we invite underrepresented  populations to join our community; and we do so in all of our everyday decision-making. 

We further commit to regular self-assessment of our diversity mission and the effectiveness of our ongoing efforts to live up to these  aspirations.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Acceptance of differences. Respect for others. Self-respect. These are the pillars of a Harley education. The following principles are taught and practiced from Nursery to graduation.

  • I have the right to have the respect of others. I have the responsibility to respect others.
  • I have the right to feel safe. I have the responsibility to help others feel safe.
  • I have the right to an atmosphere that promotes learning. I have the responsibility to promote learning through my preparation and participation.
  • I have the right to have my property respected. I have the responsibility to respect the property of others.
  • I have the right to expect the best of others. I have the responsibility to be my personal best.

Average SAT Score

Average Composite ACT Scores '20-'22

Sq. ft. Sustainable Living Building

Different Sports Teams

1317

Average SAT Score

29

Average Composite ACT Scores '20-'22

15000

Sq. ft. Sustainable Living Building

18

Different Sports Teams

More facts about Harley

Non-Discrimination Policy

The School admits students of any race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and national or ethnic origin to all of the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, staff hiring practices, and athletic or other School-administered programs.

Thinking of applying?

Explore our enrollment and application process.

Financial Assistance Opportunities

A Harley education is possible for your child.

The Harley School

1981 Clover Street
Rochester, NY 14618
(585) 442-1770

©2023 The Harley School

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. 

  • Independent study: one trimester, full year, and multi-year projects have included automating our solar chimneys, coding handmade musical instruments, or developing a class on financial literacy for underserved high school students.
  • Serving on student council: 
  • STEM: Climate curriculum program, biomimicry program, NASA Hunch program

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.

Our faculty integrate social justice into our broader curriculum to assist students in gaining a foundational knowledge about what makes a democracy function. By gaining skills in ideating supportive pathways they become more exposed and experienced to how communities can undergo healing and restorative actions.

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. They are empowered to create their own curriculum, set goals, and work on time management skills in order to accomplish their objectives.

Independent Studies run the gamut from The Psychology of Sports to Furniture Design to The Neuroimaging of Alzheimer’s Disease. Capstones, meanwhile, are as diverse as the students who pursue them: Fictional Rochester, Autobiographical Art, Biomimicry Education, Organic Fuel, and Rochester Refugees. 

Indicative of Upper School curiosity and creativity, pursuits such as these distinguish our graduates in college. Through deep dives of this sort, Harley students master more than speaking, writing, and computing: they learn to communicate, advocate, collaborate, organize, listen, and empathize. 

About

Academics

Key Programming

Enrollment

Letter from the Head of School

Letter from the Editor

Features

Central Work that Matters: DEI

Harley Black Alumni Network

Climate Crisis Curriculum

Citizen Scientists

Joy Moss: Storytelling Roots

In Every Issue

Class Notes

Diane Donniger Award

By the Numbers

From the Archives

What’s (Who’s) New at Harley

Divisional Highlights

Alumni Profile: Vandebroek

Alumni Profiles: Keller

HAC Athletics

2021 Lives of Great Purpose Awards

1000 Words

Commencement 2022

Reunion 2022

In Memoriam

Retirements and Fond Farewells

Letter from the Head of School

Letter from the Editor

Features

Central Work that Matters

Affinity Group Forms

Climate Crisis Curriculum

Citizen Scientists

Joy Moss: Storytelling Roots

In Every Issue

Class Notes

Diane Donniger Award

By the Numbers

From the Archives

What’s (Who’s) New at Harley

Divisional Highlights

Alumni Profile: Vandebroek

Alumni Profiles: Keller

HAC Athletics

2021 Lives of Great Purpose Awards

1000 Words

Commencement 2022

Reunion 2022

In Memoriam

Retirements and Fond Farewells