Founded in 1917, The Harley School is a private, independent school in Rochester, NY offering a college preparatory program for approximately 450 students in Nursery through Grade 12.
When you set foot on the Harley campus, you 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 college acceptances for our graduates at prestigious colleges and universities, including Harvard, MIT, McGill, and Kings College in London.
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.
In Their Own Words
“I love Harley. The Harley community’s devotion to progress, especially evident in our mission of diversity and inclusion, gives us unique potential as a school that can be a place welcoming to all. And, honestly, I am incredibly grateful for this community. Being who I am, as a queer and trans person, it is not an exaggeration to say that this school saved my life.”
—Kai DeJesus ’19; Undergraduate Student, Harvard College; Political Outreach Lead (MA), Brand New Congress
“There’s nothing I love more about Harley than our community. My teachers take time to talk with me or share things they think I’ll find interesting, and my classmates are always willing to help out if there is something I don’t understand. There’s plenty to love about Harley, especially the welcoming and supportive community—that’s why I’ve been here since Grade 1.”
—Luke H. ’25
Future Students
Our diverse learning community champions intellectual challenge and empathy, powered by students who act with care for themselves, each other, and the world.
Academic Programs
Harley fosters a culture of academic excellence where exploration, risk-taking, and intellectual curiosity fuel innovation and lifelong learning. (link to academic overview)
Culture & Community
Our vibrant learning environment fosters academic achievement, personal growth, a strong sense of community, and fun.
Innovative Student Projects
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.
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.
The Solenoid-Based, Midi-Playing Marble Metallophone
Two Upper Schoolers were inspired by The Wintergartan Marble Machine, which sends thousands of steel marbles around an enormously complex circuit to make music. Their version uses circuits, coding, 3D printed parts, and more to play any midi file song file, from Free Bird to Mary Had a Little Lamb.
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 News
Harley Students Selected for University of Rochester’s Photon Camp
Two Harley School Grade 11 students, Danny C. and Brynn M., had the opportunity to attend the distinguished Photon Camp hosted by the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester this summer. This immersive week-long program provided a deep dive into the...
Bridging the Gap: How the WISE Program Fostered Empathy in Our Students
By Sybil Prince ‘00, LCSW Hospice, Service Learning, and Mindfulness Educator Center for Mindfulness and Empathy Education This past trimester, Trish Corcoran, Harley’s Indigenous and Environmental studies educator, and I were excited to revitalize the WISE program...
