What parents want from Rochester private schools
By Caurie Putnam//October 1, 2025
Ryan Kimmett
The Harley School
Dr. Ryan Kimmet, Ed.D., is head of school at The Harley School, a private, independent college preparatory school in Brighton that was founded in 1917 and has a current enrollment of 440 students in nursery (age three) through grade twelve.
“I am an alum and now back as the head of school thirty years after I graduated from Harley,” Kimmet said. “There are so many things that are still true about Harley that were true back then as well, one being the strong sense of community here.”
Kimmet, a member of Harley’s Class of 1995, says the small size leads to smaller classes, which helps build strong relationships between students and teachers.
When you’re known and seen and valued by your teachers, you can bring your best self,” Kimmet said. “That sort of individual attention and teachers not being beholden to Common Core or Regents allows teachers to bring not only their passions into the classroom but follow the interests and desires of the students as well.”
Kimmet says that in addition to strong community and individualized education, parents and students today have an increased desire for safety — both physical and social-emotional safety.
“We aim to always be an open and inclusive place, but also feel safe and secure,” Kimmet said. “So, we have a safety director and a number of protocols in place that I think are really strong. We also have an increased number of school counselors and protocols for the emotional safety of kids and a social-emotional literacy program to ensure that as well.”
The Harley School is also now choosing to be phone-free for students.
“We believe it’s what’s right for students,” Kimmet said. “We’re already seeing much more student connection during unstructured times, like lunch and recess, and fewer distractions in the classroom. It’s a learning process and we’re tweaking our policy a little bit, but it’s been great so far.”
