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Harker School

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The Harker School is a private, co-educational school located in San Jose, California. Founded in 1893 as Manzanita Hall, Harker now has three campuses: Bucknall, Union, and Saratoga, named after the streets on which they lie.

The Harker School
Nichols Hall
Location
Map
Upper School: 500 Saratoga Avenue
Middle School: 4525 Union Avenue
Lower School: 4300 Bucknall Road

San Jose
,
California

United States
Coordinates37°19′03″N 121°58′17″W / 37.3176°N 121.9715°W / 37.3176; -121.9715
Information
Former namesManzanita Hall (1893–1919),
Miss Harker's School (1902–1972),
Palo Alto Military Academy (1919–1972),
Harker Academy (1972–1993)
TypeIndependent
MottoK through Life
Established1893, as Manzanita Hall
Head of schoolBrian Yager
Faculty450
GradesPreK–12
GenderCoeducational
EnrollmentUpper School: 800 (approximate) Total: 2,053 (2020-2021)[4]
Color(s)Green   and White  
Athletics conferenceWest Bay Athletic League
MascotEagle
Endowment$301 million in total assets (2022) [1]
TuitionUpper School: $62,950
Middle School: $57,750
Lower School: $48,500
Transitional Kindergarten (Pre-K): $43,750
*All tuition options are non-boarding[2]
National Merit Semifinalists52 (2021)[3]
Websitewww.harker.org

The Bucknall campus houses the Lower School (kindergarten through grade 5), the Union campus houses the Middle School (grades 6–8), and the Saratoga campus houses the Upper School (grades 9 through 12).

Harker School's tuition varies by campus, and is higher than comparable private schools in the Bay Area.[5] Many of the 35 after-school programs have historically been included in the tuition.[6]

History

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Miss Harker's School (c. 1915) in Palo Alto, California

The Harker School was founded as three distinct schools, which merged in 1972 to form Harker Academy and in 1993, Harker School.

Manzanita Hall and Palo Alto Military Academy

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In 1891, founding Stanford University president David Starr Jordan influenced Frank Cramer to open the Palo Alto Preparatory School for Boys.[7] The school was renamed Manzanita Hall in 1892, and by September 1894 the school had enrolled 24 students. In 1893, the school was a boys day school and boarding school, by the name of Manzanita Hall founded by Frank Cramer.[8] The Manzanita Hall school was originally located at 1129 Parkinson Avenue in Palo Alto, California.[9] In 1915, the enrollment was 60 boys.[8] in 1919, Manzanita Hall was purchased and renamed as Palo Alto Military Academy, and that school remained until 1972.[9]

Miss Harker's School

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In 1902, Miss Harker's School was founded by Catherine Harker as a girls day school, with a limited boarding school, also located in Palo Alto.[8] In 1917, the enrollment was 40 girls and was served as a preparatory school for competitive colleges such as Stanford University.[10] From 1902 to 1907, Miss Harker's School was located at 1121 Bryant Street in Palo Alto;[11] and moved to 1050 Greenwood Avenue in Palo Alto,[12] where the campus grew in size and the nearby streets were renamed (Melville and Harker Street) to reflect the campus.

Harker Academy

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In 1972, there was a merger between the Palo Alto Military Academy and Miss Harker's School in order to form the Harker Academy.[9] With the merger, the school moved to 500 Saratoga Avenue in San Jose, California.[9] in 1993, the school name changed to Harker School.

In 1954, the Harker School joined the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Campus

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Upper school

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The upper school, offering grades 9 through 12, is located on the Saratoga Avenue campus. The campus was previously home to an all-girls school, Mother Butler Memorial High School, which merged with Archbishop Mitty High School in 1969.[13] The upper school was added to the K–8 program in 1998, with the first class of graduates in 2002.[citation needed]

Middle school

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The middle school is located on the Union campus, the former site of the Harker Preschool. Since the opening of the upper school in 1998, most students choose to remain at Harker School after middle school. Many components ease the shift from the lower school to the middle school, including various athletic and artistic programs. There is also a fine arts requirement: students in grades 7 and 8 must take at least one arts class or participate in one art event in order to graduate (sixth graders are encouraged to do so, as well).

Lower school

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The elementary school is located on the Bucknall campus, the former site of Bucknall Elementary School. The campus was purchased by Harker School in 1997.[14] The lower school also has an after-school orchestra, as well as sports and other activities.

Academics

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Academic Olympiad competitions

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Harker students won gold medals at the International Physics Olympiad (IPHO) in 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2022.[15][16][17][18] In 2016, Harker students won one gold and two silver medals at the U.S. Physics Olympiad.[19] At the International Linguistics Olympiad, Harker students won silver medals in 2009 and 2022 and a gold medal in 2012.[20][21][19] In 2016, a Harker student won the gold medal at the International Informatics Olympiad.[22] In 2022, a team of 4 Harker students representing the U.S. team won the gold medal at the International Economics Olympiad.[15] In the International Mathematical Olympiad, Harker students won silver medals in 2006 and 2020.[19][23] Beyond medal winners, Harker School has sent numerous students to represent the U.S. team at International Olympiads.[15]

Science research competitions

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In the Siemens Competition, Harker School had four national semi-finalists in both 2006 and 2007, and six in 2008. In 2012, Harker had four regional finalists and six semi-finalists: one-fourth of the regional finalists in California were from The Harker School.[24][25]

In the Intel Science Talent Search, a Harker student won the $75,000 second place award in 2006. From 2007 to 2009, 12 Harker School seniors were named national semi-finalists, the largest number of any school west of the Mississippi in those years.[26] In 2010, Harker School had one Intel finalist.[27] In 2011, Harker School had seven semi-finalists and was the only school with two Intel finalists.[28] In 2012, Harker School had 11 Intel semi-finalists, the most in California and second in the nation behind Stuyvesant High School in New York.[29][30] In 2013, Harker School again had six Intel semi-finalists, the most in California for the second year in a row, and one finalist.[31][32][33][34] In 2014 Intel STS Harker had 10 semi-finalists, most of any school in California and one finalist.[35][36] In 2015 Intel STS Harker had a record 15 semi-finalists, most of any school in the USA and three finalists, again most of any school in USA with a student winning the first prize of $150,000.[37][38][39] In 2016 Intel STS Harker had four semi-finalists and one finalist.[40][41]

In 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search, Harker had nine semi-finalists, tied as most of any school in USA with two other schools and had three finalists most of any school alone in USA.[42][43] In 2018 Regeneron STS, Harker had six semi-finalists, tied as most of any school in California and two finalists.[44][45] In the 2019 Regeneron STS, Harker had seven semi-finalists, the most of any school in California and three finalists, tied with another school as the most of any school in USA.[46] In 2020, Harker had two semi-finalists and one finalist.[47] In 2021, Harker had four semi-finalists.[48] In 2022, Harker had six semi-finalists, most of any school in California.[49] In 2023, Harker had six semi-finalists and one finalist.[50][51]

Standardized Testing

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The Harker School has the highest average SAT/ACT scores out of any high school in California, and the second highest average scores out of any high school in the nation.[52]

Each year, several Harker students receive perfect scores (no wrong questions) on AP (Advanced Placement) exams.[53][54][55][56] In 2013, 10 Harker students received perfect scores, more than 10 percent of the total worldwide that year.[54] In 2019, 13 Harker students received perfect scores.[53]

Athletics

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Harker School offers an athletics program which includes football, volleyball, soccer, track and field, basketball, baseball, tennis, golf, softball, lacrosse, cross country running, swimming, water polo, wrestling, cheerleading, yoga, fitness, physical education, and dance. Students are encouraged to participate in sports from 4th grade onwards. In August 2017, Harker finished construction on their new athletic center on the upper school campus.[57]

Performing arts

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Harker School offers a K–12 performing arts program. The upper school program offers courses in vocal and instrumental ensembles, acting, dance, and technical theater, as well as a program named the Certificate Program. In February 2018, Harker opened a new performing arts building on the Saratoga campus, which includes a 463-seat theater, dressing rooms and practice rooms,[58] and a Bosendorfer 214VC CS grand piano.[59]

Publications

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Harker has student-run journalistic publications: newspaper (Winged Post),[60] yearbook (Talon), news website (Harker Aquila, formerly talonwp.com),[61] and news magazine (Wingspan), as well as a social media presence.[62][63] Harker also has a science research magazine, Harker Horizon, which has an online presence[64] and printed its inaugural issue in 2017.[65] In addition, Harker began an economics magazine, Equilibrium, in 2019, and will maintain both an online presence and print its inaugural version in summer 2020. The school's art and literature magazine (HELM), has published 17 print issues as of late 2017.[66]

Notable alumni and faculty

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References

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  1. ^ "THE HARKER SCHOOL". 10 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Tuition & Financial Aid". The Harker School. Retrieved 17 Oct 2024.
  3. ^ "52 students, more than 25% of senior class, named National Merit semifinalists". 15 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Harker Profile 2021" (PDF). www.harker.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  5. ^ "California Private High Schools By Tuition Cost (2024-25)". www.privateschoolreview.com. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  6. ^ "The Harker School helps children find their passion". J. News, The Jewish News of Northern California. 2011-10-14. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  7. ^ "Harker History: Frank Cramer and Manzanita Hall". Harker School. August 2009.
  8. ^ a b c Sargent, Porter E. (1915). The Handbook of Private Schools. Sargent's handbook series. Boston, MA: Geo. H. Ellis Company. pp. 84, 162.
  9. ^ a b c d Rogal, Samuel J. (2009-03-24). The American Pre-College Military School: A History and Comprehensive Catalog of Institutions. McFarland. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-7864-5329-0.
  10. ^ Western Journal of Education. Vol. 12. California Dept. of Public Instruction, California Dept. of Education. Harr Wagner Publishing Company. January 1907. p. 544.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. ^ "1121 Bryant Street, Nardyne Apartments, Professorville Historic District". Palo Alto Stanford Heritage. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  12. ^ The Handbook of Private Schools. Sargent's handbook series. Sargent. 1973. p. 1422.
  13. ^ "Former Residents of Saratoga Campus Visit, Share Memories". February 3, 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-02-03.
  14. ^ Delevett, Peter (February 9, 1998). "Harker plans to establish high-tech high school". Silicon Valley Business Journal.
  15. ^ a b c "2022 grads' team wins Int'l Economics Olympiad". news.harker.org. 3 August 2022.
  16. ^ "2004 Physics Olympics". aapt.org. July 22, 2004.
  17. ^ "Meet the team: Anand Natarajan". aapt.org.
  18. ^ "Recent Grad Wins Gold Medal at Int'l Physics Olympiad". news.harker.org. 23 July 2014.
  19. ^ a b c "Achievement Highlights". news.harker.org. 24 July 2018.
  20. ^ "Senior Wins Silver at Linguistics Olympiad". news.harker.org. September 2009.
  21. ^ "2022 grad takes silver at Int'l Linguistics Olympiad". news.harker.org. 29 August 2022.
  22. ^ "2016 Grad Wins Gold Medal at International Informatics Olympiad". news.harker.org. 2 September 2016.
  23. ^ "Jeffrey Kwan ('20) participates in the 2020 International Math Olympiad". news.harker.org. 9 October 2020.
  24. ^ "Siemens Competition: Four Harker Regional Finalists, Six Semifinalists". Harker News. 19 October 2012.
  25. ^ 2012 Siemens competition finalistssiemens-foundation.org Archived 2016-03-14 at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ "South Bay places 8 among nation's top high school scientists". mercurynews.com. 17 January 2008.
  27. ^ Friedman, Thomas (20 March 2010). "America's Real Dream Team". New York Times.
  28. ^ "6 Bay Area students named finalists in Intel Science Talent Search". mercurynews.com. 26 January 2011.
  29. ^ "[Updated] Eleven Intel Semifinalists: Most in California, Second in the U.S." Harker News. 18 January 2012.
  30. ^ "2012 Semifinalists". Archived from the original on 2016-11-28. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
  31. ^ "Six Students Named Semifinalists In 2013 Intel Science Talent Search, Most In California Second Year In A Row". The Harker School. 9 January 2013.
  32. ^ "List: Intel Science Talent Search finalists, 2013". The Mercury News. 23 January 2013.
  33. ^ "2013 Semifinalists". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-03-31.
  34. ^ "2013 Finalists". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-31.
  35. ^ "UPDATE: Sreyas Misra Named Intel Finalist, Will Compete in Finals in Washington, D.C." The Harker School. 22 January 2014.
  36. ^ Noguchi, Sharon; Group, Nicholas St Fleur (22 January 2014). "Intel Science Talent Search: Eight Bay Area finalists". East Bay Times. {{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  37. ^ "Fifteen Seniors Named as Intel Semifinalists for 2015 – Most Ever for Harker and Most in the U.S." The Harker School. 7 January 2015.
  38. ^ "Intel STS 2015 finalists announced | Society for Science". January 21, 2015.
  39. ^ Bidwell, Allie (May 12, 2015). "California Senior Wins 'Global Good' Prize for Genetic Research". US News & World Report.
  40. ^ "[UPDATED] Senior Jonathan Ma Named Intel Science Talent Search Finalist". The Harker School. 20 January 2016.
  41. ^ Group, Julia Baum (3 February 2016). "Three finalists in Intel Science Talent Search contest hail from San Jose". The Mercury News. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  42. ^ "[UPDATED] Three Harker students named STS finalists, most from any school in the country". The Harker School. 24 January 2017.
  43. ^ Group, Sharon Noguchi (24 January 2017). "Science Talent Search finalists include five from Bay Area". The Mercury News. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  44. ^ "Society for Science names two seniors finalists in 2018 Regeneron Science Talent Search". The Harker School. 23 January 2018.
  45. ^ "Forty of the nation's most promising young scientists named finalists in Regeneron Science Talent Search 2018". Society for Science. 23 January 2018.
  46. ^ "Regeneron STS, 2019 finalists meet a medical rock star | Society for Science". March 27, 2019.
  47. ^ "Senior named one of 40 Regeneron finalists in nation". news.harker.org. 23 January 2020.
  48. ^ "Four seniors named scholars in 2021 Regeneron Science Talent Search". news.harker.org. 7 January 2021.
  49. ^ "Six seniors named top 300 Regeneron scholars, most for any California school". The Harker School. 6 January 2022.
  50. ^ "Senior Sally Zhu named Regeneron finalist". The Harker School. 23 January 2023.
  51. ^ "2023 Regeneron STS Finalists". Society for Science.
  52. ^ "The 25 US High Schools With The Highest Standardized Test Scores". www.businessinsider.com.
  53. ^ a b "Harker students bring home 14 perfect AP scores, including one double perfect – Harker News – The Harker School". Harker News - The Harker School. 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  54. ^ a b "Updated: CBS stories on Harker's 11 Perfect Advanced Placement Scores – Harker News – The Harker School". Harker News - The Harker School. 2013-11-21. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  55. ^ "College Board: Eight perfect 2017 AP exam scores by Harker students and '17 alumna – Harker News – The Harker School". Harker News - The Harker School. 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  56. ^ "Grad Celebrated for Perfect AP Score on Spring Exams – Harker News – The Harker School". Harker News - The Harker School. 2015-01-29. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  57. ^ "Harker celebrates milestone as athletic center opens". news.harker.org. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  58. ^ Fang, Kathy. "Rothschild Performing Arts Center opens, inaugurates new era for arts". Harker Aquila. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  59. ^ "Students bringing Rothschild Performing Arts Center to life at grand opening Feb. 2". news.harker.org. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  60. ^ "Harker Aquila". issuu. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
  61. ^ "Harker Aquila – The student news site of The Harker School". harkeraquila.com. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
  62. ^ "Harker Aquila". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
  63. ^ "Harker Aquila (@HarkerAquila) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
  64. ^ "Harker Horizon". horizon.harker.org. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
  65. ^ Guan, Rose. "Student-run science magazine Harker Horizon releases first issue". Harker Aquila. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
  66. ^ "HELM [Volume 17]". issuu. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
  67. ^ "Harker News - The Harker School | Harker Senior Athletes Sign Letters of Intent to Participate in College Athletics". 16 February 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  68. ^ "DoorDash co-founder Andy Fang '10 gifts $10 million". 7 April 2021.
  69. ^ "Mav McNealy '13 honored by San Jose Sports Hall of Fame as top amateur". 3 November 2016.
  70. ^ "Harker Olympian Recalls Time in Beijing". 17 October 2008.
  71. ^ "Harker Alumnus Appointed Judge of 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals". 21 July 2014.
  72. ^ "Alumnus Wang Named to Forbes 30 Under 30: Art & Design for Award-Winning Lifestyle Brand". 20 December 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  73. ^ "Alexander Wang: The World's 100 Most Influential People". Time. April 15, 2015.
  74. ^ "Never a Dull Moment for Alumni Working in the Fast-Paced World of Visual Media". 25 February 2014.
  75. ^ "Alumnus Sivaram '07 Named 2010 Rhodes Scholar — One of Only 32 in U.S." 29 November 2010.
 
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