The Harker School is a private, non-profit 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 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 is significantly higher than most comparable private schools in the Bay Area. Many of the 35+ after-school programs have historically been included in the tuition.
History
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
In 1891, founding Stanford University president David Starr Jordan influenced Frank Cramer to open the Palo Alto Preparatory School for Boys. 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. The Manzanita Hall school was originally located at 1129 Parkinson Avenue in Palo Alto, California. In 1915, the enrollment was 60 boys. in 1919, Manzanita Hall was purchased and renamed as Palo Alto Military Academy, and that school remained until 1972.
Miss Harker's School
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. In 1917, the enrollment was 40 girls and was served as a preparatory school for competitive colleges such as Stanford University. From 1902 to 1907, Miss Harker's School was located at 1121 Bryant Street in Palo Alto; and moved to 1050 Greenwood Avenue in Palo Alto, where the campus grew in size and the nearby streets were renamed (Melville and Harker Street) to reflect the campus.
Harker Academy
In 1972, there was a merger between the Palo Alto Military Academy and Miss Harker's School in order to form the Harker Academy. With the merger, the school moved to 500 Saratoga Avenue in San Jose, California. 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
Upper school
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. The upper school was added to the K–8 program in 1998, with the first class of graduates in 2002.
Middle school
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
The elementary school is located on the Bucknall campus, the former site of Bucknall Elementary School. The campus was sold to Harker School by the Moreland School District, and classes started there in the 1998–1999 school year. The lower school also has an after-school orchestra, as well as sports and other activities.
Academics
Academic Olympiad competitions
Harker students won gold medals at the International Physics Olympiad (IPHO) in 2004, 2009 and 2014. In 2016, Harker students won one gold and two silver medals at the U.S. Physics Olympiad. At the International Linguistics Olympiad, Harker students won silver medals in 2009 and 2022 and a gold medal in 2012. In 2016, a Harker student won the gold medal at the International Informatics Olympiad. In 2022, a team of 4 Harker students representing the U.S. team won the gold medal at the International Economics Olympiad. In the International Mathematical Olympiad, Harker students won silver medals in 2006 and 2020. Beyond medal winners, Harker School has sent numerous students to represent the U.S. team at International Olympiads.