What a wonderful school! My son finished Kindergarten here, and is now in 1st Grade. He loves school and always impresses me with what he's learned. We've been particularly happy with the emphasis on deeper conceptual understanding of material, so it's not just rote memorization and regurgitation. Word problems were a significant part of Kindergarten math, and I'm positive I wasn't doing word problems that early when I was a kid. The teachers and administration are very receptive to feedback and concerns that inevitably crop up during the school year. We've been happy with the way they've handled issues, and clearly customer service is an important part of their philosophy. Tuition is on the higher range of private schools, but in this case you truly do get what you pay for. read more

Our daughter has gone to Harker since their inaugural preschool class started . She loves it and so do we . Teachers are great and after school programs are plentiful . Even though it takes an hour to get to school we think it's worth it. read more

Our daughter is a Kindergarten student at Harker and is thriving. She loves her teachers and various classes - which includes language, computers, character development, STEM, art, music, gym, social studies, violin, gymnastics, and even cooking! I am incredibly impressed by everything she is learning at such a young age, and the fact that she is truly loving learning in itself! There is a reason Harker is a top-rated school in the *country*. Her father and I cannot say enough good things about the amazing, well-rounded education she is receiving. read more

Not worth the money you pay out. For what it's worth, at this age you can get by at a Montessori school and get the same result. If you plan on attending, wait until elementary to start dishing out the $$$. read more

We are just about to enter our third session of summer school for our kindergarten age boy and we are thrilled with Harker!! Our regret is that we didn't apply for school this year. Our son has blossomed under their tutelage this summer-- from the summer principal Ms Chen, to the summer director Ms Gonsalves, to the teachers, support staff, and all the summer teaching kids-- thank you!!!! (Also a massive shout out to The Big Cheese and Ms K -- two of my favorite people!!) it's been an amazing experience for our family -- thank you for showing us what's possible. You've made an indelible impact on our sons development and on our growth as parents. One week left and in the words of our son...we wish it was forever". read more

I strongly discourage those whose kids have no siblings in the Harker to apply for this school. If your kids have no siblings already in the Harker, the chance of your kids to be admitted is very slim, if not impossible. The destruction of your kids' self-esteem and confidence because of failing to be admitted in the Harker will be disastrous, and will affect your kids' future forever. Harker publicly declares that they DO have policy to have higher priority to enroll the kids who have sibling already in the Harker. There are only a few openings every year, and there are more applicants whose siblings are already in the Harker. Therefore, if your kids have no sibling in the Harker, it is extremely difficult for your kids to be admitted, no matter how excellent your kids are. My kid has several classmates and friends who have siblings in the Harker. They are not as excellent as my kid, and they never work hard for the entrance tests. But they told my kid that they don't need study hard and they could go to the Harker whenever they wanted to go. Although a top student, my kid has much less chance to be admitted. Frustrated, my kid no longer studies hard as before, and spends more time in TV and computer games, saying "It's useless to study hard. I don't need work hard since you're rich!". We always educate our kids to study hard to be successful in the future. But now my kid doesn't believe me anymore. If your kids have no sibling in the Harker and you want to send your kids to Harker, you need think twice. Not only will it waste your time, energy and money to prepare for their tests, more destructively it will ruin your kids' future most likely. read more

My child transferred to Harker lower school from a very good public elementary school. He does not have a Harker sibling, did not score high in the admissions test (as compared to students transferring from private schools), did not win any competition, and is not a sports/music star-to-be. And we did not hint a big donation either. Frankly we felt extremely lucky to be admitted and great sense of relief. My only complaint is the tuition but I guess it's fair market price to pay. My child is very satisfied with Harker and adjusted really well. Each subject has a dedicated teacher who's able to give more to teaching and the children. I would consider one teacher from last year as a star teacher who gave that much more to teaching with passion. Each child is able to flourish in his/her own way. At least for the lower school unhealthy competition is not encouraged. Every child is respected and the goal is to aid every child in the discovery of their passion, strength and learning. Homework and curriculum is suitable for the grade level. Because my child did not have private school education before coming to Harker, I tried to help him with homework and bridge any gap as needed, which helped ease his stress and anxiety and help him catch up with other students. Based on what I observed, other parents did not need to help the children with homework (which the school discourages anyway). The school sends report card three times in the year, where every homework and class work would count to show a general picture of the children's effort and achievement. My child asked me why we did not start him at Harker earlier, which I did regret about. I don't think Harker is worth every penny you paid for, but it is the best choice in the South Bay Area and therefore worthy of the investment in the children's life long learning and education. read more

Great school, solid community, wonderful teaching and very involved staff. All around great experience! So many options for after school and wonderful feedback from teachers and staff. Couldn't be happier with our experiences. read more

The best school in the bay area! The academics truly challenges the young minds. Each child is motivated and encouraged to do the best to their ability. My child's teachers have been excellent and I have never felt that my child has been pushed by the school so much as some stated. I think most of the pushing is from the parents themselves. The children are well behaved and taught to be very respectful towards others. There seems to be good communication between the teachers, parents, and counselors to make sure the children are doing well academically, socially, and emotionally. Harker also provides a nice balance of field trips, outings, etc. Extremely expensive, however well worth the money! Due to the high cost of the tuition, I had contemplated on whether it would be a wise decision. So far, I have no regrets. I think Harker is building a wonderful foundation for a lifetime of learning. Most of the children here successfully move on to an elite college and are more than well prepared for college. read more