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The Harker School is an independent, coeducational day school for transitional kindergarten through grade 12, with its campuses in west San Jose. The upper school at 500 Saratoga Avenue is about 14 miles from downtown Palo Alto in a straight line, usually reached by Interstate 280. Harker describes itself as the largest independent school of its kind in California.
Harker runs buses that cover Palo Alto and the Peninsula. It also has a local history most families never hear about: it began in Palo Alto. This page covers that history, the school's campuses, the admission steps and deadlines for fall 2027 and the tuition and aid it publishes for 2026 to 2027. We do not repeat commercial rankings. Our private schools guide lists options closer to home.
From Palo Alto to San Jose
Harker grew out of two Palo Alto schools. The first was a boys' preparatory school that Wikipedia says Frank Cramer opened in 1891 at the urging of Stanford president David Starr Jordan. It became Manzanita Hall, which gives Harker its founding date of 1893. Wikipedia places its early home on Parkinson Avenue. In 1919 it became the Palo Alto Military Academy.
The second was Miss Harker's School, a girls' day school with limited boarding founded by Catherine Harker in 1902. Wikipedia says it stood at 1121 Bryant Street in today's Professorville from 1902 to 1907, then moved to Greenwood Avenue, where the nearby streets were later renamed Harker and Melville. The school prepared girls for colleges such as Stanford.
Harker's own timeline picks up the rest. Miss Harker's became coeducational in 1955 as the Harker Day School. Donald Nichols bought the military academy in the 1950s and the day school nine years later. In 1972 the two merged as Harker Academy and moved to the current upper school site on Saratoga Avenue in San Jose. Howard Nichols dropped the military program in 1973. The name changed to The Harker School in the early 1990s. The high school was added in 1998. Brian Yager took over as head of school in 2017 and is named on the school's head of school page in 2026.
Campuses and size
Harker runs three divisions on separate San Jose campuses: the lower school (TK to 5) on Bucknall Road, the middle school (6 to 8) on Union Avenue and the upper school (9 to 12) on Saratoga Avenue. Its facts page mentions four campuses in all. A free intercampus shuttle runs mornings and evenings so families can drop all their children at one site.
Enrollment figures vary by source. Harker's facts page says 2,040 students. Its about page says 1,975. The state's private school affidavit for 2025 to 2026, which leaves out transitional kindergarten, lists 1,942 students in kindergarten through grade 12: 619 in K to 5, 528 in grades 6 to 8 and 795 in grades 9 to 12. The school reports a 9 to 1 student to teacher ratio and upper school classes of 14 to 15.
The upper school campus has an athletic center finished in 2017 and a performing arts building opened in 2018 with a 463-seat theater, per Wikipedia. Harker says its students come from more than 45 cities and 120 ZIP codes, mostly San Jose, Saratoga, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Los Gatos.
Admission for fall 2027
All divisions follow the same calendar, set with other Bay Area independent schools:
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| September 1, 2026 | Application and event registration opened on Ravenna |
| January 5, 2027 | Application deadline, plus financial aid application and documents |
| February 16, 2027 | Last day to submit a 2026 federal tax return for aid, if not ready by January 5 |
| March 12, 2027, 4 p.m. | Decisions released in Ravenna |
| March 19, 2027, noon | Contract and deposit due |
| June 15, 2027 | Tuition balance due |
Every applicant submits a preliminary application and a $100 nonrefundable fee, waived for families applying for aid. What comes next depends on the grade:
- TK to grade 2: a Wechsler cognitive assessment (WPPSI-IV or WISC-V) from a psychologist, a student visit, a parent video interview through Kira and a teacher recommendation.
- Grades 2 to 5: ISEE scores taken after August 1, 2026, plus records and a teacher recommendation.
- Middle school: ISEE or SSAT scores, recommendations from the current English teacher, math teacher and principal or counselor, a list of activities and an activity session.
- Upper school: a student essay, an interview, an activity session, recommendations and entrance exam scores.
Harker says readers review each file first without seeing test scores. Only the first set of scores submitted counts. Typical openings, per the school: about 57 to 60 in kindergarten, about 22 in grade 3, 40 to 50 in grade 6 and 50 to 55 in grade 9. Other grades depend on attrition. Harker does not admit students to grade 12, does not take mid-year transfers and has no boarding program.
Tuition and financial aid
Harker's tuition and aid page lists these 2026 to 2027 rates. Tuition for 2027 to 2028 had not been posted in early November 2026.
| Division | Tuition 2026 to 2027 |
|---|---|
| Transitional kindergarten | $46,350 |
| Kindergarten to grade 5 | $51,550 |
| Grades 6 to 8 | $61,450 |
| Grades 9 to 12 | $66,950 |
Tuition covers before and after school care, lunch, the intercampus shuttle, yearbooks, local field trips and athletic uniforms. Middle and upper school students need a laptop. Textbooks are extra. Some activities and elective trips carry their own fees.
Aid is need-based only. The school says it awards about $10 million a year, that admission is need-blind and that it offers no academic, athletic or arts scholarships. Aid is available from kindergarten through grade 12 but not for TK. Families apply through Clarity by January 5, 2027. The aid page shows sample awards from about $32,000 to $66,450 a year per student, depending on income, assets and the number of children in private school. Treat those examples as illustrations, not quotes.
How it compares
We compare private schools only on facts they publish. The table lists 2026 to 2027 high school tuition as posted by each school. Fees, what tuition includes and aid policies differ, so read each school's page before comparing totals.
| School | Grades | Location | Grade 9 to 12 tuition, 2026 to 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Harker School | TK to 12 | San Jose | $66,950 |
| Menlo School | 6 to 12 | Atherton | $67,792 tuition and fees |
| Castilleja School (girls) | 6 to 12 | Palo Alto | $67,750 tuition and fees |
| The Nueva School | PreK to 12 | Hillsborough and San Mateo | $69,465 including trips |
| Crystal Springs Uplands | 6 to 12 | Hillsborough and Belmont | $68,600 |
Two facts set Harker apart locally. It starts at transitional kindergarten. Its upper school is also far larger than most private high schools near Palo Alto, with 795 students in grades 9 to 12 in the state's 2025 to 2026 count. Public school families can compare against Gunn, which had 1,606 students the same year.
Programs and athletics
Harker's facts page lists 42 AP and post-AP courses and 15 computer science courses in the upper school, along with speech and debate, business and entrepreneurship and global education programs. About 48 percent of upper school students take part in performing arts, with 26 electives. The school also runs public speaker and concert series.
About 60 percent of upper school students play a sport, according to the school, across 40 teams in 14 sports. The teams are the Eagles and compete in the West Bay Athletic League, per Wikipedia. Harker provides a shuttle for away games.
Getting there from Palo Alto
Most families drive Interstate 280 south to the Saratoga Avenue area, where the upper school sits close to the freeway near Santana Row and Valley Fair. Our Santana Row and Valley Fair guide covers that district if you have time to kill during an event.
Harker's transportation page lists Palo Alto among the middle school bus areas and offers morning home-to-school service from the Peninsula to all campuses, plus afternoon routes back up the Peninsula. Bus service is included in tuition. Middle school students must arrive by carpool or bus because of city permit limits on car traffic. Upper school students can apply for limited parking, with seniors first.
Good to know
- The application and aid deadline is January 5, 2027 for every division.
- TK to grade 2 applicants need a Wechsler assessment, which takes time to schedule.
- Middle school students cannot be dropped off by car alone; plan a carpool or bus.
- Harker's roots are in Professorville and Palo Alto, not San Jose.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Harker tuition for 2026 to 2027?
Harker lists tuition of $46,350 for transitional kindergarten, $51,550 for kindergarten to grade 5, $61,450 for grades 6 to 8 and $66,950 for grades 9 to 12. Tuition includes before and after school care, lunch, the intercampus shuttle and most school expenses. Laptops and textbooks cost extra.
When is the Harker application deadline for fall 2027?
Applications for all divisions are due January 5, 2027 through Ravenna, with a $100 fee that can be waived for aid applicants. Decisions are released March 12, 2027 at 4 p.m. and contracts with deposits are due by noon on March 19, 2027.
Does Harker offer financial aid?
Yes, need-based only, for kindergarten through grade 12 but not transitional kindergarten. Harker says it awards about $10 million a year and that admission is need-blind. The Clarity aid application is due January 5, 2027, with 2026 tax returns accepted until February 16, 2027.
Does Harker have a bus from Palo Alto?
Harker's transportation page lists Palo Alto among the areas covered by middle school bus service and offers morning home-to-school service from the Peninsula to all campuses. Bus service is included in tuition. Ask the school for current stops.
Was Harker founded in Palo Alto?
Yes. Harker traces its start to two Palo Alto schools. Manzanita Hall was a boys' school dating to 1893. Miss Harker's School for girls was founded in 1902. The two merged in 1972 as Harker Academy and moved to San Jose.