The Harley School is a college preparatory, independent day school in Rochester, New York, United States. History Founded in 1917 by Harriet Bentley, The Harley School was first called “The Children’s University School of Rochester.” The name Harley comes from the first three letters of her first name and the last three letters of her last name. John H. Niemeyer was headmaster at the school prior to becoming president of Bank Street College of Education. Campus The school is located in the suburb of Brighton. The campus is composed of a main building housing all divisions, an athletic center known as the Fieldhouse, and The Commons. The grounds hold two soccer fields, baseball/softball fields, indoor/outdoor tennis courts, a playground for Lower School students, an aquatic center with an adjacent fitness room (established in 2019), and an outdoor area for Middle School students. The grounds are bordered by Allens Creek business park on one side. A distinctive element of the building is the arts wing with studios for each division including spaces for glassblowing and pottery. The Commons, opened in 2014, is a 15,000-square-foot structure earning its status as a “living building” because it generates its own energy, heats and cools with renewable nontoxic resources, captures and utilizes water and carbon in its greenhouse, and operates efficiently using students as the “brains” or controls for managing its operations. Also housed in The Commons are the Briggs Center for Civic Engagement, Center for Mindfulness and Empathy Education (CMEE), a design lab and maker space, and the Middle School Science Center. Students of all ages use The Commons and it functions as the hub of Harley's STEM education. Education The average class size is 8 students and 62% of the faculty hold advanced degrees. The faculty averages 12 years of teaching experience. In 2016, five students gained National Merits status. Classes are taught in the traditional fields of history, English, mathematics, science, and foreign languages. All students are required to take three years of a foreign language before graduating. For foreign language requirements, Spanish, French, and Latin may be taken by students. The school offers many electives, including podcasting, glassblowing, writer's workshop, drawing and painting, ceramics, Ancient Greek, photography, a training kitchen and many others. Harley prides itself on its unique Hospice program, an elective exclusive to seniors that tackles the difficulties of death and provides students hands on experience in a hospice