Harrison High School

My daughters graduated from Harrison and were very prepared for college. A great school with great students and teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm incredibly disheartened to see that Harrison is rated lower than both North and Farmington, and I'm sick of it being the underdog. As a recent graduate now studying education, I realize how valuable my experience was. Before attending my freshman year, my parents even discussed moving because of Harrison's reputation, and I'm very glad we didn't. Send your kids here. I know I will.

I started 9th grade when HHS first opened 40 years ago. My teachers provided great support & encouragement preparing me for college. My children also went to Harrison High School and I was very please with the support and encouragement they also received. We have all become Independent and very successful with our careers. JOB WELL DONE to the Staff and employees of HHS!!
—Submitted by a parent

Two of our children attended and graduated from Harrison, and both went on to great academic success at Michigan State University. I can't say enough about the care of the teachers and administration in helping our children become successful adults!
—Submitted by a parent

Great curriculums and one of the best high school football programs in the country.
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are enthusiastic, young, and dedicated to the students. Really a great school for learning. Lots of extracurricular activities.
—Submitted by a parent

The admiistrative staff has really reached out to the community this last year. The new principal has started several new programs and I have only heard good things about them. The other in-district school he came from was not hapy to see him move to Harrison, he was so well liked there. There is a huge selection of A P classes and the music program is second to none.
—Submitted by a parent

I attended HHS as a freshman and for half of my senior year, and I consider it one of the best schools I've been to. I miss it and I wish I could go back. The students that attend there get good help from all the teachers and they're really friendly. The staff works hard to make sure the school is in top condition and I've never seen anything bad about the school except for the way some of the students speak.
—Submitted by a student

There is no doubt that Harrison has some great teachers, and some great classes. But over all, my four years at the school were terrible. I only stayed at HHS for one reason. The music department. I strongly believe it's one of the best in the state, with very competent and passionate teachers. It's not enough however, to save the rest of the school. The non-advanced classes were easy, and uninteresting, while a lot of AP and honors classes taught you nothing except how to take a test. The theatre department was horrible, and the administration was a mess, and never did anything to help parents or students (unless they were a varsity football player). I have two brothers at North Farmington, and I know for a fact that they have superior academics and staff. I believe I would have gotten a much better over all education at NFHS or FHS.
—Submitted by a student

As a parent I have been very happy with Harrison and am also tired of it being considered the underdog of the three high schools. Harrison offers a large variety of honors and AP classes, has an extensive number of extracurricular activites, and a wonderful staff. The parent involvement needs to increase in attending informational meetings available at school, however, the turn out for parent teacher conferences is always plentiful. I agree with the other reviewer that the science department is amazing. They should have a score of 10 out of 5. The counseling department is also fabulous. They are always on top of sending parents information about academic opportunities and planning for college. They have given excellent information about the EDP, MME, financial aid for college, ACT prep classes, etc. We receive far more information than our friends who go to one of the other High Schools.
—Submitted by a parent

Great School; great student to teacher ratio and many opportunities for advanced placement classes.
—Submitted by a parent

I work at HHS and I love being there each and every day. As I read the parent/student postings from our other high schools, it disappointed me to see that we were lower in our ratings. It is true however that we have less parent involvement but that has alot to with some students who seem to be moving in and out of our school all of the time. There never seems to be any 'press' about all of the positive things that happen in our school. I am sick and tired of HHS being the underdog out of all of the FPS High Schools. We have wonderful kids, parents and staff. Go Hawks!

Harrison, I feel, is a school of hit and miss. During my 4 years, I've had the most inspiring as well as the most vapid teachers of my academic career. The administration is also in my opinion very disorganized. The science department is ,however, absolutely amazing, and nearly every class i took left me thirsting for more. The preforming arts faculty is also, for the most part, very good. The course offerings, however, are lacking. It felt as though the school pandered excessively to the average student, while allowing the gifted and the struggling to fall through the cracks. for me,
—Submitted by a former student

As a graduate from Harrison High School I can really only say good things. I agree with other comments that it is a shame people look down upon Harrison, it is a great school with endless opportunities but others create a negative stigma about our academics or athletic favoritism. As a former student, I was eager to go to school in the morning because the staff there was welcoming, warm and always figuring out news ways to spice up their curriculum. I found the teachers to be insightful and passionate about their work and it showed because it sparked a greater interest in academics that myself or other students didn't necessarily have before (especially in math). We created a family comprised of such a diverse student body. It was great getting to know so many different cultures and seeing that our similarities outweighed our differences. Hawk Pride!
—Submitted by a student

I did my student teaching at Harrison after many years subbing Downriver, and I have to say that I love Harrison and would teach or have my children taught there anytime. It's a wonderful, diverse and dynamic place with many kinds of people, good teachers, great course offerings, a wonderful honors/AP program, and great sports, dance, music and etc. I have never met a more committed group of teachers, and parents seem genuinely involved. I had a marvelous group of students (all kinds of achievers both high GPA and career 'C' and 'D' students) that I wouldn't trade for any group at any school! If you are considering sending your child there, I would tell you it would be a good place to prepare them for life, and most of the rumours are blatantly untrue. This school deserves a much better reputation than it has, period.
—Submitted by Landess, a teacher

It's unfortunate that Harrison gets such a bad reputation, and I especially don't like it when students and their parents complain without helping the situation at all. Harrison's staff, aside from its fair share of poor teachers (what school doesn't have them?) genuinely cares about their students, and whenever I've had a problem, they have been eager to help. Though administrative changes have shaken the school up a bit this year, I feel like the changes will help to improve the school in the future. It is important to recognize that the problems that Harrison has are not specific to this school, that they occur universally in high schools. I'm graduating and attending a four-year university on full scholarship. I feel prepared and proud to have graduated from Harrison.
—Submitted by a student

It's not always about the school... it's also about parental involvement. I'm a senior here at Harrison and I've been accepted to the University of Michigan. My courses are challenging and my teachers are helpful. Yes there are problems...problems that need to be address,but not by the parents, by the students. I've learned a lot of life lessons at Harrison that I wouldn't trade for the world and I've met a lot of students and teachers that have had a positive influence on my life. Sometimes you need to open yourself up to what are you given... sometimes something beautiful is standing right in front of you...but maybe it's not necessarily what you want to see. There's a lot more to Harrison than athletics... maybe you should open your eyes! Go Hawks!
—Submitted by A, a student

As a parent you want the best education for your child, and for the 3 years that my daughter has attended Harrison she has received just that.. Prior to moving to Farmington Hills my child was enrolled in Private school, and has maintained a 3.8 - 4.0 GPA since her enrollment at Harrison. My daughter has always taken advance classes at Harrison (which are challenging) and still managed to involve herself in sports year round. Parents education starts at HOME! become more involved with your child's study habits and the students they hang around. Teach them to focus more on there education and less on the mess that children tend to involve themselves with! When a child is really focused, learning is easy! I am proud to say that Harrison is a great school when it comes to education!
—Submitted by Stacye Collins, a parent

In the past several years I have had kids there I feel it has gone down hill. There are alot of kids that are there because the other local schools could not or would not deal with them. We are seriously considering moving in part due to our discontent with the administration/teachers at Harrison.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has a pretty good academic program and athletic program with a mix of good/poor teachers. The administration seems to stand behind the teachers more than listen to what parents and students have to say in my opinion. They also seem to play favorites to those who are gifted academically and especially in athletics not giving the rest a chance to really improve or succeed in more ways than one. This school is very diverse and it shows! Racism is strong so beware. There is much negativity. It is unfortunate and a shame the way Farmington Hills boundaries there schools according to economic and social status....we live less than one mile from Farmington High School but because of my neighborhood status, my daughter is forced to go to Harrison.
—Submitted by a parent