Harborfields High School

My son was one of the fastest kids in Harborfields before he was forced to slow down. I always told him he could be whatever he wanted to be and he never wanted anything but quick. Mrs. Fleishman slits his tires before school got out every day and we have spent over $10,000 on Bridgestone's since the beginning of school. She thinks she's holding back my son from speed, but the only goal he has in life is to hit 200mph without catching air. He can't stop playing need for speed. What do we do? -Mrs. Malesevic
--Submitted by a parent

I personally feel that back in 1983 the school was alot better the teachers were alot more interested in the studens than they are today the principal was alot stricter back then also The staff back then cared more for the studens

When you think about, one third of my child's life to date has been spent at a Harborfields school and I could not think of a better place. Excellent student/teacher ratio although austerity in 2005 set us back a little. Faculty did an excellent job in managing through some tough times. Very committed teachers and a strong, visible and genuinely interested principle who is constantly improving school environment. This is an excellent school district and exceeds expectations most of the time. Harborfields offers every student an opportunity to succeed if they dare.
--Submitted by a parent

We love the Principal and the new assistant principal.The assistant principal in particular has been enormously available and helpful. The math department is not good in the 9th grade,although I see them trying very hard . I wish that the school would take more interest in the individual child, ( and I know this is a public school problem) than in the grades.I have seen children thrive when learning becomes about inspiration, rather than learning for the sake of passing so they can show the district that they are the top high school.How children learn cannot be about politics. It has to be about curiosity, evolving as human beings, and of course doing the best they can do in whatever classes they are in. But this will not be accomplished when teachers are in a hurry, need to show high scores,or a unhappy in their field. Let's re evaluate our system!
--Submitted by a parent

Harborfields is average. My daughter will be graduating from Harborfields, but I will be sending my son to a private school for his freshman year. The athletic program is horrible.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter is now the Senior!. She has had her ups & downs. She wasn't one to speak up & hardly complained, but her actions should have been recognized. She was always willing & helped a great deal in organizing for charity. When she did something extraordinary, the school failed in helping her feel great about it. Good thing for a strong loving family. The guidance counselor should have taken more time to get to know who she was, then maybe she could have done more in the school. She wanted to be a natural helper, she had her heart set on it. Administrative dept. needs to set priorities straight. Principal was punctual at returning calls. Teachers were 100% she loved most of them. Overall she had a great 3 years, thank you !
--Submitted by a parent

This school has a great reputation, but it really didn't do much for me. I was able to get by doing their bare minimum. I took all the 'cliche APs' that all the smart kids take, and got into a top school. Bottom line: the smart cruise by because they are assumed to be untouchable, not because of any real work.
--Submitted by a former student

Harborfields is a very small, structured environment, the principle has always been more than accomodating, even sending out birthday notes to all students. The budget however, is always shot down by the retirees in the community, greenlawn and centerport are dominated by people over 60 years old. Overall, a great environment, with friendly, intelligent people, however it is a rich community that does not wish to give to its schools.
--Submitted by Brett Bernhard, a former student

Generally, there have been many chances to take upper level courses (although not quite aa many as the larger schools). The student to teacher ratio is also good. I've found that the teachers at the school are fair. The music programs in the school are also great. There are a large number of students who recieve honors for their abilities in this area. The sports are competitive, but the school lacks in some areas. For example, they have a varsity swim team but no pool on campus so they rent two lanes (30 girls per team). The clubs are phenomenal, wide selection with lots of student envolvement. A warning though, for the past few years the budget has been voted down consistantly the first (and often second) time. This has led to the cutting of many activites (like science research) at the whim of the community.
--Submitted by a former student

This school has consistently done well as far as standardized test scores go, but unfortunately a population boom in the area and the rejection of the proposed budget for the 05-06 school year has caused some problems. Basically all extracurricular activities, as well as junior-varsity sports and advanced art & music classes were cancelled. An anonymous donation allowed the school to re-start a few of their extracurriculars, but unless the district's residents vote in favor of the 06-07 budget, the school is in for a decline.
--Submitted by S., a former student