Discovering the heart and opening the mind

Harrisburg Academy is an independent, coed, fully accredited, and diverse school community that challenges and inspires students from preschool through 12th grade. We are now an IB World School! Please check out our IB page to learn more about the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.

We help our students to learn, explore, and discover who they are and how they can become active and contributing members of a global society. From these core values – individual worth and civic responsibility – stems our single-minded mission:

To help every child achieve his/her full potential

Simply put, we believe in your child’s potential to change the world. (Read our full Mission Statement for details.)

We understand that choosing the right school for your child is one of the most critical decisions you’ll ever make. When you’ve thought about education, in general, and Harrisburg Academy, in particular, you’ve no doubt asked yourself: Is my child learning to her/his full potential right now? As you consider the answer to that question, we recommend you focus on three key areas:

• Strong Academics – Our students learn study and writing skills, but most critical to their future success, they learn the value of hard work and persistence within an environment where everybody is trying to do his/her best.
• Personal Attention – At Harrisburg Academy, where the average student/teacher ratio is a low 8:1, students develop close and often lifelong bonds with their teachers.
• Safety and Respect – The two go hand in hand. Safety, to us, is emotional and physical, and stems from acceptance and tolerance of individual differences. Through our social learning programs – The Responsive Classroom in Lower School and Developmental Designs for Middle School -- and our advisor program in Upper School, we help your child to acquire the character traits essential to success.
• A Diverse School Community – We’re diverse across the board – geographically, economically, and ethnically. Our students come from 6 counties in Central PA; we provide financial assistance to 24 percent of our families; and almost 30 percent of our students are students of color.

Harrisburg Academy is full accredited by the PA Association of Independent Schools and the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges. The Academy is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and ascribes to its philosophy and best practices. Learn more about independent schooling at the NAIS website and read what our own alumni have to say.

When it comes to education, don’t take a risk – make sure you’re making the right choice for your child’s future – one that will lead your child to learn, grow, and discover!

For additional information about Harrisburg Academy, please download our Quick Facts information sheet.