About Harris
"Everyone a teacher, everyone a learner"
Harris is a caring, learning community where diversity is honored and creativity is celebrated. The staff welcomes parents as partners in helping all students reach their potential. Harris encourages individual growth, while promoting high standards for student achievement.
Kindergarten
The Kindergarten at Harris offers a flexible informal environment where a young student plays an active role in structuring his or her own day. Children help generate topics to cover and interact with the information according to their developmental level. They are encouraged to become responsible for themselves and helpful to each other. More about Kindergarten at Harris...
Primary
Harris Primary is developmental in that we look for and support individual learning styles and rates. The curriculum includes project-based themes such as Communities and Quilts. We offer various approaches to learning such as our investigative/manipulative approach to Math, both phonics and literature-based reading program, integrated arts and technology. 
Our learning community values encouragement, respect and dignity.
Intermediate Grades
The third, fourth and fifth grade students at Harris thrive in a safe and friendly environment where each child feels important. Consistently high test scores are evidence of their academic success (see School Report Card for updated test scores via a link on this 4J school district page). Technology is an integral part of the curriculum at the intermediate level. Teachers and students are continually learning to use the latest technology. Science and Social Studies are integrated into the curriculum through literature and process writing.
Music
Harris has a wonderful music program, full of singing, dancing, musical instruments and fun! Here's a short list of what we offer, but to see (and hear!) more about the music program, visit our 
Music Program pages!
- Meets twice a week (singing, movement, instruments)
- Choir
- Marimba band
- Family folk dances
- Concerts and performances
Physical Education (P.E.)
- Meets twice a week
- After school P.E. (once a week)
School History
Harris Elementary School opened on Feb. 20. 1949. According to the reports, there were 85 children and 100 dogs in regular attendance at the new school.
The school, designed by Clare K. Hamlin and constructed by H. L. Shields and Son, was built for less than $100,000 and included four classrooms, a multipurpose room, health room, teachers room, kitchen, and boiler room. This section is now the middle wing.
Only first and second graders were taught in the first section with third grades added when the upper wing was built in 1950. Building continued and there were 12 classrooms by the fall of 1953, and 18 classrooms in 6 grades by the fall of 1958. Three sections of kindergarten were taught at the church across the street.
We now have more than 160 students in classes from K - 5. Students come from the surrounding area as well as Laurel Hill Valley and Glenwood.