With nearly 2,000 students across four campuses in San Jose, The Harker School is the largest independent school of its kind on the West Coast. Each year, the admissions team receives more than 1,700 applications across early years admissions, middle school admissions, and high school admissions. Traditionally, families were asked to submit written parent statements, but these were increasingly inadequate.
“They could be labored over and outsourced to an educational consultant — or even ChatGPT now,” explained Jennifer Hargreaves, Upper School Admission Director. “We really wanted to hear the unfiltered parent perspective, their responses about their children and their family values.”
For Harker, where students themselves were not always interviewed, particularly in the early years admissions process, parent input carried even greater weight. “We often wished we could just interview every parent,” said Diann Chung, Lower School Admission Director.
"But with 1,700 families, it was impossible to schedule that many one-on-one conversations."
Scaling personal connections
Kira’s asynchronous video assessments offered a way to make those personal connections without overwhelming staff capacity.
“It really gave us such a valuable tool to see deeper into a family,” shared Danielle Holquin, Middle School Admission Director. “I loved being able to peek in and see the connection between parents and how they spoke about their child.
"Given our volume, it was amazing to get to know families on such a personal level."
The technology also proved seamless for applicants. “I was shocked that nobody asked us for help,” Holquin added. “It really was that user-friendly.”
Communicating values, not just academics
The shift to Kira also gave Harker a new way to highlight what matters most in K-12 admissions.
“Since we are a very high academic school, some people think all we care about is test scores and classroom achievement,” Hargreaves noted.
"Harker is about so much more than that. We truly care about each child’s wellbeing, finding balance, and expanding their interests and passions beyond the classroom."
By carefully designing questions around values such as balance, wellbeing, and integrity, Harker encouraged families to speak authentically about their children. “The questions were really eye-opening for parents,” Hargreaves explained. “They realized we weren’t asking about academics at all. They were happy to hear we cared about their child’s overall wellbeing, not just resume building for college.”
This clarity helped families self-assess fit as much as it helped Harker assess them. As Hargreaves put it,
"We want to raise great people, not just great college applicants."
Positive response from families and community
Despite initial nerves, parents quickly embraced the new format. “We were a little worried about how families would respond,” Chung admitted. “But the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Parents told us it was easy, it saved them time, and they appreciated being able to share authentically about their child.”
Some even found it reassuring. “One family came in thinking they had tanked their application because they knew they weren’t Tiger parents,” Hargreaves recalled. “In reality, their responses helped us see it was her initiative and you were not pushing, you were supporting.”
The platform’s built-in integrity checks also provided valuable insight. “Integrity is a really important value at Harker,” Hargreaves shared. “
"The integrity flags helped us identify when there wasn’t alignment. It became another way to see if the fit was right for both sides."
Word of the new process spread quickly within the community. “I got an email from a current parent who said people at a parent coffee were talking about how excited they were about the questions we were asking,” said Hargreaves. “Families want their children surrounded by peers whose families care about the same things.”
Looking ahead
After a successful first year, Harker plans to build on its use of Kira across early years, middle school, and high school admissions. “We’re looking to tear down barriers and broaden our community,” Holquin explained. “We want families to know Harker is more than just high achievement — it’s about diversity, wellbeing, and balance.”
The team is already refining its question bank and exploring expanded language support. “This year, we let families know they could respond in their native language or request extended time,” said Hargreaves. “Next year, we’re aiming to add full translations in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Mandarin.”
For Harker, Kira has become more than an admissions tool. It’s a way to scale authenticity, align values, and ensure that every family has an equal opportunity to share their story.
As Holquin summed it up: “Kira bridged the gap for us. It gave us authentic, insightful ways to connect with families, something we couldn’t have achieved otherwise.”
This article was written based on this webinar with The Harker School.
