About HAFTR Upper School

At HAFTR Upper School, we endeavor to develop a two-pronged approach to our students’ education. This is based on our dual curriculum of limudei kodesh and a rigorous academic program in both the humanities and sciences. Our curriculum is designed to foster creative and independent thought and to prepare our students for success in higher learning at yeshivot in Israel as well as success in college. We inculcate within our student body an appreciation of Torah values and our American heritage. We encourage patriotism through active citizenship while stressing appreciation of other cultures and peoples. We want our students to be loyal citizens of the United States, actively participating in the democratic process. Our goal is to see our students, armed with academic skills and good midot, becoming positive, respected and productive adults.

COMMUNITY
Cedarhurst, a residential community of the Five Towns, is located on the south shore of Long Island. We are close to Queens and Brooklyn, and the student population is drawn from these areas as well as from all of Nassau County.

THE SCHOOL
HAFTR Upper School is an orthodox Yeshiva with a student population of 510. Boys and girls classes are separate for limudei kodesh and secular studies. The faculty consists of ninety men and women, of whom 95% hold advanced degrees.

Students are not tracked; rather, they are scheduled for honors or Regents level classes in each subject area, independently of how they are placed in other subjects. We also offer numerous Advanced Placement courses. Several times during the year students are evaluated and re-programmed if warranted, on a subject by subject basis. We customize each student’s program with the teachers and courses best suited to accommodate the student’s specific needs.

One hundred percent of our students continue their studies in a four-year college. Many opt to spend their first year after high school studying in Israel, either in a university or a joint-Israel program with a college in the United States. Our College and Israel Guidance Departments work together to develop the proper post-graduate plan for each student.

The class of 2005 numbers 119. This year there are three National Merit Semi-Finalists and four National Merit Commended Students. Our graduates seek their post-secondary education in a cross-section of colleges with a preference for schools on the East coast.