Over the years, many former pupils have achieved distinction in the field of education, at either school or university level, while others have played important roles on the administrative side.
Robert Allan was a pupil from 1913 to 1926, becoming dux in 1926. He taught for a period at the Harris and became the Head Teacher of Rockwell Secondary School.
George Craig was a first-day pupil at Park Place and, after university, embarked upon a career in teaching. After serving in several Scottish schools, he emigrated to the United States where he was appointed as Professor of English Literature at the University of California at Berkeley.
He was dux medallist at Park Place. After a distinguished career at St. Andrews University, he was appointed Rector of Bell Baxter School before moving to fill the post of Director of Education for the county of Perth.
A pupil at Park Place, he became Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Wales.
A pupil at Perth Road,Ian Gilroy taught in several schools, steadily climbing the promotion ladder, before being appointed as Rector of Madras College, St Andrews.
A pupil at Park Place in the early years of last century, he graduated with first class honours in modern languages in 1913. He moved to Canada where he became Professor of Modern Languages at Toronto University but, in 1935, returned to Britain to fill the prestigious post of Professor of French at Cambridge.
Sinclair Laird was a pupil and pupil-teacher at the Harris in the 1890s and was first bursar at St. Andrews University. In 1905, he graduated with first class honours in Classics before undertaking post-graduate work at Grenoble and Lyons. After teaching for a short time, he was appointed lecturer in education at Dundee Training College. In 1910, he moved to Canada as Professor of Education at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario and was subsequently appointed as Dean and Director of the Macdonald College for Teachers at McGill University, Montreal.
Douglas McIntosh, was dux medallist in 1927 and returned to the Harris as a teacher. From there, he moved to Fife, eventually being appointed Director of Education, and later to Edinburgh where he became Principal of Moray House College of Education.
Norman McLeish was dux medallist in 1915 and, after a distinguished career at St. Andrews, he entered the church. After many years of devoted service in Scotland, he emigrated to Australia where he was honoured with the position of Professor of Theology and Church History at Ormond College, Melbourne.
A pupil at Perth Road, Professor Stanley Mitchell demonstrated both his professional expertise and his sensitive approach to a controversial subject in his role as presenter of the television series "Living and Growing".
A pupil at Park Place, he became Professor of Gynaecology at Durham University.
Dr Plenderleith was the son of a former art master in the school, a background which prepared him for an eminent career in the field of fine arts. In his dual role as Keeper of the Research Laboratory at the British Museum and Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Academy of Arts, he earned a reputation as an expert in his field and lectured in most of the art centres of the world as well as achieving some prominence as a television personality.
A pupil at Park Place, he became Professor of Scottish History at the University of Glasgow.
A pupil at Park Place, he became Professor of Physiological Chemistry at the University of Wales.
Herbert Smith was dux of the school in 1895 but returned the following session to become a pupil-teacher. He then progressed to St. Andrews University where he graduated with first class honours in Classics. This was followed by four years at Marburg University studying modern languages, culminating in the award of a Doctorate. He then returned to Scotland to take up a post in the German Department of Glasgow University before being appointed as the first Professor of Germanic Languages. Professor Smith was also an enthusiastic and talented musician and, among his compositions, is a tribute to his old school entitled "The Harris March".
Norman Kemp Smith (1872-1958) was a pupil at Park Place and was described as "foremost of British Philosophers...one of the first firsts of Harris Academy at St Andrews University, he has passed from one academic honour to another". He lectured at Princeton and was Professor of Logic and Metaphysics in the University of Edinburgh. He is best-known for his influential English translation of Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, which is often used as the standard English version of the text, and is considered by many to be the most readable rendering of the work. His commentaries on the Critique are also well regarded, as are his works on David Hume and other philosophers.
Henry Thomson was a pupil during the 1890s and received the dux medal in 1896. A distinguished career at St. Andrews and Oxford followed, leading to his appointment as Professor of Latin at the University of Wales.
After leaving the Harris at the age of fifteen, he studied at the Agricultural College in Edinburgh before undertaking post-graduate work in Berlin and the United States. He returned to Edinburgh in 1911 and this was soon followed by his appointment to the chair of Agriculture. His achievements there soon received further recognition when he moved south to fill the post of Professor of Rural Economy at Oxford University, one of the most important chairs of its kind in the country.