Opportunities for students to participate in band, orchestra, choral, and intramural activities begin as early as grade 3. The Thomas J. Lahey School has a fully staffed reading department whose function is to oversee individual progress in the most critical of school studies. Harborfields elementary students, on an average, read more than a year above grade level. They do equally well in mathematics. The library media center has an outstanding collection of learning resources, including over 20,000 print volumes, an extensive catalog of filmstrips, video, discs, books on cassette, and videotapes.
Children are able to research utilizing various CD programs on the media center's computer.
In addition, there are provisions for field trips that are directly related to the elementary curriculum. For example, students in grade 3 and 4 study Long Island's natural environment through planned outdoor education programs with day trips to places such as the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Hoyt Farm. The riches of local and city museums, historic sites, and cultural events all make learning at the Thomas J. Lahey School dynamic and memorable. The elementary school offers special programs. Identified students are introduced to district-wide programs that serve both gifted children and children with disabilities.