Claar studied an undergraduate degree in Marine Science at the University of Hawaii in Hilo.[1] In 2011, during her undergraduate studies, Claar undertook a NOAA Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship at Kasitsna Bay Laboratory in Alaska.[2] She then went on to complete PhD studies from 2013-2018 at University of Victoria in Canada concerned coral symbiosis during the 2015/2016 El Niño event.[3][4][1] Her thesis "Coral Symbioses Under Stress: Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Coral-Symbiodinium Interactions" earned her the Canadian Governor General's gold medal for academic excellence[5][6][7]. During her doctoral study Claar made use of her training as a scientific diver to complete field work on the island of Kiritimati in the Pacific Ocean.[1]