348 Awakea Rd
Kailua, HI 96734

My daughters transferred to Kailua El. two years ago, in grades 2 and 4. They were nervous about coming to a new school, but within the first week, they were decidedly happier here than they were at their last school. The teachers are friendly, the staff got to know them by name and the principal brought a lot of fun and energy into managing whole school activities. My younger child struggles with ADHD, and her teachers have been amazingly accommodating and helpful and she is very successful and happy in school. The girls have been involved in many school sponsored activities. They especially love the performing arts opportunities with winter concerts and talent show. They have also participated in Wednesday afternoon academies and take guitar lessons after school from the music teacher. The field trips have been exciting, my older child has gone to the Big Island, visited a taro patch, Pearl Harbor, and my younger child has gone to HTY plays and visited gardens. They have participated in JPO programs, Makerspace activities, Lego Robotics, and volunteer opportunities as "Big Buddies" in the preschool classrooms on campus. As a family and newcomers to this school, we love it and would recommend it to everyone.

I’m about to graduate from this school. It’s probably the best public middle school on island, although you cannot compare any Hawaii schools to those on the mainland. (Most) Teachers here are the best I’ve ever had mainland or not. Be warned that this school has a serious vaping problem. At any given time, there is at least one person vaping in the bathrooms and they have had to close down all bathrooms except one in the past due to this issue. All in all, good school but has a lot of issues.

I taught here 1 year and substitute taught for 1 year. I would still be working if we had not moved, and would be working full time if I did not now have children of my own. A previous review said that teachers are "dropping like flies" and although I sympathize this may happen in part for negative causes, there are many reasons why teachers are hard to keep in Hawai'i, and many reasons why a teacher may leave a position, including finances, military duties, and cost of childcare. I have many fond memories here, and really miss the staff and students. I know that it is hard to form a community when many of the students are military or will eventually leave Kailua. I would say though that there are members of the staff who care for students deeply, and in some ways, high school is what you make it. It is still a public high school, with all of those issues, but I would say that I am happy to see Mr. James Rippard as the principal as he struck me as a man of integrity and great care for students, and it is heartening to have such persons in charge. If you want a more sheltered school, consider paying for private, but if you need a public school, there are many caring staff members and your student will meet people from all over the world in their classroom with varied experiences. There are also AP courses and interesting classes here that you may not find elsewhere, including marine science, culinary class, and natural resources. One thing I did not like was all of the college reps coming in to recruit students. I know this is an issue with all public high schools, but most jobs in Hawai'i do not require degrees, and the cost is not worth it for most people that want to stay in Hawai'i, and leaving island for university can be hard for community. I personally loved teaching here and loved the students, despite how crazy everything can be in Hawai'i. When I taught, I took students out on a beach cleanup and we cleaned up 3,000 lb. of trash with Sustainable Coastlines, and brought in plankton and algae for labs...my favorite memories are laughing with students and seeing them grow and learn. If you are considering Kalaheo High School, take the time to take a tour.

This school is great, clean, close by.

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