Iroquois Point

We are a military family and have been pleasantly surprised by our experience at Pohakea Elementary. We arrived in the middle of the school year so we had no choice but to put our child in public school. Hearing all the bad reviews about Hawaii public schools...we just knew that private school was the only option for our children. My daughter had a wonderful experience and has learned a lot. She LOVES school. Her teacher was very nice, informative and strives for the best. The next school year, we decided to keep her at Pohakea. We were lucky to have another great and motivated teacher. My daughter is performing above her grade level! Looking forward to my son joining her in the upcoming school year.What I don't like about the school.....unlike the other schools in the area there is not a lot of opportunities for parent involvement :-( They lack special programs where you can see your child perform i.e. May Day. There are no clubs/sports for children in grades K-4.

I am incredibly disappointed. My child’s teacher is not a traditionally trained elementary educator and it shows. She is more like an auntie who is fed up with all these dang kids. She snaps at the students, she uses ableist language, she labels kids and lacks empathy and gentleness. I honestly think she would use physical “discipline” if it were allowed. The kids can be unkind and make fun of others and nothing is done about it. My kid is super bright and is working several grades ahead, but there has been no acknowledgment or attempt to meet them where they are. My child repeatedly says that they’re bored at school. I relayed this to their teacher and she immediately became defensive and took it personally. It’s boring because the material they’re working on was stuff my kid learned two years ago. They are WAY BEHIND. When my child complained to the teacher about this, she told him that he was just gonna have to do it anyway because the rest of the classroom didn’t already know it.It is incredibly frustrating to see my bright child have their light dimmed so much. I’m not going to force them to endure a whole year of this.

The school hires inexperience teachers. They only have permits. Even teachers that are teaching sped. With little to no experience. Also the sped teacher dose their best, but with little experience and little to no help. Teaching multiple grades in one classroom.The principal isn't on top of thing. Also never calls you back! I will say the vp Tries her best! They have no funds to make the school better.They really need to improve their sped program!

For the sake of our child's privacy, I cannot divulge specifics but it would be remiss of me not to leave a review (warning) for other families. Our family had one of the worst experiences at Hickam Elementary School which took a huge toll on us and quite a long time to recover. I've heard so many parents rave about HES but for those few of us who had terrible experiences here, our concerns/issues get drowned out by the aforementioned parents claiming everything is "great" and by rude and dismissive school staff. Because this school is located on a military base, it is heavily focused on military life. NBD except, if you are not a military affiliated family and your child(ren) attend this school, be prepared for your child(ren) to be treated as secondary to the military kids and classist attitudes to be an issue. This may not be the case for the majority of students/families at this school, but as I previously mentioned, when it does occur it is a serious problem. In fact, it was so much of a problem that it greatly affected our family's mental health and quality of life while also balancing the special needs of our child. Also, if your child(ren) have any special needs, this school might not be helpful with any sort of communication surrounding that matter, especially if you are a parent new to having a young student in school. Speaking from experience, we were blown off A LOT and when there was some sort of communication from the school, it was done in an incredibly unprofessional manner.Bullying was a real concern for us at HES. Our child's academics, mental health, and well-being drastically improved after leaving.Other less mentioned annoyances that were tolerable but I'll include anyway: some of the office staff are so condescending and rude while simultaneously disorganized and inept; heaven forbid you kindly greet them and ask a simple question. There aren't many extracurricular options. There isn't much shade/space for outdoor activities so when it rains, the kids are relegated to a small sidewalk space outside classrooms for their recess. Communication in many aspects of the school's functioning is almost non-existent. There were a few staff and counselors who are wonderful people and we are incredibly grateful to and for them for all that they do.

Our daughter just completed 6th Grade at this school. In our experience, the students, parents & staff are very welcoming. Great communication throughout the year from all the teachers, regarding our daughters progress. Extreme patience & understanding shown to her, as private school was a big change for her. Impressed with how older students are taught to take on leadership roles, in regards to younger students. We are grateful to have found a nurturing, Christian learning environment for our daughter.

we adopted a child that has not had a easy life. the 1st year she was sent to a public school, and they stated that she did not meet the standards. Friends suggested that we send our child to Friendship. the school tested her and stated that they did not think that she met requirements, we explained her history and Friendship excepted her on a trial basis. The teachers, if not the best darn close!! my daughter has been on the A/B honor role the entire time she has been with the school. involvement by teachers and staff is the best, everyone reinforces Christan values, meditation of disputes between the kids and forgiveness. the only reason I did not give 5 stars is that every school improvement some where, even though I don't know where they need it at this point in our child's life. we are moving over the summer and the hardest thing about moving is leaving Friendship! if you are looking for a privet Christan School for your child I would highly suggest that you put Friendship at the very top of your list!! They are hard to beat!! you will not be disappointed!!!