356 Iliaina St
Kailua, HI 96734

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.

I wanted to love Aikahi, and stay at Aikahi, because the community and PTA/parents are amazing. The art teacher and art program are amazing. But the school has fallen so painfully short of providing my child with an adequate education, in fact I believe it has been a negative, damaging experience for my child. There are some exceptional teachers at Aikahi (particularly the enrichment teachers — The K-2 art teacher, Aina teacher, music teacher, PE teacher. And the kindergarten teachers), but there are many teachers that should not be teaching at all. Teachers with a lack of connection and basic empathy to children, that appear to dislike their jobs. Our 1st grade experience was horrible, and began a downward spiral of my child hating school, fearful of making mistakes, and paralyzed to learn. I believe my child was in a toxic environment, deeply influencing his academic and emotional well being. I’ve heard that 3rd grade gets better, but we couldn’t just wait it out and continue to let our child suffer, all the while eroding his love of learning. Definitely do not recommend Aikahi, unless you’re ok rolling the dice and hoping to get a good teacher. Children that seem to do best at Aiakhi are the ones that you could put in any environment and they put their head down, and do the work, even if in a very harsh and challenging environment. They may not love their teacher, or school, but they will enjoy the playground, the enrichment, and the fantastic community of friends.

This school is great, clean, close by.

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