Pacific Buddhist Academy

A bit of an outdated review as I was a student there in the late 2000s and early 2010s, I was on SPED classes there but I felt that it was lacking in some areas looking back at it. The place did give me the best years of my life so I'd like say thanks to all the nice staff there. I'm unsure about social emotional support, I remember receiving most from fellow peers rather than teachers, maybe that changed so I don't know. Safety is a bit mixed as there was little to protect children at that time, things like security gates could easily be bypassed and never once saw crosswalk guards on my particular route home after school hours. Again maybe that changed? The teachers there are semi decent but the curriculum was lacking. It was a very pretty environment however.

While Principal Arakaki is known for increasing students’ test scores, that’s turned out to be all that the focus is any more. Students have been reduced to math and reading scores, and are no longer supported as whole-children. In the time that he’s been at Pauoa, there’s no art or music classes during the school day, and there’s no May Day either. He cut the GT program, and the library sits unused by students, which is weird for a school that is so proud of its academic achievements. He requires that some students spend up to 3 hours a week on their iPads doing i-Ready if they’re in the “red” for math and reading, and all behavior problems are handled by the school counselor, not the principal. The teachers at Pauoa work incredibly hard, and it has been sad to see how much their roles have been reduced to producing results.

My son has attended kindergarten and 1st grade a Lincoln Elementary, where he is a special education student. It's unfortunate that he needs extra supports, but I think he's been lucky to attending such a good school for him. The staff as Lincoln have done an exemplary job at being there for him, starting each day with a genuine smile to greet him. In particular, my son started reading before he even started Kindergarten, and his teachers have used that strength to his advantage. His teachers make learning fun, and they've adjusted his materials so that he isn't tied to the pace of his sped or general ed classmates. He was even advanced on first-grade math. I also noticed that the speech therapist was knowledgeable about my son's specific manner of using language and was up to date on the literature of how to approach it.

Disney cater to kids with ADD or learning disabilities. They just write you off as bad. Also I was in resource and they don't teach you. They just do your work for you. Didn't learn anything. Except for how not to treat kids.

We love SAS for the lower school Prep and for the preschool. We have had just a wonderful experience with the staff and especially the teachers! The teachers are just amazing and so well trained with HUGE hearts and passions for education.