2024 Best Schools in Hawaii County

• Kamuela, HI•

• Private School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 4.18 out of 5  178 reviews

Senior: As a currently enrolled student at Hawaii Preparatory Academy and have been attending here since the sixth grade, I would say that HPA is a well diverse community. It is one of the characteristics that I enjoy. Meeting new people and learning about other cultures from around the world is one of the greatest aspects of my school. Another trait that I particularly like is campus life, meaning the students, teachers, and school events contribute to a positive and healthy community. The students are welcoming and eager to make new friends. The teachers are open and want to help me and everyone else who attends HPA to be the best they can be. Although HPA has a couple of positive qualities, there are also a few negatives. I think that my worst experience while attending HPA is how distant they are with Hawaiian culture. I struggled balancing school and my culture. Eventually, school become a greater priority and I lost a connection to my community.... Read 178 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 572

• Student-teacher ratio 9:1

• Kamuela, HI•

• Private School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  46 reviews

Senior: I am going into my fourth year at Parker (senior) this year, and Parker has been a great place to attend. The teachers have been able to culture and foster my curiosity for learning to help me achieve goals I had not imagined before attending Parker. That all being said, I have found that my success at the school can primarily be attributed to my motivation to do so. The school could do a better job engaging and motivating students who aren’t the typical straight-A or near-A students. To be clear, that isn’t the teachers' fault at all, and they are all stellar (they love to teach and are highly knowledgeable). I think the issue comes from the administration, which could better create a curios learning environment for students through activities outside the classroom. Overall, Parker is an excellent academically focused school, and if you want to find academic rigor and challenge, you can do that here; you just have to be thoughtful about what you take (Honors and AP classes available).... Read 46 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 338

• Student-teacher ratio 9:1

• Hilo, HI•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 4.21 out of 5  24 reviews

Parent: Feeling blessed that St. Joseph is an option here on the Big Island. Given that it's a school on a neighboring island, our family is grateful for what's in place and what the possibilities are here. There are opportunities to improve every curriculum, but it would be great to have a robust music, performing and fine arts program here instead of seeking outside programs in those areas. The administration is professional, friendly, humble, and the meeting parents is one of the best parts about having children attend this school. The teachers know the students, and the students don't feel like a number. The school is near a police station, but it would be on my wish list to have better security measures in the most discrete way so that parents, faculty, staff, and most importantly, the children feel safe. The academics is rigorous but with a balance of ways to burn energy in fun ways through recess, gym, or through other positive outlets. Picking up, dropping off, and parking are great.... Read 24 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 211

• Student-teacher ratio 7:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.99 out of 5  310 reviews

Senior: Waiakea High School has an academic program that gets ready for students' careers and their readiness for college. The programs they have are the freshman academy, industry and technology academy, public service academy, health service academy, and arts & communication academy. The freshman academy helps freshmen get ready for the academies they want to be in. I am in the Academy of Industry and Technology and overall it helped me with my resume, personal essay, cover letter, etc. When you get to senior year, in order to graduate, you need to pass the senior project. The senior project is a project where students have to find a job or internship that is similar to their career and learn from it. It helps students have experience in the real world and see if they want to continue this career in the future. My experience in Waiakea High School has helped me get ready when I leave for school and have opportunities that I can succeed in.... Read 310 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,266

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Keaau, HI•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 4.76 out of 5  45 reviews

Senior: Christian Liberty Academy (CLA) is an amazing school that is unlike other schools. Being a Christian school, CLA teaches students to have Christ-like character and develop academic accountability. These are things I’ve learned and developed since my freshman year all the way up to my senior year. In CLA, I’ve always been welcomed and treated as family and it’s not often where you come across teachers who play ping pong or basketball with you or even spend extra time out of class to make sure each student understands the material he is being taught. I’ve also learned to have Christian character and academic accountability. I’ve grown in my character by developing maturity, kindness, forgiveness, sincerity, care, responsibility, and acceptance. The environment and the academics makes CLA an amazing school. There really isn’t anything I would change about the school’s dynamics. I highly recommend attending Christian Liberty Academy!... Read 45 reviews

• grade A

• Students 233

• Student-teacher ratio 9:1

• Kailua-kona, HI•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 4.28 out of 5  25 reviews

Senior: I loved that the teachers were intentional with each and every student, and made it their priority to have a personal relationship with the students. Something I would like to see is more class options.... Read 25 reviews

• grade A

• Students 215

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• PK, K-6

• grade A minus

• Students 464

• Student-teacher ratio 20:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 3.69 out of 5  26 reviews

Senior: At West Hawaii Explorations Academy (WHEA) learning is done through integrated, self-selected, hands-on projects with real world applications. The school has a project-based curriculum that emphasizes independent learning, technical writing, and building understanding through practical research. WHEA's motto is "No child left indoors!". Our classrooms were the summit of Mauna Kea, the outdoor shark tank in the middle of our campus, the botanical and agricultural gardens the students have planted and nurtured, and the coral reefs and alkaline ponds along Hawaii’s coast. Not only was that context extremely conducive to learning, but learning itself hardly ever had a dull moment, always relating to the real world, and constantly testing our greatest learning asset of all, our curiosity.... Read 26 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 276

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• K-8

• grade B+

• Students 241

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Keaau, HI•

• Private School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 4.54 out of 5  128 reviews

Senior: I've attended Kamehameha Schools since I was in kindergarten, and find a way to further appreciate the immense educational opportunities they continue to offer year after year. One of the best aspects of this school is it's cultural enrichment, and how it incorporates Hawaiian culture into our day to day learning. This kind of school environment can be hard to come by, despite living on the islands in which this culture came to life. We're a school heavily based on tradition and excellence, which can both uplift and bring down our community. Oftentimes we are heavily criticized for something small like nail polish, jackets that aren't black, hair dye, and other forms of appropriate self expression. While I understand that this is a private school with an image to obtain, I feel that it can get in the way of students like myself from being able to just be a teenager and engage in what they enjoy.... Read 128 reviews

• grade B+

• Students 1,172

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• 7-8

• grade B+

• Students 523

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.44 out of 5  384 reviews

Junior: During my three years at Hilo High School, I started as an ordinary shy student who was scared to get involved. However, school events like Taiko drum performances, homecoming dances, and my school's media club, KVIKS Media, encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone. If I could go back in time and tell my freshman self about all the things I've participated in at school, she would be surprised, however it opened up new opportunities and connections. As I prepare to graduate next year, I can confidently say that Hilo High School has given me wonderful and sometimes amusing memories to cherish.... Read 384 reviews

• grade B

• Students 1,322

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• K-8

• grade B

• Students 210

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.82 out of 5  131 reviews

Freshman: Konawaena High School made their students feel at home. They always supported you through everything and helped you along the way. The teachers all had a different way of teaching, so if you didn't understand, you could always go to another teacher and they would teach you in a way you understand. The things I loved the most would be their football games, assemblies, and their get togethers. You could feel every ones smiles and happiness in the air and that's where every person would want to be, in a place full of happiness. Some thing I would love to see change would be what they teach us. Most of the subjects we learn, are nothing useful for the future. Personally, I would love to learn how to do my taxes, how to pay bills, who to go to if need help with finances before having to do it in the moment. I know every school could be the same, but Konawaena is different in their own way. Once a wildcat, always a wildcat!... Read 131 reviews

• grade B

• Students 923

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 4.31 out of 5  26 reviews

Alum: I really liked the community that was built at that school. The small class sizes and accessibility to the teachers and resources made me always feel like I was cared for and that I mattered. I made a lot of friends and connections that I still hold dear to me even now that I have graduated. I also strongly believe that the experience you get from attending Kanu is a wildly unique one. Whenever I tell people about my high school experience, they are always take aback by how different it is. I got to participate in cultural ceremonies and activities such as ceremonies at Puu Kohola Heiau and traditional Makahiki Games. Some of my best memories came from the times where we took field trips as a class or whole high school to different places around the island and do hands-on learning. We also always had the opportunity to give back to the places we visited and I always thought that was important.... Read 26 reviews

• grade B

• Students 519

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.48 out of 5  298 reviews

Alum: Kealakehe, for the most part, does a great job with hiring teachers who care about their students. They care about their academics but also their athletics and keep up enough with personal lives to truly understand their students. Knowing that you have staff that care make school that much easier to go to because you know you have at least one safe space somewhere on campus. This past year I wished that admin would have bettered themselves. Admin did not seem to care truly about the students, they did things that were “good” for us but yet we saw no benefits or fun.... Read 298 reviews

• grade B

• Students 1,357

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• PK, K-5

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  1 review

• grade B

• Students 813

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.23 out of 5  26 reviews

Alum: I have attended Hawaii Academy of Arts & Science Public Charter School from 5th grade until I graduated in 2017. What I loved about this school is the amount of care, love and aloha that is treated within the schools environment. I had wonderful teachers who made my education worth learning. I gained valuable knowledge and life skills through all my hard work as a student. I loved the diversity in how we learned from in the classroom to in nature. Kids will feel like they belong and be able to freely express their interest in learning.... Read 26 reviews

• grade B minus

• Students 706

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Junior: It’s a great school. Probably one of the best on the east side. The teachers are fun, they make learning interesting. They really do care about their students. Some students don’t know how to behave but that’s not the school’s fault.... Read 1 review

• grade B minus

• Students 799

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• PK, K-5

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

• grade B minus

• Students 696

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• PK, K-6

• grade B minus

• Students 242

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• PK, K-5

• grade B minus

• Students 544

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• PK, K-8

• grade B minus

• Students 751

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• PK, K-6

• grade B minus

• Students 397

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Hawaii Department of Education, HI•

• 6-8

• grade B minus

• Students 211

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1