2 best boarding schools in Honolulu, Hawaii 2024

The level of education in Hawaii has been developing quite rapidly since the appearance of the first missionaries in 1820. In 2000, 84.6% of all residents of the state over the age of 25 had a full school education, and 26.2% completed a four-year (or more) college course of study.

Hawaii is the only U.S. state in which there is a unified public school system, founded in 1840. Thus, instead of many secondary education departments in the state, there is a central department located on Oahu, which manages the entire state and 284 public schools. The advantage of such a system is the possibility of uniform financing and distribution of personnel and educational equipment among all schools. The disadvantages include the inflexibility and lack of initiative of such a management style.

A distinctive feature of boarding schools in Honolulu is the approach to learning. It is aimed not only at academic education, but also at the development of intellectual abilities, which allows the child to realize himself in sports, art, any other hobby. Much attention is paid to formation of personal qualities of pupils.

Graduates of boarding schools have competitive advantages when applying to universities in the country - and it's not just about the impeccable quality of their academic education: independent, purposeful, sociable, disciplined, motivated to achieve applicants are easier given interviews, passing entrance tests, if any.

The secondary education divides in three main stages, which last for 12 years:

• Elementary schools

Here children receive basic knowledge in the main subjects of the school curriculum. Basically, all disciplines (with the exception of art, music and physical education) are taught by the same teacher. Before the start of classes, all children undergo an initial knowledge and ability level test – it distributes them into the appropriate groups from A to C (A is a gifted class): in general terms, this is an IQ test. If desired, the student can “move” between groups: for example, if the program turns out to be too difficult for him or vice versa, he is ahead of his classmates in success.

• Middle school (6-8 grades)

In the middle classes, the system of educational credits is already widespread virtually everywhere. The list of compulsory subjects is slightly reduced (career guidance and career prospects are necessarily included in it), but the general curriculum of each student only becomes larger – subjects and electives of personal choice are added to it. At the end of each year, children take transferable exams (also counted under the credit system).

Teachers are already divided into disciplinary blocks and subjects, and the active study of foreign languages (both modern and classical) begins.

• High school (9-12 grades)

This is not only the final stage of secondary education, but also a full, thorough preparation for admission to universities: at this stage, students earn credits that will help them to successfully enrol and receive personal scholarships. Studying almost from the 9th grade becomes specialized. There are few main profiles: industrial, commercial, agricultural, academic and general education. The list of compulsory subjects includes only a few disciplines: mathematics, natural sciences, English and humanities courses – the rest are recruited in the chosen specialty.

Almost every secondary institution accepts children from the age of 12: they live on campus until the age of 14, after which children are given the opportunity to change the type of accommodation to family, attend school during the day. Majority of foreign students choose living on campus.

There is a competition for up to 10 people per place: for enrollment, applicants need a competently filled out questionnaire, an extract on their progress for at least 2-3 previous years, written recommendations from teachers translated into English, as well as an interview (in person or via Skype) and testing (most often in mathematics and English).

Many boarding schools in Honolulu also provide SSAT: this test allows to determine English proficiency level, to develop the ability to apply it in practice. The exam is aimed at American applicants, foreign students can provide a SLEP or TOEFL certificate in return.

After reviewing the applicant's documents, the date and time of the interview are assigned to him. The interview is conducted by phone or online (via Skype). The interview allows to determine the level of English proficiency, as well as the motivation, purposefulness of the child, the coincidence of his profile interests with the specialization of the educational institution.

The main list of required documents for the submitting family is as follows:

• Copy of passport
• School annual grades for the last 2 academic years + quarter/trimester grades for the current academic year
• International language certificate  (TOEFL and SAT preferably as new as possible so that they are relevant)
• Recommendation letters from teachers of English and mathematics
• Motivation letter
• Registration forms and school forms
• Interview via Skype.

In addition to the above list, children are also required to take internal school tests in mathematics and English to determine whether the children are sufficiently well prepared at the time of admission to a private school.

The average cost of studying in the boarding school in Honolulu varies depending on the prestige of the institution, its ranking, average graduation rate in high school, as well as location. The tuition fee fluctuates from 35,000 USD to 90,000 USD in the most elite, including accommodation, meals, studying.