Newcomer’s Guide: Private Schools in Hawai‘i

Discover what private school options are available in the Aloha State.

The list was provided by the Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools (HAIS). All data were prepared by the individual schools. A little explanation as to some of the categories: We list a single contact name for each school. This is usually the admissions director. We wanted to give you a more personal place to start your search than just calling the school office. Most schools also have informative websites. The tuition figure for each school is yearly tuition. It’s sometimes given as a range. Usually the high end of the range is for older children and the low end for younger grades, but this varies. Preschools often charge by the month. In that case, we’ve noted it. Contact individual schools for more details. The “% Students Receiving Tuition Assistance” column tells you the percentage of students at a school receiving some type of financial aid. This will help you judge your chances for financial assistance. The Accreditation column shows which organizations have accredited a school. Please see the list of acronyms. Happy hunting!

Primary Accreditations

• AACS: American Association of Christian Schools. National Christian accreditation body with member schools in all but four states. aacs.org

• ACSI: Association of Christian Schools International. Recognized by the National Council for Private School Accreditation. Accredits Christian schools from kindergarten through the 12th grade. acsi.org

• AMS: American Montessori Society. amshq.org 

• AWSNA: Association of Waldorf Schools of North America. whywaldorfworks.org

• HAIS: Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools. Local umbrella organization that is part of the National Association of Independent Schools. hais.org

• NADCA: North American Division Commission on Accreditation. Seventh-day Adventist accreditation organization. nadeducation.org

• NAEYC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. National association of early childhood educators. Accredits preschool through third-grade programs, including childcare and before- and after-school programs. naeyc.org

• NLSA: National Lutheran School Accreditation. Nationwide accrediting body for Lutheran schools.

• WASC: Western Association of Schools and Colleges. One of six regional accrediting associations for schools and colleges. WASC covers California, Hawai‘i, other Pacific Basin areas and East Asia. acswasc.org

• WCEA: Western Catholic Education Association. Accredits Hawai‘i Catholic schools. westwcea.org