Punahou School

For context, we are a Kantonk (Google it if you are new to Hawaii) family who started our daughter here her freshman year.
My positive impression started with the telephone conference with the admissions officer informing up our daughter had been admitted. I started out asking practical questions about enrollment. The officer focused on telling me WHY they had chosen to admit our daughter. He wanted to make sure that we felt comfortable and that he had answered all of our questions.
My daughter literally knew nobody but was warmly welcomed by the student body. I have to also give credit to the cheer coaches for allowing my daughter to shadow the cheer squad even though she missed tryouts and couldn’t participate directly.
It is important to point out this is not a pure academic school. I was shocked when she came home with her first report card with a «C» and the teacher had not given me a heads up. The school believes in letting each student develop at his or her own pace and is not trying to prop up the students grades.
Some of her best classes have yielded her lowest grades. If you child has an opportunity to take any class with the Social Studies instructor Mr. Georgi, jump at it. He will teach them critical thinking and red pen their essays more severely than the English teachers.
I like that financial aid is not tied to GPA. The school is trying to be economically inclusive. Do not let money be a barrier. Just remember to file your taxes early because the financial aid deadline in February 15^th in 2015.
There are a number of things I dislike. Often parents drive dangerously when picking up and dropping off their kids. There are popular classes like Asian History that needed to be assigned by lottery for summer school. The six day rotating schedule makes it tough to keep track of schedules. While most of the teachers are excellent, a few mediocre one seem to be untouchable. Last, is the stigma attached to graduating Punahou and then attending UH. The $ 20k/​year tuition bill is a killer, but it is still cheaper than the price of a mainland college education. I would be happy to have my daughter go to UH after Punahou.

Superb faculty, beautiful campus, great athletics and academics.

We are very happy with this school. We are from mainland and both products of public school. But when our son surprisingly got in, we decided to send him here.
Kindergarten/​1^st grade: Focus was on learning through play (much like Finnish school system which I’ve heard is one of the best in the world). Really set the tone for my son to think of school as a «fun» place and learning as a positive experience.
2^nd grade: Son is currently in 2^nd grade. There’s a strong shift to academics. He took some diagnostic tests and now has a lesson plan that is tailored to his specific levels (spelling, math, reading, etc.) This also translates into «customized» homework that is specific to where your child is at. This is important so that each child feels appropriately challenged and not frustrated if the level is too high for him or her because Punahou wants each child to feel that he or she can succeed.
However there’s also still plenty of free play and recess time according to my son who seemed pleasantly surprised that he still had so much play time! He also gets lots of exercise through hikes and outdoor play. The campus is idyllic and if you can I encourage you to visit and walk around the spacious grounds. In 2^nd grade, with after school care, he has daily access to lily pond, Barwick playground and PE pavilion, etc. and never wants to go home, even at 530 when school ends. Each of the students in his class have also created blogs so that the parents, aunties etc. can post comments. Not sure how I feel about him being so technologically savvy at this age, but I guess it’s inevitable these days. :)
Also, most of the parents I have met are super down to earth and seem to have values similar to my own. I personally feel that these days, there’s too much emphasis on academics and not enough emphasis on raising children who are thoughtful and kind. It’s nice to meet other parents who feel the same way and have the same goal of trying to raise our kids to be responsible and sympathetic who hopefully will contribute to society.

I just graduated from Punahou just over a month ago, and honestly, I really did like it. The teachers are dedicated to their work and letting the students grow, not just focus on academics. I can see why some people have problems with Punahou, though the students aren’t all like what we are sometimes made out to be. I have been to other schools before, and honestly, Punahou is where I felt most at home and have the fondest memories. Not only are there a wide variety of choices when it comes to study, but there is a wide variety of activities, environments, and people in general. Of course, the best advice I have to offer is don’t stint yourself by being safe, try something new, but also have a few people (adults and especially of your own age) there to pull you out of trouble if you find yourself in it. Punahou is, admittedly, not for everyone, but do not just cross it off your list just because of what you hear.
Also, please recall that Punahou’s kindergarden class is less than ¼th the size of its graduating class, so don’t feel the need to get your kid in here as soon as they are 5. Tuition is expensive, and it’s better to start at a smaller school when they are younger. Well, that’s what my family did, for both kids.

Of course now known as the school that president Barrack Obama graduated from. Michelle Wie also an alumni.
It’s a large campus with lots of older buildings. The elementary complex however is a modern recently built building. The football/​athletic field has recently been renovated. Don’t know much else as I just go here for the annual carnival.

Punahou is SUCH an excellent institution. I went through elementary, middle, and high school here and have no regrets whatsoever. Sure, tuition is pricey, but you pay for what you get.
Elementary:
Wonderful social opportunities to make friends. They gave everyone in the grade an Apple laptop on loan, although I think this might have changed since I was in elementary school. The teachers were approachable and helpful, and I think they gave us an excellent academic foundation with a good mix of play time and learning.
Middle school:
Case Middle School. It’s like a dream come true. I did a grad school interview on the mainland, and one of the representatives boasted about their new technology… that I got to see on a daily basis when I was in middle school at Punahou. Middle school was also the time when we had the opportunity to explore our personal interests in electives as we chose courses from home economics, wood shop, choir, orchestra, band, and art.
High school:
Here’s where the super serious schooling begins. The deans are very accommodating and are there for you no matter what. The facilities and security were excellent, and I felt that the faculty truly supported us and tried their best to help us with whatever we needed.
Something that I didn’t realize other schools didn’t have was college counseling. In junior year, students get a semester of college counseling in which the counselors lay out various options and walk you through the application process, how to apply for financial aid, and what your chances are. Many of my classmates got into Ivy League colleges or other highly ranked universities, and I think that it’s a testament not only to the individual abilities of the students but the well-​rounded education that Punahou provides.
Long story short, if I could give Punahou more than five stars, I really would. It’s an excellent institution.

Wow, where do I even begin…
I was accepted into Punahou in the 7^th grade and haven’t looked back ever since.
The overall experience that you take away from Punahou is incomparable and unmatched to any other schooling experience.
Punahou has an endless amount of resources: excellent teachers, an amazing library, a beautiful chapel, an olympic-​size pool, and more. The range of classes offered at Punahou is vast and the opportunities to learn and grow are endless.
There are very challenging courses that a majority of students take such as AP Biology, AP Physics C, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, Statistics, Money Management, and more. But there are also very interesting and thoughtful classes such as On the Lily Pond (an English class that incorporates Punahou’s beautiful lily pond), Fiction and Film, Child Development, Astronomy, Speech, and more. The large amount of art and music courses range from Glass Blowing to Classical Guitar Ensemble.
Punahou always pushes students outside their comfort zone. This technique helped me to become an independent thinker as well as a thoughtful and outgoing learner. Punahou’s schedule, unlike any other high school schedule, is a college schedule. This gives the student lots of freedom (to make their own decisions). If a student were to have a class from 8:30 — 9:30 and a break until 2:30, he/​she would have to decide how to use that time. By the end of four years, you will see students living a balanced life — spending some time for lunch, hanging out with friends, and studying long and hard in the library.
One of the many things that I have found very unique about Punahou is its indescribable and immeasurable support system. It is the ONLY school in the world to have a psychosocial department, a department that includes psychologists and counselors waiting to listen to any problem you may have in your life. Whether you get into a fight with a friend or if you have a life-​threatening situation, the psychosocial (and the entire school) will completely support you. The Psychosocial department is also responsible for starting «Academy Camp» — a camp that takes 90 high school campers and 40 junior and senior staffers to the «North Shore Campus» in the deep mountains by Paumalu. There, you spend four days and three nights bonding with students and faculty and creating an impenetrable support system that helps many students get through any obstacle they may encounter in their life. By going to camp (which a vast majority of students do), an invisible support net is formed through a network of students.
Another way in which Punahou supports students is through the college-​counseling service it provides. Starting junior year, students attend a college-​counseling class once a cycle and start to plan out their future with their assigned college counselor. By senior year, the college-​counseling office, along with its very helpful and quality counselors, do a tremendous job in assuring that each student achieves happiness and success in his/​her future. No matter what students wants to do in their future (whether its singing on broadway, sculpting sculptures for museums, or operating on patients with cardiovascular ailments), Punahou will support them every step of the way.

Why the one star is because I think Punahou needs to be more upfront about what is expected from a successful Kindergarten applicant. This would help parents decide if their pre-​schooler is a good fit for Punahou. The admissions process is so stressful and time-​consuming, so having a much clearer idea what Punahou looks for would have been enormously helpful, as the website isn’t detailed enough.
Had I known beforehand some of the things I learned at our post-​rejection conference, I wouldn’t have applied. It costs $ 125.00 to apply, which is not cheap for most people. For a more detailed account of my experience with admissions, please google «Punahou Puns.»
If your child has a learning disability (i.e. – ASD, ADHD, ADD, socialization problems) or is of average intelligence, I suggest you apply elsewhere. Such children will not do well with Punahou’s cognitive test. For Kindergarten entry, Punahou looks for a 90 – 95 percentile in: Verbal, Nonverbal (reasoning using nonverbal means), Spatial (visual perception), Memory (visual & auditory) and Quantitative (number concepts). Punahou website states they look for «above-​average academic potential as indicated by individual cognitive tests administered by the school’s assessment specialists», but 90−95% is way more than «above-​average.
In addition, your child’s teacher recommendations have to be stellar. Your child has to show maturity, poise, independence, perfect behavior during the individual assessment (no crying, tantrums, etc.) and he or she have to interact positively with other children and teachers during their group assessment. Your child cannot have a bad day for either assessment. Since Punahou has so many children to assess, even the smallest mistake or undesirable trait could eliminate your child.
Good Luck in finding a great school for your child!

Wow, after reading Julie B.‘s comment, I think it is about time for me to write my Punahou review.
Yes, I attended Punahou for 13 years and I am a second generation Punahou student. I don’t have any experience attending other schools, so I’m not going to say anything about Iolani or Mid Pac or any other school. I do have to say that I enjoyed my time at Punahou and that I definitely would send my children to Punahou if they got in. I had some great teachers, and some not so great. As a Punahou student, I was fortunate to have the seemingly endless amount of resources at my fingertips.
Because Punahou is a college-​prep school and has so many noteworthy alumni, the application process is intense. If you are applying your child to Punahou, I would suggest evaluating the needs of your child. If they are going to need extra help, send them to a special needs school like Assets School… and just because your child doesn’t get in in KINDERGARTEN (my brother didn’t get in until 4^th grade, and he’s one of the smartest people I know), try again next year, just like the 100+ applicants in the same position you’re in.
And let’s face it, what Kindergarten teacher PREFERS a student who «[throws] tantrums, [refuses] to go into the interviewing room, [cries] or [has] meltdowns» or «acts up before or during the private or group assessments». I don’t think these kids get accepted into any of the competitive schools…

I loved my time at Punahou! My deans and teachers went above and beyond their duties in helping me succeed and to work past certain difficulties I was having. I will always cherish the support and dedication of the faculty and staff.
The facilities are well-​maintained, gorgeous and innovative (and getting more mind-​boggling every time I go back haha) and the curriculum is vast. They give you every opportunity to find your calling – it’s up to the student to utilize the great resources they provide.
I always enjoy going back and talking story with old friends and familiar faces :) Punahou will always be a home away from home for me. If we ever decide to move back to Hawaii and raise our (future) kids here, I will without a doubt want to send my kids to Punahou.(Hey, future admissions board, *wink wink*) hahaha :)
~ Class of 2007 ~

Punahou is an awesome school! However, I’m sad to see that the tuition rates are so crazy expensive that many eligible middle class students may not be able to attend. Although the Punahou v. Iolani debate is age old, in terms of resources (i.e. Glass blowing lab, new Kindergarden, LILLY POND, dance studio, high tech stuff integrated in the classrooms) I think that Punahou takes the cake. If you have the money or can some how get financial aid to attend Punahou you will not be disappointed!

I’ve had family attend Punahou, Iolani, Mid Pac and Maryknoll and I can say without a doubt Punahou ranks first.
I didn’t grad from there so mine is really an objective opinion but one can start by examining their 76 acre campus whose alums, (Mr.eBay Omidyar and Mr. A.O.L. Case) helped to finance and rebuild.
Punahou’s strong alums are a diverse club which is because Punahou allows genius to develop in the student’s area of talent. You don’t have to be a doctor or lawyer anymore. Get it?
They employ highly educated instructors whose mindset is that a bit of stress never hurt anyone and that there is little at fault with a competitive environment. They are committed to a level of excellence that does not reward cheating, stealing, lying, smoking etc. that some schools tolerate to preserve numbers of their student body… or football team.
Moreover since Jim Scott, an alum of Punahou became president the moral and social obligation to society that Punahou students are strongly encouraged to adopt overrides the past shoddy (but maybe well deserved) reputation that Punahou students were, well frankly, rich brats.
It may surprise a lot of you to know that their student body consists of about half local, double (or triple) income, ethical, hard working families who hold education in the highest esteem.
Honestly, how many parents are going to pay 18K for 10 months of schooling and not expect or demand a return for their money? Their investment is their child! Both parents and students understand that relentless research, studying and homework are an absolute foregone conclusion. And happily with this generation, that they should play as hard as they work. How many other schools embody this mantra?
Also, hopeful or disappointed parents who want their child to gain entry need to understand that it’s not about desiring what Punahou can do for your child but whether your child and Punahou meet a cohesive, comfortable and compatible match… and maybe just a little, what YOUR child can do for PUNAHOU.
On a personal side, my beloved nephew lost his dad while attending Punahou in the 7^th grade. There was from the Punahou community, a bereavement group he attended. Fellow students, teachers and coaches were the veritable, «Wind beneath his wings» during this most difficult time. For that alone I am eternally grateful.

Punahou, College, good job. That’s what you’ll get out of going to Punahou. Highly recommend it. Thank you mom & dad.

This school is very inconsiderate of its neighbors. Batting practice cages right across from where people live with no mitigation of noise efforts at all. People living near Punahou School considerate it the scourge of the community by creating overwhelmingly horrible traffic, parents clogging nearby streets illegally, to pick up students. The leadership of this school should be looked into closely before opting to send a child there. They are unresponsive and do not live up to their agreements.
Brad. S

I’m not even going to get started on the «Punahou vs. Iolani» argument, all I can say about it is that it doesn’t matter once you get out of high school, because Iolani kids and Punahou kids end up befriending each other once you get to college. I’m a recent graduate so, maybe that’s just me.
I received an excellent education. I’m in university now and Punahou has 10x the resources and support then you’d find at any major university. The teachers really do want to see you succeed. I’ll point to myself as a prime example of this: I was doing SO terribly in math in my freshman year, that my teacher REQUIRED me to go to his classroom every lunch (or whenever we had a mutual break) so that he would help me and we could work together. Needless to say, I ended up doing better in his class. Of course, I’ve always hated math, but for some reason it gets so much easier once you hit «Pre-​Calc» because then the teachers become complacent and, honestly… When you’re a senior in high school, you just want your classes to be easy. The math department is lacking in super great teachers: they save the best teachers for honors and speciality classes.
Once you hit your junior year of high school though, you’re given a lot of freedom in terms of what classes to take. Especially in the English department: I took classes like Advanced Writing, «On Lily Pond» (kind of like a spiritual/​ethics class, it was really great), and Fiction & Film. And if you’re lucky enough to be an AP Biology student with Sweeney (best. teacher. ever. hands down. There’s no contest.) then you do a genetic breeding experiment every year involving bunnies (and who doesn’t love bunnies?!)
There’s definitely a sense of competition in terms of academics– when grades come out, people do compare. To say that I didn’t feel stupid while I was here would be an understatement sometimes, but everyone receives a great education. The thing I like most about Punahou is that it churns out «well-​rounded individuals.» You’re required to perform community service before you leave (you get this done in a class, and you can put it on your college application resume if you happen to take the class in the semester before you submit them) and you’re given plenty of opportunities to find where you fit in.

I wish I went to Punahou. I was supposed to, but sadly financial setbacks prevented me from doing so. They always beat us in math and science bowl, which really frustrated me. They have a really high standards for academics (I went to summer school here). My friends who went here said that the academics were hard, but they were also required to do other things like home economics and stuff. So it’s not all academics. The campus is really nice, and really big.

I, too, am one of THOSE kids.
I believe that education is about being a well rounded person, and this school provides it all.
The academics here were harder than those of the mainland university I attended, which eventually helped me get into Stanford for grad school (the top grad school for my particular field).
The facilities are far superior to many colleges and included an olympic sized swimming pool, a professional track and field facility, baseball, football, soccer, and softball fields. Since i left, they have a science center (sponsored by Sun Microsystems, i believe), they have a new middle school sponsored by AOL CEO Steve Case (a Punahou Alum), and are reconstructing the kindergarden area into something ridiculously large and almost scary.
I loved the freedom and flexibility in the high school scheduling (i attended from 4^th grade on up) that made the transition to college a piece of cake. The teachers are great, and though the turnover is greater than i’d like to see, there seems never to be a lack of talent to raise the next generation of scholars and academics in their respective fields.
If you didn’t go there, you cannot appreciate what the school has to offer… kind of like judging a concert by listening to it on the radio. And only as i look back on it 15 years later can i really comprehend how blessed i was to grow up in such a great culture with such great people… yes…all of THOSE people.

I agonized between Punahou and Iolani when I was choosing where to go for junior high and high school. I chose Punahou. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Locals love to compare Punahou and Iolani, debate which one is better, and regale each other with stories about «typical» Punahou students and «typical» Iolani kids. Both schools, however, are excellent. Their key differences lie in their underlying philosophies and approaches to education.
Iolani is a very straight-​laced place with a very formal and very rigorous approach to schooling. Students have to stand when a teacher or administrator enters the room. There is a relatively strict dress code. Students are taught with the expectation that they will go to on to become white collar professionals. Classes are demanding.
Punahou is a much more laid-​back place but yet still expects a great deal from its students. Students are encouraged to think critically, question authority, express themselves artistically, and pursue their interests. While classes are extremely rigorous and challenging (I had, easily, 5 hours of homework a night in high school), there is also an emphasis on being a well-​rounded person… on taking art classes, participating in sports, getting involved in the community. As a result, I think Punahou generates more independent thinkers. It CERTAINLY generates more artists, musicians, writers, and dancers.
All of this makes Punahou sound like a school better suited for artists than serious scholars, but that is absolutely not the case. For the record, I hung out with a group of 12 people at Punahou, and 10 of us have graduate degrees now: 2 doctors, 2 lawyers, 2 MBAs, 1 architect, 1 film director, 1 political science professor, and 1 professional chef. I’m one of the two lawyers, and my time and training at Punahou has been invaluable to my career. Punahou taught me how to think critically, and, more importantly, how to write well (the curriculum was, and continues to be, extremely writing-​focused). I graduated with the ability to generate an intellectually sound, well-​constructed, 5 – 15 page analytical essay basically in my sleep, having written over 50 during high school (I counted). I cannot convey how invaluable that skill was in college and law school. I remain incredibly indebted to Punahou for any academic and career success that I’ve had since I graduated.
More importantly, however, I LOVED my time at Punahou. I loved my teachers. I loved the opportunities that I had. I loved my classes. I loved the way that I was challenged to think outside of the box. It was the most intellectually satisfying schooling I have ever received. At what other high school in America can you take a science course focused on the intersection of quantum physics and human consciousness (one of my senior year science/​philosophy classes) and glass blowing at the same time? For an independent, curious, authority-​suspicious person like me, it was the perfect place.
This is not to say that I would have received a bad education at Iolani. Undoubtedly, I would have received an excellent one. My personality, however, was better suited for Punahou. I would not have thrived as much in Iolani’s more formal, more straight-​laced atmosphere. It would have grated on me after a while. Other people, however, might need that kind of intense structure and discipline to stay focused. For them, Iolani is probably a better choice.
So, the question is not «which school is better?» It’s «where are you more likely to be inspired and motivated to learn?» For me, it was at Punahou, and I’ve never looked back.

Punahou is second to none except Iolani. I don’t know how kids get from point A to B because the campus is of titantic proportions. I did apply for admission here back in the day and I remember on the tour my guide said Punahou has an Olympic-​size pool and automatic toilets in the Science Center – I’m kind of a germaphobe, so I thought this was neat.
Each graduating class has nearly 500 kids. My best friend in college is an alumnus and she claims to not be acquainted with half her classmates. Who knew that many families in Hawaii could afford the $ 17,000/year tuition? My cousin is currently on a full ride here and loves it – apparently he gets a free iBook. I don’t know if this does anything, though, because Iolani still sweeps the Speech and Debate tourneys. =P
About half of the people I know from Punahou are successful or getting there – the other half have been high since high school. I met a girl who was kicked out in the 10^th grade for dealing, not doing (I don’t think there would be enough kids to fill a grade if they were suspended for doing – just kidding, haha).
I went on a few dates with a couple of guys here, one of whom I highly respect and the other of whom I could care less if he was decomposing in hell. Anyway, I’ve also been to some proms and Punahou knows how to throw a good party. It doesn’t hold a winterball, though – so much for Punahou kids having more fun than Iolani kids.
It’s true that Punahou is more laid-​back when it comes to post-​graduation paths. My friend didn’t get threats from the college counseling office for pursuing a career in acting. Iolani, on the other hand, enjoys making sure you end up a doctor, lawyer, or in a safe white-​collar profession.
4 stars for Punahou, which is 2 more than I’d give to any other private school on the island with one exception, of course. =D

Someone needs to be the voice of reason here and I’m the one to do it, since I attended summer school here when I was a kid.
Yeah, yeah, don’t mind me. I’m just bitter because:
1) At my public school we didn’t have air conditioning, carnivals that charged $ 20 for one rain-​soaked malasada or glass blowing classes. (Drat, that’s why I didn’t get into Harvard! *shakes fist at computer* But wait, didn’t the Unabomber go to an ivy league school?)
2) Instead of a limo, I took Fasi’s Limo to school.
3) In public school we couldn’t afford the good stuff, so we sniffed granulated sugar.
4) I don’t have classmates who are presidential candidates or boogazillionaire businessmen, but I do have classmates who can hook you up with some nice Kona Gold, and I’m not talking about coffee. (Just kidding, Mr. federal agent reading Unilocal!Drugs are bad like Michael Jackson in that video with Wesley Snipes before he learned kung fu.)
5) The boys at Maryknoll were prettier than the girls at Punahou.
Relax, tampax! This is just a joke, so don’t get your Punahou trust funds all up in a tizzy and call Mufi to complain. ;o)
Because people need to take themselves a little less seriously, this place gets 1 star!