The History of Education and Schools in Hawaii

Hawaii has had an educational system from the 1830's and underwent a dramatic process of a democratic system seeking to educate an expanding multi-ethnic society. We surely have a multi-ethinic society and in 1778 Captain James Cook's arrival in Hawaii weakened tradition and order to the Hawaiian culture. Alas. Western influence arrives!  Shortly after in 1820 the missionaries arrived from puritan New England and reduced the Hawaiian language to written form which enabled the Hawaiian population to read and write in their own language.  By 1831 over some 52,000 people were enrolled in the schools that were established throughout the islands since the missionaries arrival.

In 1833 Bernice Pauahi Bishop (great-granddaughter of Kamehameha I, the warrior chief who united all the islands of Hawai`i under his rule in 1810) wrote her will and stated that her entire estate would be left to establish a school specifically to educate the Hawaiian children. She strongly believed that this decline in traditional Hawaiian values and the culture was caused by lack of education and she left her estate, about nine percent of the total acreage of the Hawaiian kingdom, to found the Kamehameha Schools.

Bernice Pauahi Bishop died on October 16, 1884 and her husband, Charles Bishop (President of her board of trustees for the estate) also included his own properties and funds to fulfill his wife's dreams to assist the Native Hawaiians in education. Kamehameha Schools has been under some scrutiny and legal action and Hawaii schools' policy called discriminatory tells some of the story.  The case was brought by an unidentified non-Hawaiian student who was turned down for admission in 2003. After all these years, along comes this!  Read on for A Sad Day in Hawaiian History!

Punahou School was built in 1841 and originally a school for the children of Congregational missionairies and was known as Oahu School from 1859 to 1934.  Two of my cousins graduated from  this private school which is located in Manoa and a short distance from the University of Hawaii. 

Now, we have the ONLY state in the union with a unified school system but currently in the process of replacing the statewide board with seven elected district boards. Department of Education in Hawaii-Hawaii Public Schools has loads of information, forms, reports, technology, special interests, jobs, public libraries and so much more on this site. Great wealth of information for those of you who have children and are relocating to Hawaii! You can also obtain information at the Hawaii Education Association (an independent, nonprofit organization governed by its members. HEA's primary concern is for improvement of education in Hawaii)

For those of you who are interested in attending a College or University in Hawaii following are links to specific sites:

Hawaii Universities

• University of Hawaii at Manoa
• University of Hawaii at Hilo
• University of Hawaii at West Oahu
• Hawaii Pacific University
• Brigham Young University, Hawaii
• Chaminade University of Honolulu
• University of Phoenix, Hawaii

Hawaii Community Colleges

• Hawai'i Community College
• Honolulu Community College
• Kapi`olani Community College
• Kaua`i Community College
• Leeward Community College
• Maui Community College
• Windward Community College

In closing I would like to express my new found interest in writing about my home and the land I love. Hawaii. Through my research and writing I too am learning so much and take on an even greater love than I already had. This is my home. This is Hawaii. This is my love.

Thanks for joining me!

"WooHoo Sally's" Mililani Hawaii Real Estate Blog! 2007