Kapunahala Elementary School is where I spent my grade school years and where our daughter Kimmee…read morealso attended. What makes this school so great is not only it's convenient location which is less than a block away but the consistently great administrative and teaching staff that has become a standard here over the years. The academic and human values learned here has stuck with me throughout my life and helped me in my development as I moved on in life and into the tough world of being a teenager. One of the best programs at Kapunahala Elementary when our daughter was attending there was the AGT(academically gifted and talented) which started to mold her interests which later became a career in performing arts. Our daughter Kimmee went on to join the touring cast of the Broadway hit musical Miss Saigon, was on the original Broadway cast of Mama Mia and later cast on the Discovery channel's popular children's TV show HI-5. It's hard to make a fair conclusion when you only know of one place but through personal experience and results the assumption that Kapunahala Elementary is the best place to send your kids might not be all that wrong.

From the owner: We are an elementary school!read more

If you can do it do not think twice! Send your kid to this school! Especially if you value a…read moreChristian foundation. My husband I are not super religious. But we definitely teach the foundation that Ko'olau Baptist Academy is built on. Initially when the school semester was going to start back we were OK with what castle was doing and going to a hybrid type of learning. If I'm being honest I wasn't really comfortable with that but I really thought that was my only option. And they announce that it was going to be all online my husband and I both thought to ourselves we have to do something at this point our daughter has been out of school since March of 2020and what they were doing online was in my opinion a joke! I just couldn't do that to my daughter anymore I knew she would end up falling behind and I couldn't stand by and watch it. I had seen the school several times but didn't know much about it because I was very happy with her experience at King Intermediate. So, I was more than happy to send her the castle. This is the best decision we have made! Her learning has truly been elevated and I am beyond impressed with the instruction! I am beyond grateful that my husband I decided to send her here! It's wonderful my daughter is in a place where she can learn more about GOD, and in my opinion get. Top notch education! Please do not let the small campus for you these teachers are top notch and providing our children with the best possible education. I know that unfortunately I will never find another place like this when we move but for now she is in school every single day and doing absolutely wonderful! Thank you koolua Baptist Academy!!

We highly recommend Ko'olau Baptist Academy. We were fortunate enough to find this school when we…read moremoved to Kaneohe and enrolled our daughter in 8th grade. KBA has provided our daughter with a top notch, affordable, Christian education. The smaller class size allows for the teachers to know the kids and provide a high quality education.

BINGO Fundraiser in Kaneohe, Oahu, Hawaii…read more.. My friend's daughter's volleyball team held their fundraiser at the cafeteria of this local public elementary school. Parking was free. I'm glad that we arrived early and parked close to the entrance of the cafeteria (where the ground was level) before 4pm. After 8pm, when our session ended, the parking lot towards the back of the building had no lighting, the road was uphill, and was spooky in general. The "Girls" restroom had just one stall... and no seat covers for the toilet. At least there was soap and paper towels! Inside the spacious, well-lit, clean room, there were ceiling fans, short, round tables with stools attached to them, long tables for vendors to sell crafts and snacks, more tables for prizes and reception area, and good lighting. There was a nice cross-breeze, so no air-conditioning was needed, and the doors were left open. Overall, this was a great venue for a function like this! There was a screen for a projection and an excellent sound system. Maybe one of the parents brought their own equipment?

The administration is terrible at this school. The principal takes no accountability for things…read morethat are happening on campus. There are no clear rules or consequences for the kids at school. The school disciplines with aloha and lays no ground rules. Bullying is a major problem. Kids are constantly being harassed and threatened and nothing happens to the bullies. Fights happen and the involved do not get suspended or even have recess taken away. All merit and award assemblies were removed and never brought back. The good kids have nothing to work for. The teachers at the counselors at this school are phenomenal and excellent. Wonderful educators. The main problem is the principal and the lack of discipline at the school.

Happy Earth Month!…read more The first ever for me was to check out Kailua's Swap Meet which was held at Aikahi Elementary School, just driving out here is so worth the stunning view to escape the hustle and besides supporting all these small and local biz how could I not. This even is huge filled with so many vendors, live entertainment, and a garage booth as well is so wonderfully organized I took advantage of their prepaid parking which proceeds go directly back to the school super cool way to support for sure and if that was sold out you could hop on the trolley from Kainalu Elementary. I was certainly so impressed with the whole event and bravo for putting it all together as you can really see how the community came together and celebrate with so much support and sounds like they may have more events like this in the future woohoo! Missed out on this one? Follow them on Instagram @kailuaswapmeet a great way to eat, chill and support local! Thank you!

I am blessed to be part of this school district! The school has a lot of rules, but they really do…read morehave your keiki's best interest at heart! Rating wise - this school is top notch, 10/10 on GreatSchools.org; 5/5 star rating on School Digger for 2012 academic year; A c+ per Honolulu Magazine for this academic year (based on surveys given to students/parents and teachers). (I can understand why teachers are not as satisfied, they are getting a lot dumped on them from all this Common Core crud - a different subject all together!) All staff are very friendly! This year is definitely a challenge with the Common Core - so it is a particularly stressful time to get the needs met for the Core standards. It does take away a lot of fun and awesome class projects with all the testing, so I give a lot more patience and understanding in what is happening in the academia world. The playground is AWESOME! The school does it's best to keep it clean but not enough students or parents seem to care about keeping it that way. At least 3 or 4 times this year the playground has had graffiti issues, sand being dumped on slides; trash all around seems to be a daily issue (not just the kids but the parents too), etc... The school staff has had to clean up the messes, or parent volunteers. Weekends seems to be even worse as glass beer bottles litter the school grounds. Lets keep the grounds clean! The PTSA does a lot for the students. They have gotten quite an amazing list of after school activities gathered for the students to participate in for the Wednesdays. They contribute a lot of goodies towards the STAR parties, and also encourage a lot of different events. The school has the unofficial 'Tuesday Mom Club' - moms/community members who jump in and volunteer doing whatever is needed by the teachers; filing, sorting, copying, laminating, cutting/pasting, etc.... Just remember to sign in & out at the front office if you decide to help out! (Highly encouraged to sign in & out, just so the school knows how many visitors are present in case of any crisis.) You can also come in and have lunch with your kid! I do believe you have to give a courtesy heads up that you will be coming so the staff can ensure you are accommodated. For military folks - they do have community outreach - a Mil 1 Source rep at the school to help out with any of your needs. If both parents work, the school has an A+ program. Parents enrolling their keikis are able to drop off students early in the morning, and keep them later in the day to help mitigate having kids by themselves at home. So there is a general synopsis of this school. Check out their web page, the PTSA's FB page! See what's going on! :)

My son doesn't go to this school, I usually just take him here for practices and from what I see,…read morethe field and playground are okay. I wish the parking was a lil better n there were more stalls, but all in all, my son is safe and to me, that's all that matters.

If you're looking for a private school, but can't afford those big name ones and live on the…read moreWindward side think about the school I have to tell you I have never met more caring, teachers and faculty staff than this school. They truly are a diamond in the rough. You will not be disappointed, especially with Miss Debbie what a sweetheart she is.

A great school!!! I wouldn't send my three keiki anywhere else if I had the choice. Our children…read morehave been reading since Preschool...... The best part of it is that our kids come home raving about Jesus!!! I guess it's not for everyone, but that's why it's a private school and not everyone will be a good fit. Academics are awesome. Our kindergartners are now writing in cursive and reading at the 2nd/3rd grade level . Our 2nd grader has been reading chapter books since 1st grade and already multiplying. Granted we as parents have put in some time helping them with their homework, but that's part of being parents. To set them up for success. If you want a school that will teach your child to love Jesus and others as well as get ahead in academics, this is where you want your child to be. They do push Christian values and we love how our kids are saying our meal prayers since they were 3 yrs. old. Their love for God, Jesus and others is awesome... If you don't want your child to have a really strong Christian base, then maybe this school isn't for your child. Cost is extremely reasonable compared to other private schools. Plus where else can you drop off at 7am and pick up at 5:45 pm with lunch and snacks included in tuition? The staff is very caring especially in preschool... There are two teachers per classroom up to third grade (which) is when kids start to migrate to other private schools... We haven't had a teacher that we didn't get along with. Couldn't have asked for a better place for my keiki...

This is one of the few private schools in Kaneohe, so choices are limited. But I wanted to share my…read moreexperience there. Let me first say that my K-5 experience was excellent with my first child there. My second child who's 2 years younger didn't have any of the same teachers the older had. The turn over of teachers there happen often and frequently. Things had changed. Middle school(6,7&8) is where things started coming into question. My oldest had a horrible experience. Lots of things were said and done, by teachers and people in places of importance, that could crush a child's spirit and confidence. Many conversations took place about the children's academics and the importance of the curriculum. These problems were brought to the attention of the admin and staff. Unfortunately our concern's fell on deaf ears. Our experience there was tainted by the upper grades. Assignments and projects weren't explained well. A teacher said rude comments to the students, breaking their confidence. We met with both the teachers and the admin over the many different things that occurred. Things had become so difficult to discuss with them. At one point my child asked for help/guidance on a project and was told to go ask his parent. I'm sure that's not the expected answer as their tuition is now close to 12 thousand, you would think the teacher could assist him. Two projects really stood out last year. One he was trying so hard to get guidance and help from them. Help from the teacher in charge was minimal, lacked direction and care. This project was worth 15% of his grade. The other project was just as bad. No direction, no help offered from the teacher in charge until the very last days before it was due, as it had been brought to the attention of the other teachers and the admin that students were struggling and now feared negative consequences from the teachers and staff. It was a waste of more than 100 thousand dollars for a supposed good education for the kids. The final straw for me was when a member of the church admin called me, 4 days before the school year ended attempting to discuss the indiscretions. I was asked not to post my opinion on social media and was harassed to the point I was in tears. The church admin demanded my promise not to post anything negative about them. I had already spoken to the school admin and had agreed to let the children enjoy their last days of school. They grew up with these other children and I hated moving them because of that. However It didn't end there, that same day. I was verbally attacked that afternoon and my children practically held hostage, until a member of the staff finished ranting at me. I asked them to move up in the pick up line, as I didn't want this confrontation to continue. But that staff member couldn't let it go. Luckily Hawaii is a one party state and I was advised that if I feel in danger to press video on my phone to record the incident. Yes, the video is legal and I felt ambushed and scared. My children were scared because they couldn't understand why they were not allowed to go to their mother and told to sit back down until the school allowed them to go. There's lots of things that need improvement there. Better communication with the students and parents and a reevaluation of their academic programs and school procedures. The children are held to a dress code but the teachers are allowed to wear inappropriate clothing(crop tops and onesies) presentation counts for a lot. They require the kids to dress out but have no standards for teachers attire. My observations are,this school needs a lot of work. This is only my experience and things that happened to my children therefore this an opinion and in no way slander. I hope you look into any school for a rigorous program, great communication and a nurturing environment. Hope this review helps. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

My youngest child just finished her last day here. We are moving, otherwise we wouldn't have…read moretransferred schools. Let's start with the staff. They are all very nice and cheery. My child really enjoyed all her teachers. Mrs. Alyssa and Miss Erin were so good to her and really helped her learn a lot. I'm grateful for the assistant teachers too because I know they helped make school fun for her. The office staff is very helpful and communicated well. It was nice to get reminders and heads-ups. The administration was awesome too. Dr. Gaudi seems to run the school well and make sure his staff and students are well. For us, we are not very religious, but are spiritual. We knew that our child would be exposed to a faith based curriculum and learn about all those things. Personally I was concerned because I want my child to create their own beliefs without much influence. She did pick up things here and there but overall learned great morals and values. In short, although a faith based school, I do not feel that my child was pressured. I appreciate the balance. Overall this school should get a 10/10. Great staff. Great facilities. Etc. Mahalo SMLS!!

Amazing teachers, great campus, fun school events and they welcome parent involvement!read more

I like to venture over here and walk my dogs on the weekends and when school is out. Once a year…read morefor the last 15 years or more they hold a craft fair to raise money. It has gotten more booths over the years. They used to have a plant lady that sold tiny Papaya plants for $1! Cute jewelry, clothing, candles, food etc. My friends bring their kids here and they love it and the staff is very friendly. With the view of the Koolau mountains, a kid could daydream all day! One drawback for the neighborhood is that during school mornings, traffic backs up on Hui Iwa st to Kahekili at 7:45am, but does down by 8:15am. Easy walking to school for kids in the neighborhood, and tucked away safe in a semi residential area.