Hoʻāla School

Adorable little school that has been amazing for our girls! Though Hoala doesn't look like much on the outside, the inside is full of color and character! The teachers truly care about their students, and our daughters have flourished! I'm SO happy we decided to try Hoala when we PCSed here!

This school is a law suit waiting to happen... if I could leave 0 stars; I would. Most of the teachers are not certified/licensed & if they are qualified , from what I've seen, are very combative to actual professional development. Carolyn, the kindergarten teacher, has turned away students with disabilities on more than one occasion ( for example, she said " she wasn't willing to service" a 5 year old student because of his Autism. This was in year 2022-2023 which is so sad because there are so many schools with inclusion for students with disabilities), she borders a fine line of verbally abusing her students & other faculty members/parents ( For example, another parent whose student attended actually recalled being yelled at by Carolyn during a school event, which led her to not bringing her son back to the school the following year), Carolyn was very unprofessional to me personally ( For example, I picked up my child in athletic wear & heard her comment on my appearance to another staff member. It felt so unprofessional & rude. When all I'm trying to do is have my child be educated & I'm paying for this as well), and I have heard her make uncomfortable comments about people in the Polynesian culture (specifically about low income & weight management, which I found highly offensive). I would stay far away from this school. I would hate for anyone to put thousands of dollars into this school. Almost all of their students are behind because of poor instruction & a head of school that doesn't prioritize the needs of the students/clients. It is so sad to me. This used to be a beautiful school when Linda & Jeff were still there ensuring the needs of the students. Sadly, I think the first step to progress would be to get a new kindergarten teacher asap and to not have any teacher teaching more than two grade levels (they have teachers teaching up to 3 or 4 grade levels). There are so many bright, actually qualified, people out there who like children and want to serve them for the right reasons.

Loving this school so far ! My son just started kindergarten and I just love how much the teachers care and how the school just keeps the kids innocent a little longer :)

Ho'ala is the best thing that has happened to our family! My son has been going there for two years, 1st and 2nd grade, and his transition from public school to private has been amazing. He had sensory issues with how loud his previous schools classroom was. He could not concentrate and was generally sad and low energy after coming home from school. We are a military family living in Pearl city, so I searched the Facebook pages for recommendations. A few people mentioned Ho'Ala so we booked a tour amongst others. Ho'ala and their philosophies blew every other school we had seen out of the water. The small class sizes, the belief that teachers and parents should work together, and that emotional development is practiced just as much as academic development set them apart. My son is now so excited to go to school everyday and to stay for his after school programs, STEAM, Robotics, and tutoring! Getting to school in the morning from Pearl city takes me about 20 minutes since the traffic going north isn't bad! We are very sad for when we will have to leave but I know my son is learning an important foundation to guide the rest of his life!

Hoala School is the greatest gift we could have given our daughter. As a military family, we got relocated from Virginia to Hawaii. On a short note, as the School opening date was coming up, the staff was walking us through the process every step that feels like getting a warm welcome hug. Our child is cared for, respected, listened to, encouraged, and challenged. She experiences joy in every aspect of her education. She feels connected to the community and supported in a way to learn in meaningful and memorable ways. The incredibly warm and talented staff creates an ideal environment for academic, social, and emotional growth. She grows to be a confident learner. Hoala School takes the matter of COVID-19 and social distancing seriously and with precautions to ensure all children are safe at all times. For almost 2 years, I am grateful every day for the amazing experience that is Hoala School. I wish every child could have the opportunity to attend this very special School.

I attended Hoala from the 1st - 12th grade. It has absolutely helped shape my life, career and the person that I am today. Not only did it give me a healthy educational foundation for my time at Boston University, it also gave me an unparalleled character education. This is what makes Hoala unique. In a world where children and adults are becoming more and more disconnected. It is important to create a foundation where students learn to take responsibility for their actions and have the emotional IQ to work through conflicts that will inevitably arise.I think that the best testament to the positive impact of the school is when I see the kids of former teachers that are attending Hoala. Even though, the teacher themselves may no longer be at the school. They recognize the importance of the unique education that Hoala provides. This school helps to create citizens and stewarts for Hawaii and the rest of the world. Mahalo Hoala for what you do. There needs to be more school's like this.

I chose Ho'ala School for my son in Kindergarten based on the family feel of the admissions process and faculty interactions. I was looking for a school that was near the community where our family had lived for generations. It was important to me that he make friends within the surrounding neighborhoods. The small class sizes at Ho'ala allow for the education to be tailored to individual students' needs. No two students learn in exactly the same way and the team of elementary teachers is flexible, accommodating, and able work with families to provide learning strategies and experiences that best fit each child. In addition to the academic learning, my child has had countless opportunities to be a leader and important contributor to the class and school. He understands that his voice and opinion matters, he values being helpful and supporting teachers and other students, and he has developed a sense of belonging, knowing he is important within the school community. The students also get to participate in the larger community in ways that other schools may not be able to. This includes weekly trips to the farmers' market to purchase produce for their families, visiting and renting books from the public library, participating in community parades, and taking a serious approach to providing service to community organizations and neighboring businesses. What is most important for me and what keeps us choosing Ho'ala school every year is how excited he is to go to school everyday. He enthusiastically shares his day when he comes home reporting on what he did that day in class, how much enjoyed playing with the young kindergartners, or what cool thing the older kids shared with him. When I see him at school he is calm, relaxed, and self-assured. The mutual respect between adults, the principal, teachers, and students is observable. Over the years he's attended, he has made wonderful friends and has had heartwarming experiences that are exactly what I envisioned for his childhood.The school may not have everything that other schools have to offer and it is not trying to be something that it is not. But what it does offer is rare and hard to find, a unique experience, a caring and understanding community, a team of respectful teachers and staff that are excellent role models, and a place that can provide him cherished childhood memories. Ultimately the program and staff are providing experiences that will prepare him to be an adult that can effectively collaborate and communicate with others and confidently navigate the future world and environment.As for the poor reviews on this Yelp site, I feel they are misrepresenting the school and are the experiences of a few. I suspect they had difficult experiences in many situations and other schools. Most seem to be generated from older students and Ho'ala school will soon only be grades K-8.

It is my pleasure to write a testimonial for Ho'ala School located in Wahiawa, HI. As you may know, children must be five years old by July 31st in order to be eligible for kindergarten entry in the Hawaii Public School System. Unfortunately for us, our daughter was ineligible because she was born in September. My husband and I had to decide whether to keep her at home, or enroll her into preschool because we thought that the July 31st cut off date applied to all schools in Hawaii. Fortunately, this was not the case at Ho'ala School which has extended their cut off date to December 31st. Ho'ala provides a safe and stimulating environment where children can make mistakes without judgment, develop confidence and a sense of belonging. Ho'ala also encourages parents and teachers to complete a 5-week Parenting Workshop to ensure that what is taught in the classroom is duplicated at home. At first, my husband and I were skeptical with the thought of attending a parenting class. However, we have learned how to effectively communicate with our daughter while at the same time, making her feel significant and taken seriously.We owe quite a bit of gratitude to Ho'ala School. Ho'ala has been such a blessing to our family. Our daughter was such a timid little girl who lacked self-confidence at the beginning of the school year. Thanks to her kindergarten teacher, Ms. Carolyn Brown and the supportive staff at Ho'ala, she has become a lot more trusting, outspoken, and confident. We would like to thank Ms. Carolyn for her love, patience, and understanding. Our daughter has grown so much as an individual and we are confident that she will continue to thrive no matter where she goes.

Truly a unique little enclave of hands-on, participative education for a fairly low price. We sent our daughter there for kindergarten after she just barely missed the cutoff for kindergarten at public school. We couldn't be happier with the results. By the time she left she was reading at the mid-1st grade level and was a considerable amount ahead of where her sister was at the same level in public schools! Very military friendly and offer considerable discounts for service members. If you're PCSing to Hawaii and looking to avoid everything you've heard about the public schools here (all true), please consider Ho`ala as an alternative. The teachers care for the students and the students care for one another.

An amazing school. Our daughter Mila loved it there and still talks of how she wishes she could go back. It truly is a family experience. The teachers were amazing. Mrs. Carolyn did such a great job with her. The staff truly cares and helps to not only teach education but social interactions and community. If we ever move back to Hawaii I can't think of any other school I would want my kids in