Let's face it, properly educating our children has been one of the greatest (and more difficult) tasks for communities around the globe for generations. There are few states in the United States with as high a percentage of kids in private schools as Hawaii. Many believe that the key factor in this statistic here in the Hawaiian Islands is the imbalance in Hawaii's cost of living compared to the salary that our teachers get paid within the public school system - therefore it becomes more difficult for our public schools to recruit solid educators to create well-rounded curriculums for the public school student body. In addition, the public schools are the only ones in the nation which do not benefit from a state property tax. All of that aside - there are some really really good private schools here in the Aloha State and while they are expensive - they are among the best. The best among them are the Prestigious Punahou Academy and the Kamehameha Schools.
Punahou School. Oahu, Hawaii.
Kamehameha Schools was once the school for the children of the Hawaiian Royals and Punahou was the school created for the children of the first missionaries to come to Hawaii. Punahou was founded in 1841 and sprawls across more than 76 acres in the gorgeous Manoa Valley. There are 34 school buildings, award winning libaries, major sporting facilities, a strong focus on performing arts, art studios that focus on everything from sculpture to glass blowing and of course, well paid professional teachers.
The buildings on campus have architectural value - among them the Thurston Memorial Chapel designed by famous architect Vladmir Ossipof and Dillingham Hall designed by Bertram Goodhue.
 Punahou School. Oahu, Hawaii. |  President Barack Obama pictured with the Punahou School Basketball Team. |
From a humble beginning with only 15 students, the school has grown to nearly 5000 students today. Famous alumni include U.S. President Barack Obama, famous explorer and discoverer of Machu Pichu - Hiram Bingham, Steve Case - the founder of AOL, and many more.
Punahou is a closed campus, but you can drive by the campus during the year or visit once a year during the famous Punahou Carnival - which is as much a cherished community event as it is a fund raiser for the school.
Annual Punahou Carnival. Oahu, Hawaii.
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