Punahou School

1601 Punahou Street

Honolulu, HI 96822

15 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 19, 2024

I gave a 3-star rating because of the college counseling process. During the fall of the junior year (2020), the first parent counseling meeting took place. The main topic of the discussion was for the parents to stay away from your kids college application. To make a long story short, at the final (3rd) parent counseling meeting, they don’t want parents to engage when the counselor(s) tell the kid(s) that they’re not smart enough to attend an Ivy school. Second, the teachers were angry when my kid asked for letters of recommendations. They said that recommendations must be requested in the spring of junior year. But no one told us this during the three parent college counseling meetings. One college counselor sabotaged my kid Ivy School application by informing the Ivy admissions office that she could not verify my kid’s 10 academic awards. Rather than asking my kid where the awards came from, she went for the jugular by basically telling the Ivy school not to accept my kid. Each Punahou teacher issued academic awards at the end of each semester. My kid made copies of each and mailed it to the Ivy School. The college counselor never contacted the teachers who work in the same building. Fast forward to present, my kid is doing well, happy, fit while attending an IVY college in Annapolis, MD, located next to the Severn River.
Submitted by parent on November 18, 2021

Punahou is an amazing school with a rich curriculum for Academy students. However, it is difficult for new kids to feel include and integrate. Punahou does not do much for new kids. My child feels like it’s hard to break into the long established friend groups. Kids are quiet and not very friendly. School facilities are exceptional.
Submitted by parent on June 24, 2021

This school has an amazing campus. They have an impressive history and reputation. Our experience however was not good. My family really got involved in and supported Punahou. We were completely committed and devoted to this school. Unfortunately the shortcomings became so glaring that we chose to leave. First of all let me say that our kindergarten teacher, Donna Hayes, was amazing and had us beyond excited for our future at Punahou. Every year after kindergarten seemed to be another decline in our child's educational experience. Although we took every opportunity to meet with teachers things continued to come up that we had not been made aware of. At one point , very soon after a teacher parent conference where we made it abundantly clear that we wanted to be in the loop concerning our child's progeress, we were summoned to a meeting . We had no idea what to expect and were somewhat concerned as we had just seen his teacher. When we were shocked to see a panel of school representatives, psychologist, behavioral and educational specialists, dean Nagel(sp). They explained in the most vague way imaginable that our child was having trouble with writing assignments. We were surprised that this is how they chose to inform us as there was consistant daily interaction with his teachers who up to this point chose to say nothing. Our main interest was addressing and correcting the issue with our child. Strategies were discussed and agreed upon. We made it very clear that we wanted to be made aware of progress, good, bad or neutral. We never heard another word even though we continued to stay in touch with teachers etc. This was really the beginning of a very consistant and concerning lack of or indifference to keeping us parents informed of our child's academic performance. During our covid year it became impossible to complete school work. Ths school policy required missing several days if you r child had any illness (understandably). Inevitably work piled up.. staff was very unclear as to what assignments were due. They made it impossible to do much of the work outside of school. Ultimately they would keep our student from participating in free time activities, instead requiring that our child sit in the back of the classroom trying to catch up. Rather than providing some reasonable avenue for him to accomplish the assigned task they instilled a inferiority complex. We're PROFOUNDLY disappointed with our experience at this school. Hope this isn't average
Submitted by other on July 13, 2016

I graduated in the early 2000s after attending from 2nd grade. I couldn't be happier with my experience across education, athletics and other extra curricular activities. My biggest takeaway from Punahou was a number of lifelong friends and most importantly my wife who I was able to reconnect with after college. The rigorous academic curriculum and college-like scheduling prepared me to succeed in college. Having since moved to the mainland and met friends/colleagues that attended other great public and private high schools I can confidently say that Punahou offers a truly unique experience with it's combination of best-in-class academics, athletics, faculty, coaches, and alumni network all set in the backdrop of the beautiful Hawaiian islands and its inclusive culture. If I ever move back to the islands I hope that my children will be able to attend and have the same wonderful experience that I had with the Punahou community.
Submitted by other on June 19, 2015

My niece goes to the school and I have been talking to her about how great this school is in terms of intellectual and leadership development for young stundents.
Submitted by parent on September 05, 2014

Part 2 of review: Another criticism of the Senior Parents' Night program is that the first of two college admissions guest speakers spent too much time talking about his history of coming to Hawaii and his transition from mainland to aloha attire while visiting Hawaii schools. A minor observation (perhaps major to those of Hawaiian descent) was the second speaker s repeated reference to the whole audience and those living in the state as Hawaiians. I could just imagine the thought bubbles Eh, haoli, we not all Hawaiian in heah. ) I personally don t care, but hope Punahou s college counselors will provide him this little nuanced bit of cultural insight. Well, in the spirit of aloha, I should conclude on a positive note, so I will say that Punahou staff and faculty are wonderful as a whole and work very hard to provide a caring and supportive home to their very privileged students. My child loves the Punahou community, and I guess that s the most important ~$21k/year bottom line.
Submitted by parent on June 13, 2014

My daughter attends Punahou and we couldn't be more pleased. We are not super wealthy and did not use "connections" to get in. She receives a well rounded education and has been exposed to so many new friends. She is very academic and athletic and this school manages to give her the best of both worlds. She is only in 5th grade and we haven't had any exposure to drugs yet, but let's face it... Drugs are everywhere. Teach your child to stand up for themselves and have strong values. If they are exposed to drugs then be confident that you taught them to make good decisions. Don't blame the school. My daughter's teachers have been super supportive and encouraged her to stretch her thinking and go beyond. She is excited to go to school and loves the campus.
Submitted by parent on April 12, 2014

Both of our daughters have been Punahou students from kindergarten onward. Both are thriving, one a junior and one in 5th grade. The school - the teachers, the administrators, the parents, the students - all embrace a philosophy of the student as an individual with unique interest and talents, and the curriculum, while rigorous and demanding, is designed to allow a student to learn the material and satisfy the requirements within a broad and open structure that gives each student freedom to learn how they learn best. This is in stark contrast to the other school that is often compared to Punahou, 'Iolani, which adheres to a tightly defined and uniform structure of standards and methodologies. My nephew and niece attend 'Iolani and my daughters had that option, but we chose Punahou and we are very glad we did. My daughters' personalities are noticeably more confident and socially adjusted than those of the 'Iolani products, and academically, as judged by the standard tests, they are equal. Punahou, hands down.
Submitted by parent on January 14, 2014

Teachers are caring and responsive, the facilities and resources are amazing, the grounds are beautiful, and the parents are very committed. The parents of my son's classmates are down to earth and come from backgrounds similar to us, both parents work, drive modest cars or can only afford one car, and live modestly. As a parent, I know what matters is that our child gets a good education, hopefully makes life-long friends, enjoys learning, and learns how to be a good person and give back to the community. Punahou (and we) have been teaching him this.
Submitted by parent on December 08, 2013

Superficial relationships and people with a fixation on material acquisitions. I am not pleased. There is a drug problem that was not expected.
Submitted by other on June 26, 2012

I currently attend Punahou School and it exceeded my expectations from when I first came in 6th grade. It is preparing me for college as I want to head towards the medical field. All my cousins graduated here and have such pride in doing so. Punahou is a family -- how does it manage to maintain such close ties despite the size of the campus and variation in students? Perhaps this is due to the motivation that each student possesses. I know I work harder as a result of my peers, and I cannot thank them enough for that. There are so many opportunities available ranging from athletics (rated #1 in the nation two consecutive years by Sports Illustrated, and continues to remain high), music, art, community service clubs, social clubs, etc. It is environmentally friendly, rated #1 school by Hawaiian Electric Co. I try to take advantage of all the resources because you can't get them anywhere else. Although the tuition is high, it is well worth it. My parents work hard and I appreciate everything my family sacrifices for me. In the long run, I hope to graduate with numerous accomplishments and I am now in the process of building them up. I cannot fit everything I want to say!
Submitted by parent on June 12, 2012

The application process is very stressful and arduous. While the school itself is a superb facility, it is very hard to get into. If you wish to read a more detailed account of my experiences in applying to Punahou, please read my blog at punahoupuns.blogspot.com. It contains helpful information and tips for parents applying to Punahou School. Good Luck.
Submitted by parent on June 12, 2012

We are very happy with the facilities, resources, and staff at this wonderful school. We like the fact that the younger children can learn through play. I am originally from the Mainland and heard wonderful things about Punahou when I was attending a college in New York City, as several of my classmates at my college had graduated from Punahou. Also, in 2012, out of the 10 National Merit Scholars in Hawaii, 5 were from Punahou, 2 Iolani, 1 Kamehameha Schools, and 2 from Waiakea High School.
Submitted by parent on June 08, 2012

If your child has a mild learning disability or is of average intelligence, I suggest you apply elsewhere. My son is very bright but suffers from mild Autism. For Kindergarten, your child has to score 90-95 percentile in the individual assessment. Teacher recommendations have to be stellar. Your child has to show maturity, independence, perfect behavior, & interaction with other kids. Your child can't have a bad day for both assessment days. Admissions should be more upfront in what they want for Kindergarteners. I later learned that Punahou looks for a 90-95 percentile in: Verbal, Nonverbal (reasoning using nonverbal means), Spatial (visual perception), Memory (visual/auditory) and Quantitative (number concepts). The only reason I applied is my child's teachers kept telling me how very bright he was. Went to a post-rejection conference at Punahou & it was hearbreaking. Everything negative about my child were noted, even things that most people characterize as typical behavior for a 4-year-old. Punahou doesn't accommodate children with mild learning/socialization problems. When I asked the assessor if there were kids with mild Autism at Punahou, she said she never heard of any.
Submitted by other on February 07, 2012

I attended Punahou from K-12 except for one year (freshman) that I attended HPA on the Big Island. Punahou is an outstanding and very forward thinking school. It prepared me well for college and law school (at top ranked schools). It gave me independent thinking skills as well as a drive to succeed that has served me well (making partner at a large successful firm). I did not come from a wealthy family and that didn't matter at Punahou any more than any other school--if anything, it mattered less. I was encouraged to play competitive sports which is something I continued through college and my adult life. Punahou alumni support each other and the school. It is one of the best schools in this country.