Discussion Forum

• ジョー
• 2022/10/21 (Fri) 07:27
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Events that people from abroad will enjoy

• 質問
• 2026/02/27 (Fri) 18:23
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Iolani School disciplines seniors over sexual list targeting female students, staff, sources say
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/02/26 /iolani-school-disciplines-seniors-over-sexual-list-targeting-female-students-staff-sources-say/
I saw this news article.
If you know specifics, could you please let us know?
I am wondering how such a problem could have occurred at one of the top schools in Hawaii.

• ニュース
• 2026/02/28 (Sat) 05:31
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Iolani, you were in the news.
My child also started at Iolani from Kinder and now attends the middle school.
Various students are coming from the middle school, and some of them have surprising language and attitudes that my child is surprised.
As a result, it is the parents' responsibility, but my child feels that there are students who have no morals in the school.
In fact, the school's popularity seems to be declining, and the ratio of students who enter is decreasing year by year.
My child's friendships have continued from Kinder, so she is not thinking about changing schools, but I am concerned.
Especially since the school has students with such poor morals that they are in the news. As a parent, I am worried.
I work at a tutoring center
The "serious Iolani" students are changing in quality these days. I have the impression that Punahou has a stricter school discipline and the students are more solid.
If Iolani banned all devices such as cell phones, Apple watches, tablets, etc. in the school, students would be able to communicate with each other, play physically, and
grow up healthy both mentally and physically. This is a very unfortunate incident.

• 質問
• 2026/03/03 (Tue) 18:01
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Dear Mr. News
Thank you for your prompt reply.
I understand that there are various types of students depending on the grade level from which they entered the school, such as from kinder, middle, and so on. I think it is common all over the world, including Japan and the U.S., that some students have serious problems even at the top level schools, but I am a little concerned to hear that Iolani's school culture is changing somewhat. What will happen now? Thank you very much for sharing your valuable story with us.

• イオラニとプナホウママ
• 2026/03/25 (Wed) 10:38
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I have a child in second grade at Iolani and first grade at Punahou.
Honestly, Iolani grows up with no real ability for the child to solve their own problems. Counselors, counselors, counselors, every day the kids talk about it.
The counselors are in on everything and the teachers throw everything to the counselors.
At Punahou, emotional management is built from kinder, and even when kids are fighting or struggling with each other, the teachers talk with them about how they can solve the problem by themselves, and how they can think about how they can help each other feel. I, as a parent, also feel that emotional management is being built. I am planning to have my older son take the Punahou 4th exam this fall.
It is nothing but a shame that students at the adult level, who are about to graduate from high school, do not mind childish bullying and slander as they did this time unless they learn more important things at an early age, not just study and follow the rules of the school.
I felt again that it is not a good environment to grow up relying on counselors for the ability to communicate with people, which is so important in life.

Iolani is a good school. Iolani is a good school, but Punahou is a better school in terms of socialization, the ability to think for oneself, and sharing feelings. As a parent of a student, my impression is that Iolani is a school with many challenges other than academics.

• 質問
• 2026/03/26 (Thu) 11:28
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Dear Iolani and Punahou mom
Thank you so much for sharing this very valuable comparative information about your two children enrolled at Iolani and Punahou respectively. I read with great interest.
I assume that when your child took the entrance exam, you as a parent visited the school, researched the school, and carefully considered the compatibility with your child before choosing your child's school. You said that you feel that Iolani is "not good", but were these thoughts not grasped during the school tour prior to enrollment?
Are you saying that you were disappointed in many ways after entering the school, although you did not know this during the school tour and the pre-enrollment information session?
Whether it is a school or a job, I am sure that there are many experiences of students who were disappointed when they actually entered a school that seemed to be good at the information session. I would be very grateful if you could tell us more about Iolani.

• カメハメハ
• 2025/12/04 (Thu) 07:43
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My son is attending. He is in Elementary now.
If you have a Hawaiian pedigree, you can usually get in ！ not that much （ like Punahou or Iolani ） the odds are not that high ！
the atmosphere in the school is pretty laid back. The atmosphere in the school is quite laid back, which is typical of Hawaiians. （ Laughs ） It is good for my son, but
academically, I don't think you should have high expectations. I grew up in Japan, and from my point of view, the academics are not good enough, and
the teachers at the conferences don't give many pointers. It is a very Hawaiian school with children of Hawaiian heritage ！.

• なんとなくMichi
• mail
• 2025/12/04 (Thu) 16:21
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My husband is a KS interviewer lol so I can't go into details

-The school is dedicated to keeping the Hawaiian culture alive

Even kids who can express their own opinions about what they want Hawaii to be like in the future will be noticed

-The interview The judgment has already started as soon as the
They can tell if a child is restless or not

-They want to accept as many different children as possible
I don't think you need to worry about it
A fixed number of students per region are selected


those who want to improve their skills will have dedicated
teachers who will help them to achieve their goals.

• いちご
• 2025/12/07 (Sun) 15:51
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Thank you all for your valuable comments.

I feel a little lighter now that you mentioned that "the odds are not that high if you have a Hawaiian pedigree". Also, your realistic stories about the atmosphere of school life and academic aspects were very helpful. Since I have a family member who teaches Hawaiian Studies, I feel that my child is naturally developing an interest and attachment to Hawaiian culture himself. I really agreed with what you said in the interview about the importance of having one's own opinion such as "what do you want the future of Hawaii to be like?

I would like to gradually increase the opportunities to experience Hawaiian culture in my daily life and watch over my children so that they can develop their own perspectives and ideas. The discussion about regional quotas and balance is also interesting and I will keep it in mind as a perspective when applying.

I would be happy to learn more from you.
Thank you for your continued support ！

• Kalihi
• mail
• 2025/12/28 (Sun) 05:13
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I can't go into details, but I have a family member who runs a cram school for the Kamehameha entrance exam. According to the latest information, tuition will be completely waived starting in 2026, and graduates will be able to pay for college tuition as well.
My impression is that it is not so easy to pass the entrance exam, even though it is not as easy as Punahou or Iolani.

• いちご
• 2026/01/09 (Fri) 15:04
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Thank you so much for sharing your detailed story.
This is the first time I heard about the full free tuition from 2026 and the support to the university, and once again I realized that it will be even more competitive in the future.

As you said, it is a different difficulty from Punahou and Iolani, and it is not an easy entrance exam. With this in mind, I will discuss again with my family about our future preparation. Actually, we are also looking into cram schools little by little, but we have not been able to find many that have the Kamehameha Kindergarten entrance exam in front of them, so we are not sure how to proceed.
I saw some Kamehameha names in the photos of successful applicants at Takahashi Juku, so I thought I would inquire about it, and I am wondering if there are many similarities with Iolani ・ Punahou-oriented preparation.

If you have any more advice, I would be happy to hear it.
Thank you so much for your valuable talk.

Please do not hesitate to contact me.