Aloha State News

The Kamehameha School system wants to continue improving the well-being of all Hawaiians through education. It has over 6,900 students currently on its campuses in Oahu, Maui and Hawaii Island. There are also 30 preschool sites across the state.

The schools are 98% supported by the endowment fund and program tuition and fees are nominal. Most of the students at the schools receive scholarships and financial aid.

The schools give preference to those who have Hawaiian ancestry and requests that in order to be considered under the policy, a child's ancestry must be verified by Kamehameha Ho'oulu verification services, according to the schools' admissions policy.

The Kamehameha School system has nearly 7,000 students. | Adobe Stock

Preferences are given to children who are orphans or indigents, which was laid out in Bishop's will. However, not all orphaned or indigent children are automatically admitted. The admissions policy notes that students must prove they will be successful at the school. The school system tests all students during the admissions process to determine their academic ability.

The Kamehameha Schools' were once created by the will of the great-granddaughter of Kamehameha the Great, the first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and has made it its mission to empower children in Hawaii. 

Kamehameha the Great's great-granddaughter, Hawaiian Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop (d.1884), was his last direct descendant. Noticing a decline in Hawaiin population during her lifetime, she chose to focus on education, knowing that would help her people survive.

Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop left 375,000 acres of ancestral land, instructing the trustees of her state to use the property to educate people. Her endowment supports the educational system and serves thousands of students.

Bishop worried about the loss of the Hawaiian language, culture and traditions after nearly 100,000 Native Hawaiians left the island in the 1800s. She believed that if Hawaiians were educated and took the time to learn the culture, traditions and language, that would keep those traditions alive.