Hawaii’s newest charter school to open in Ewa Beach

DreamHouse ‘Ewa Beach has found a site to launch Hawaii’s newest public charter school and will open applications for its first class of sixth-graders on Jan. 2.

It is starting small, in commercial space at the Laulani Village Shopping Plaza in Ewa Beach, at the intersection of Fort Weaver Road and Keaunui Drive. The school will convert two large office spaces into classrooms, meeting and common space.

It will open in August at the Laulani Village site, which will be used for just one year. For the 2020-2021 academic year, DreamHouse plans to move four miles down the road to a location that can accommodate the school’s future growth.

“Campbell is the most overcrowded public school district in our state,” said Alex Teece, DreamHouse founding executive director. “We want to provide additional capacity for public schools and also additional opportunities for families of the community.”

DreamHouse has spots for 100 sixth-graders in its inaugural class. It intends to add a new grade level each year until it fills out as a middle and high school.

It will work with Hunt Development Group to renovate and open a larger facility on Franklin D. Roosevelt Avenue, makai of Wakea Garden Apartments, as its long-term home.

DreamHouse is a free public school with a focus on leadership. It will hold a lottery if there are more applicants than spots available next fall.

Applications for teachers and staff also will open Jan. 2. Visit dreamhouse­ewabeach.org for more information.