Tuition rising at Hawaii’s private schools

Private schools across the state are raising tuition by an average of 4 percent this fall, with the bill reaching $24,780 at Punahou School, the state’s largest independent campus.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser surveyed private schools in Hawaii with at least 400 students in kindergarten through 12th grade and compared their tuition rates for high schoolers this year versus last year.

Island Pacific Academy in Kapolei stood out for largely holding the line, raising tuition by just 1 percent over last year to $16,135, the smallest increase among the 17 schools surveyed.

“Keeping tuition at an affordable rate is really important for us because we want to give everyone an opportunity to experience an independent private school education,” said Gerald Teramae, head of school. “We want to give the community options.”

Enrollment at Island Pacific has grown steadily in recent years, reaching 525 students, making it the largest independent school on the west side of Oahu. The school also has a “truly philanthropic” landlord in the Watumull Foundation, which helps its bottom line, Teramae said.

The state’s most expensive campus remains Hawaii Preparatory Academy in Waimea on Hawaii island, although its base tuition of $26,800 includes lunch, unlike other schools. And nearly half of its families — 45 percent — receive financial aid, a remarkably high rate.

“I think we’ve worked very hard at making an HPA education affordable for families,” said Joshua Clark, director of external relations.

Punahou was the second priciest school in the state, followed closely by Mid-Pacific Institute, where tuition will rise by 5 percent to $24,345.

“Our parents have a huge investment in our children’s education, so we take that very seriously,” said John Field, Punahou’s vice president and treasurer. Like other administrators, he said tuition is propelled largely by “people costs” such as salaries and benefits.

“The quality of our education is related to the quality of our faculty and staff, and we want to remain as competitive as possible in the marketplace,” Field said. “We do generally increase salaries on an annual basis and continue to recruit as aggressively as we can.”

Punahou has been ratcheting up its financial aid budget to help families keep pace. About 19 percent of students at Punahou receive aid, and the grants average nearly half of tuition, he said.

‘Iolani School’s tuition will reach $23,450 for the coming year, up 4 percent over last year. Spokeswoman Cathy Lee Chong stressed that the actual cost of educating students is about $8,000 more than students are charged, a “tuition gap” that is covered by the school’s endowment and annual giving program.

“We try to give our families the highest educational value for the tuition dollars they pay,” she said. “We always try really hard to maintain the most exceptional faculty because our teachers are our most important resource.”

About a quarter of ‘Iolani students receive financial aid, with an average award of $9,900. The budget for financial aid is growing twice as fast as tuition rates, Chong said.

For those paying full fare, the bills can add up. Lisa Adams’ son attends ‘Iolani and her daughter is at Hawaii Baptist Academy, where tuition will be $16,900, so the total tuition tab will top $40,000 this year.

Adams and her husband, both real estate agents, have sometimes wondered whether they should be putting that money into a down payment on property for their kids, she said with a smile.

“You want to get to the point in the end that they will be able to afford their own place in Hawaii,” Adams said. “Hopefully we are making the right choices. Every child is different, there is no rule book to go by. We chose the more expensive route.”

The family appreciates the small class sizes, resources and religious dimension to their schools. The college-prep culture also is a major factor, with virtually every graduate at both schools going to college, she said.

“That’s huge for us,” Adams said. “We want them in an environment where everybody has that same end game where they want to get to.”

Mid-Pacific’s vice president of external affairs, Scott Siegfried, said the school makes every effort to manage costs while offering innovative technology and top-notch teaching.

“Our tuition increase allows us to attract and retain the best faculty for our innovative programs as well as support the growth of these programs and cover rising general operating costs,” Siegfried said. “We have increased our financial aid dollars above the rise in tuition in order to support our families.”

The bargain in Hawaii’s private education landscape remains Kamehameha Schools, supported by the endowment of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Tuition at its three campuses on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island will be $5,570 next year, up 3.5 percent over last year.

The trust also funds Kipono scholarships to help needy Hawaiians attend about 75 other private schools across the state. In March, Kamehameha Schools announced a new partnership with St. Andrew’s Schools, committing $500,000 in tuition assistance for Native Hawaiian students with financial need at The Priory and The Prep, the girls’ and boys’ schools.

Punahou has the largest enrollment of any private campus in the islands, at 3,750, with Kamehameha Schools-Oahu close behind at 3,192 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Among the states, Hawaii and Louisiana have the highest rate of students opting for a private education at 17 percent in 2016, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The national average was 10 percent.

Altogether, 32,888 students in kindergarten through 12th grade were enrolled in Hawaii’s independent schools in the 2016-2017 school year, the most recent numbers compiled by the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools.

That compares with public school enrollment of 179,902 in Hawaii that year. Another 3,000 students reported being home schooled, according to unofficial figures kept by the Hawaii Department of Education.

Private School Tuition List by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd