Three public high schools in Hawaii now enroll all of their students into “schools within a school” called career academies, which introduce them to the principles and practice of a particular career track. The Department of Education (DOE) calls this comprehensive enfolding of a student body into career academies “wall to wall” education.

Career academies present a highly promising opportunity for students. If they produce the expected successes, Hawaii should expand the practice as one way to help local students build thriving careers here in the islands, especially in fields such as health care, where there is a great need.

Some of these academies familiarize students with career opportunities that will require a college degree. Others are trade focused. All present advantages in prepping a student for further education, or to earn a living.

Pearl City High School, profiled in Wednesday’s Star-Advertiser, and Waikakea on Hawaii island offer three career academies. The trailblazer, Waipahu High, now offers six career academies as well as one for English learners.

The academy setup requires student engagement in learning, with teamwork and real-world challenges attached. They are essentially self-contained learning communities, with coursework and extracurricular activities tailored to help a student grow acquainted and comfortable with the knowledge and skills required for success in a career field.

As a principal, Hawaii schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi shepherded Waipahu High through its transformation into a wall to wall academy school. His deep experience with the model, and Hawaii’s success in guiding Pearl City and Waikakea to National Model Academy With Distinction status, a national designation that recognizes schools’ rigorous standards, bodes well for future growth of the model in Hawaii. It is used by about 7,000 schools across the U.S.

Twenty-five Hawaii public schools now offer at least one career academy, and more are on track to start. But shifting to a wall-to-wall academy format doesn’t happen overnight: Pearl City’s transition took about 10 years. Teachers acquire extra training; community partnerships and grant funding must be pursued; campus schedules must be transformed.

In the end, however, this groundwork results in extra resources, specialized equipment and facilities. Academies forge industry partnerships and include a community advisory board.

The true test of success, of course, is student learning and satisfaction. That’s been seen at Pearl City’s first academy, in health careers, with better attendance and graduation rates.

At Waipahu, attendance, graduation and also college enrollment rates all improved, while truancy diminished.

Hawaii’s success with academies has drawn national attention, and Hawaii will host the National Career Academy Coalition conference in 2025.

As concern grows over the loss of Hawaii’s young adults, who decide they must leave the islands to have a career, the state’s academic institutions have increasingly expanded offerings to counteract this dynamic. The University of Hawaii added emphasis to career preparation in its latest strategic plan, recognizing worker shortages in education and health care. The DOE and UH are looking at the possibilities in coordinating career exploration and prep.

Successfully managed, the academy model can help shape engaged, involved students, who understand the value of learning and attain useful skills. The wall to wall arrangement or academy setup will not be best for all Hawaii schools, and other workable options are available. But academies present a promising path, and should be offered to all students and schools that want to take part.