Punahou School Campus
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Old School Hall, built in 1851
Coordinates:	21°18′10″N 157°49′50″W / 21.30278°N 157.83056°W / 21.30278; -157.83056Coordinates: 21°18′10″N 157°49′50″W / 21.30278°N 157.83056°W / 21.30278; -157.83056
Built:	1842
NRHP Reference#:	72000419[1]
Added to NRHP:	August 7, 1972

Punahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii. With about 3,760^[2] students attending the school, in kindergarten through the twelfth grade, it is the largest independent school in the United States.^[3]

Originally founded in 1841, the school has a rich history, a wide variety of programs and many notable alumni. Along with academics and athletics, Punahou offers visual and performing arts programs. In 2006, Punahou School was ranked as the "greenest" school in America.^[4] The student body is diverse, with student selection based on both academic and non-academic considerations. In 2008 and 2009, Punahou's sports program was ranked best in the country by Sports Illustrated.^[5]

History[link]

In 1795, the land known as Ka Punahou was taken in battle by King Kamehameha I. Along with Ka Punahou, he gave a total of 225 acres (0.91 km²) of land (from the slope of Round Top down to the current Central Union Church, which included a 77-acre (310,000 m²)-tract of Kewalo Basin) to chief Kameʻeiamoku as a reward for his loyalty. After Kameʻeiamoku died, the land was passed down to his son, Ulumāheihei Hoapili, who lived there for twenty more years. When Hoapili left to become the governor of Maui, he gave the land to his daughter, Kuini Liliha.^[6]

Ka Punahou was given by Oahu's Governor Boki and his wife, Liliha to Reverend Hiram Bingham, one of the first Christian missionaries in Hawaii.^[7] Powerful leader Queen Kaʻahumanu was a strong supporter of the mission, and built a house for herself near the Binghams. A portion of the stone wall she had built to protect the compound from roaming cattle has been preserved.

Founded in 1841, Punahou School was originally a school for the children of missionaries serving throughout the Pacific region. The first class was held on July 11, 1842, and consisted of only fifteen students. It was the first school with classes only in the English language west of the Rocky Mountains.^[7]

Daniel Dole (1808–1878) was its first principal.^[8] It was known as Oahu College from 1853 to 1934.

The campus was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Oahu on August 7, 1972.^[1]

During World War II, much of the Punahou campus was commandeered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:^[9] Castle Hall (the girls' dormitory when Punahou had boarding students) was used as a command center, buildings were connected with tunnels, athletic fields were used as parking lots, the library was cleared to become sleeping quarters and an officer's mess. The cereus hedge on the campus lava rock wall was topped with barbed wire. Punahou students volunteered in hospitals and raised enough in war bonds to purchase two bombers and a fighter (among other airplanes) which were named after alumni who had fallen in service.^[10][11]

In the 1970's, Punahou's upper field and gymnasium were used for the Superstars nationally televised athletic competitions.

Traditions[link]

Campus view in 1909

Many traditional events take place on campus. On the first Friday and Saturday of each February, the junior class hosts the Punahou Carnival,^[12] the proceeds of which benefit the Financial Aid program.^[13]

Holoku Pageant is an annual day of celebration of the Hawaiian culture and arts.^[14]

Sustainability Fair was begun in 2007 and includes on-campus information booths and conservation challenges, as well as off-campus coastline preservation.^[15][16]

For several decades, homecoming was highlighted by the students setting fire to a 20-foot letter-P at dusk on upper field. Seniors can look forward to their Variety Show, Prom at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, Skip Day at the Kikila Estate and Pounders Beach, Baccalaureate ceremonies at Central Union Church, graduation with men in blue blazers and women in Hawaiian formal white dresses, a final cafeteria breakfast after graduation, and an unofficial sunrise gathering at Makapu'u Point.

The school hosts a Luau Weekend on campus and an Alumni Family day at the Bellows Air Force Station beach.

Throughout most of the school's history, elementary school children have been allowed to attend in bare feet. Aloha shirts were once restricted to Fridays, but dress codes were relaxed considerably during the late Seventies.

Location[link]

All schools in Honolulu (public or private) have an urban residential location.

Punahou shares the entrance to Manoa Valley with the University of Hawaii main campus and a few other schools such as Mid-Pacific Institute.

Punahou students are minutes away from the trail to Manoa Falls, the beaches at Ala Moana and Waikiki, downtown Honolulu, and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Situated in the foothills of the Koolau Mountains, Punahou shares Manoa Valley with the University of Hawaii main campus and a few other schools

The school's location provides many opportunities for off-campus learning: field trip destinations for middle school students have regularly included the Bishop Museum, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Waikiki Aquarium, Sea Life Park, USS Arizona Memorial, Valley of the Temples, Iolani Palace, Hawaii State Capitol, and the North Shore.

The school in recent years[link]

Tuition is $18,450 for the 2011-2012 school year,^[17] not including student activity fees. Tuition charges do not cover the entire cost of the education of a student, and this "deficit" is met by the school's endowment.^[18][19] The Washington Post estimated Punahou's endowment to be $174M;^[20] Bizjournals and CBS News put it at $180M,^[21][22] and Business Week recently claimed it as high as $501M (possibly including non-liquid assets).^[23] Although this figure is high among U.S. private schools, Honolulu also has Iolani School with a comparable endowment (twice the endowment per pupil), and Kamehameha Schools has a $5B to $9B endowment (30 times the endowment per pupil).^[24] (Maui has Seabury Hall which has twice the endowment per pupil, but is a much smaller school).^[25]