As of 2023-2024, the school offers a total of 1,418 students, with a faculty of 97.00 and a student teacher ratio of 14.62. The school offers a variety of extracurricular activities, including FIRST Robotics, a music program, and sports. Its newspaper is The Messenger, its yearbook is Hail'a Aloha, and its military is associated with the United States Air Force Auxiliary. The school's principal is Joseph Halfmann.
History
The school broke ground in May 1970, with then-Hawaii governor John A. Burns releasing $2.8 million to the Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) for the development of the school in May 1971.[2] The school opened its doors in September 1971, and initially featured only two buildings. During its first year, it served only 9th graders, with 10th to 12th grades added the following year. Over the years, the campus expanded to include additional buildings.[3] The school's charger mascot and colors were chosen by the Class of 1974, which was the first graduating class; Purple and white were chosen as school colors, as they were used by community teams.[4]
In 1977, the school had a fire, resulting in an estimated $60,000 in damage.[5]
Since the 21st century, the school had several improvements; In 2016, the multipurpose running track, soccer, and American football field was resurfaced to artificial turf.[6] In 2021, construction was started on upgrading the baseball field to a stadium and adding an adjoining softball stadium.[7] In 2022, the school's auditorium was renamed to the Michael D. Nakasone Performing Arts Center, in honor of former band director Michael D. Nakasone.[8]
During the campus' inaugural year, the school operated with only Buildings A and B.[3] Over time, the campus expanded to include Buildings C through F, as well as Buildings K, L, and M.[3]
The school features a multipurpose track, soccer, and football stadium, named the Edwin "Bino" Neves Stadium[10] after former athletics director Edwin "Bino" Neves. The track uses artificial turf. The stadium also features a press box and bleachers.[6] The school also has a baseball field and a softball field.
There is an auditorium, which is named the Michael D. Nakasone Performing Arts Center, after the former band director Michael D. Nakasone.[11] The center, formerly known as the Pearl City Cultural Center, is also home to a time capsule from the school.[12][13]
For artwork, the campus features the sculptures Moon Beyond the Fence by Satoru Abe and Kua Kua Lua by Donald M. Page.[14][15]
The school uses a career academy structure to provide individualized instruction to students. There are a total of three academies, which specialize in culinary arts, health sciences and leadership, international business and design, and technology and design respectively. Each academy contains pathways for individualized career paths based on Career and Technical Education and have all received Academy Model Status by the National Academy Career Coalition (NCAC).[19]
As of the 2023–2024 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,418 students. Of this population, 304 students were considered to be two or more races, 253 were considered to be Pacific Islander, 54 were considered White, 231 were considered Hispanic, 561 were considered Asian, and two were considered to be American Indian or Alaska Native. 306 students were considered to be eligible for free lunch and 87 were considered eligible for reduced-price lunch.[22]
Extracurricular activities
The school has a variety of extracurricular activities. These include a robotics program, a renowned music program, a newspaper named The Messenger, and a junior military unit associated with the United States Air Force Auxiliary.
Robotics
The school participates in FIRST Robotics, an international competition where students design, build, and program robots to compete in various challenges, promoting skills in engineering, teamwork, and problem-solving. The school participates in the VEX Robotics competition as well.[23] In 2023, the VEX Robotics team qualified for the 2023 VEX World Championship.[24]
As part of the HIDOE Learning Center program, the school has a music learning center created specifically to increase and broaden the abilities of students who are interested in music. The program offers a variety of programs, including a jazz band, concert bands, and a marching band.[29][30]
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