About Kawaikini NCPCS

Kawaikini New Century Public Charter School is a K-12 school that opened its doors on July 24, 2008. As a Hawaiian-medium and Hawaiian-values start-up charter school, Kawaikini NCPCS has five general goals: (1) To create and implement an integrated K-12 Kaua'i-based curriculum; (2) To develop and foster a community of Hawaiian language speakers; (3) To improve and support the overall health of our learning community; (4) To engage parents and Kaua'i organizations in achieving a well-rounded Hawaiian education; and (5) To prepare students with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in their academic and career pursuits.

These goals follow directly from Kawaikini's vision of "A thoughtful, knowledgeable, and healthy community where the language, beliefs, and practices of the indigenous people of Hawai'i have become instinctive." In line with this vision is the educational program at Kawaikini, which is based on three curricular strands: Kaua'i o Manokalanipo (Kaua'i Curriculum); Ola Pono (Health and Wellness); and Ke Ala 'Ike (Career & College Preparation). Hawaiian is the instructional language in all classes through fourth grade, with English introduced on a bi-lingual basis in grade five.

Kawaikini New Century Public Charter School represents the efforts of a core group of parents and educators who have been involved with the Hawaiian Language Immersion program at Kula Kaiapuni o Kapa'a. Aspiring to create a superior education for their students, these parents and teachers began meeting two years ago to explore options that might provide a stronger educational model for Hawaiian language instruction. Upon receiving a planning grant under the USDOE's Charter Schools Program in 2006, Kawaikini's parent organization, Supporting the Language of Kaua'i, Inc. (SLK, Inc.), established an interim local school board (ILSB) which has conducted bi-weekly planning meetings that provide direction for the design of the start-up charter school. In October 2007 Kawaikini received one of two available charters in a competitive application process, and opened in July 2008. It saw its first graduate in 2010 and in 2014 it received a full 6-year WASC accreditation.

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