Enrollment

Enrollment

Table of Contents

Our Mission

Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School’s staff, parents, and community are dedicated to the intellectual, personal, social, emotional, and physical growth of students. Our highly qualified and skilled staff recognizes the value of professional development to rigorously challenge students. Our teaching practices are grounded in Hawaiian culture, values, and traditions, and are reflective and responsive to the needs of our students. Through our Hawaiian-focused, project-based learning experiences and opportunities, our students discover their potential, achieve readiness for their life’s journey, and succeed in a safe and caring environment.

Our Vision

Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School’s vision is to educate and prepare students to be resilient, lifelong learners that will thrive globally with a strong identity and connection to Hawaiʻi and the Hawaiian culture.

Intention of Our Admission Process

All haumāna (students) and their ʻohana (families) who express a desire to attend and are willing to commit to the expressed values of our school are encouraged to apply for enrollment. Our Ka Wai ʻIhi Values, or collective values and actions, support the purpose, mission, and vision of Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School (NWOPCS).

All haumāna and their ʻohana are encouraged to be active, positive, and contributing members of the NWOPCS learning ʻohana. An expression of this commitment is made by all members of the NWOPCS ‘ohana before the start of every school year.

Steps to Admission

The admission process includes a written application and a school tour for new students and their parents. School tours are offered to interested students and their families. Attendance on one of the school tours is a requirement for admissions. These tours start during the spring and continue through the summer of the year prior to the incoming admission year. At the school tour, families are introduced to the mission and vision and informed of the commitment to the NWOPCS mission, vision, and values. Families are also given an opportunity to ask questions about the school.

Selection

Provided that there is sufficient space in the designated class/grade, all applicants will be invited to join the NWOPCS ʻohana. 

Should the number of applicants, per grade level, exceed the capacity of the same grade level, a public lottery will take place to fill the vacant spaces per grade level. 

Consistent with State Law, NWOPCS provides enrollment preferences to students who are enrolled at NWOPCS during the previous school year and to siblings of students already enrolled at NWOPCS.

NWOPCS also provides an enrollment preference for children of current full-time staff and governing board members provided that the number of students who utilizes this preference do not exceed 10% of the entire enrollment count.

New haumāna are enrolled annually as space permits. ʻOhana are informed of their acceptance status via letter. The projected notification date is mid-April. After the application deadline, new haumāna are considered if space is available and a second public lottery will take place during the summer. Those that are not admitted are placed on a waiting list that remains active through the end of the academic year.

Re-enrollment

Every spring, currently enrolled students need to submit an “Intent to Return” form in order to be re-admitted. New students are admitted annually as space permits. After the application deadline, new students are considered if space is available. Those that are not admitted are placed on a waiting list that remains active through the end of the academic year.

Latest News

3 days ago

Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School
Aloha kākou! We are currently hiring and seeking well-qualified candidates to join our team immediately.View our available positions here: Nā Wai Ola PCS Career Opportunities nawaiolapcs.org/contact/career-opportunities/If you are interested, please submit your cover letter and resume to hr@nawaiolapcs.org. Mahalo! ... See MoreSee Less
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Aloha e nā ʻohana o Nā Wai Ola,We are proud to share exciting and historic news for our school community.Today, May 28, 2026, the Hawaiʻi State Public Charter School Commission met and unanimously approved Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School’s expansion to serve grades Kindergarten through 12.This milestone means that Nā Wai Ola will grow into a full K–12 learning institution through a thoughtful, phased approach:Grade 9: School Year 2026–2027Grade 10: School Year 2027–2028Grade 11: School Year 2028–2029Grade 12: School Year 2029–2030The Commission recognized our newly designed Project-Based Learning (PBL) educational program as both robust and rigorous, noting its strong alignment with our mission, vision, and commitment to Hawaiian culture-based education. This affirmation reflects the deep and intentional work of our kumu and staff in designing meaningful, engaging, and academically challenging learning experiences for our haumāna.We are especially excited about the work already underway to prepare for this next phase. Our educational team is actively building and refining our schoolwide PBL program to ensure it enhances student learning, strengthens outcomes, and reflects who we are as a school community.In addition, we have begun coordination with our partners at the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, including the Complex Area Superintendent, as well as leadership from Keaʻau High School and the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF). Through these collaborations, we are working to ensure that our future high school students will have access to athletics and extracurricular opportunities through Keaʻau High School.This achievement reflects the collective commitment, dedication, and belief of our entire community—our haumāna, ʻohana, kumu, staff, and board. It is a direct result of our shared vision to provide a high-quality, culturally grounded education rooted in ʻike Hawaiʻi and delivered through a dynamic PBL approach.This success belongs to all of us.As we move forward, we remain committed to working collaboratively to ensure that every student is supported, challenged, and inspired—now and into the future.Mahalo nui loa for your continued trust, support, and partnership.Interested in enrollment for school year 2026-2027? Click the link: nawaiolapcs.org/ohana/enrollment/ ... See MoreSee Less
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4 weeks ago

Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School
Aloha kākou!Are you still considering where to send your keiki for middle school for the 2026 - 2027 school year? Nā Wai Ola PCS still has a few more spaces available for grades 6 - 8. We also have a few spots available for grade 9 high school. Contact us at (808) 968-2318 or office@nawaiolapcs.com. ... See MoreSee Less
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