Partnership Offers Tuition Assistance to Native Hawaiian Students

Kamehameha Schools and Island Pacific Academy have teamed up to provide more children of Hawaiian ancestry with a quality Hawaiian culture-based and college-preparatory education by offering a tuition assistance program.

Partnership signing event. Photo Courtesy Kamehameha Schools.

The four-year collaboration called “Ke Aloha A Pauahi” will go into effect for the 2019-20 school year and includes shared tuition funding, wrap-around support services as well as innovative approaches to Hawaiian culture-based education, research and data sharing.

A memorandum of agreement between the schools was signed on January 7 by KS Chief Executive Officer Jack Wong and IPA Head of School Gerald Teramae at IPA’s K-12 campus in Kapolei.

“Since opening in 2004, Island Pacific Academy has served West O‘ahu families by offering a supportive, safe and nurturing learning environment that combines academics and real-world experiences to prepare students for college success, societal citizenship and life-long learning,” Teramae said. “Our Ke Aloha A Pauahi collaboration will offer this educational opportunity to more Native Hawaiians while expanding our curriculum so that all IPA students can benefit from Hawaiian culture-based education.”

KS has established similar agreements with St. Andrew’s Schools, Assets School, Saint Louis School, Kauaʻi’s Island School and Akaʻula School on Molokaʻi as part of its focus on creating opportunities for more Hawaiian haumāna through educational systems change.

In addition to these partnerships, KS also provides K-12 private school tuition support through its Kipona Scholarship Program. The need-based scholarships provide financial assistance to children attending participating schools throughout Hawai‘i.

“In order to ensure that great education happens for every child in our community, we need to partner with organizations like Island Pacific Academy,” Wong said. “This partnership offers our families more choices in West O‘ahu where there is a high population of Native Hawaiians.”

To apply for enrollment to IPA for the 2019-20 school year, visit www.islandpacificacademy.org.

Partnership signing event. Photo Courtesy Kamehameha Schools.