Maui Christian Academy marks 70 years of faith-based education rooted in Pāʻia

Maui Christian Academy is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, tracing its roots to a four-student home preschool founded in 1956 by missionaries Ed and Doris Todd.

With a current enrollment of 230 students from preschool through 12th grade, the school will kick off anniversary celebrations July 17–19 with registration and campus tours, a homecoming featuring “legacy games,” a banquet dinner and a worship night, according to the school.

The Todds arrived on Maui in 1954 after six years as missionaries in the Philippines, with what the school described as a vision of sharing their Christian faith with Maui residents. After parents on the north shore asked Doris Todd to start a school, she opened Paia Baptist Nursery at her Haʻikū home in 1956 with four students. The school relocated the following year to Sunday school rooms behind a Hawaiian church in Pāʻia, growing to 17 students.

The Todds went on to found several churches, a Christian bookshop and coffee house, the Pāʻia Christian Youth Center, Maui Christian Youth Camp and other ministries on Maui and Molokaʻi, all organized under what became known as the Hawaiian Islands Mission, the school said. 

Survived 1960s tsunami

The school’s facility at the current location of the Paia Youth Center, rented from HC&S for $1 a year, withstood a tsunami in the 1960s that damaged or destroyed neighboring homes, the school said. Staff moved belongings upstairs and secured a refrigerator before the tsunami hit. The next morning, the building had only a cracked window and debris in the yard, while homes on either side were demolished or knocked off their foundations.

The school’s survival drew coverage in the Honolulu Advertiser at the time, the school said, with the building described as part of a “little miracle school.”

Named for founder after her death

The school was renamed Doris Todd Memorial Christian Day School after Doris Todd died unexpectedly in 1965. Doris had served as the school’s founder, teacher and principal, and was known for skills in linguistics, music and art.

Mabel Todd, who arrived from Canada as a missionary in 1957 to assist at the school, became principal after Doris Todd’s death. She married Ed Todd two years later, and the couple continued mission work on Maui before relocating to New Zealand in 1981. They returned in 1997; Ed Todd died in 2001.

Now 91, Mabel Todd still drives from Kīhei to Pāʻia daily to tutor students, a practice the school said has continued for about 20 years. Todd also leads the school’s Moms In Prayer group and has traveled to more than 20 countries, as part of her ministry work.

Name changes reflect decades of dual branding

The school has operated under multiple names since its founding, a history the school said created confusion among families and alumni. While the school’s legal name remained Doris Todd Christian Academy, the name Maui Christian Academy was licensed and used for the school’s middle school program starting in the 1970s, and later applied to its high school programs in the 1980s and after the high school reopened in 2014.

The school said leadership made the decision to consolidate under a single name “to bring unity” and clarify the school’s identity, while preserving its founding mission. “Our name may change, but our legacy, core values, commitment to biblical teaching, and dedication to shaping future leaders in Christ remain unchanged,” the school said.

Growth and expansion plans

The school today draws students from across Maui, including Lahaina, Wailuku, Kahului, Kīhei, Pukalani, Kula, Makawao and Haʻikū, and offers art; orchestra; ukulele; theater; science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and athletics programs in addition to its core academics, the school said.

Maui Christian Academy is expanding its Pāʻia campus with a new gymnasium and additional classroom space to accommodate its high school program, according to the school. The high school took its first international mission trip last year, sending students to the Philippines — the country where the Todds began their missionary work before settling on Maui. The school plans to continue the trips annually to different countries and believes it is the only school in Maui County offering an international humanitarian trip for students.

In addition to the July celebration, the school plans to hold its Founder’s Day event on Jan. 29, Doris Todd’s birthday, during the school year, along with a 70-hour prayer event and 70 community service projects involving students and alumni throughout the year.