Applying to a Hawaiʻi Private School for Kindergarten: Timing, Steps and What Your Child Does
Academia123
Academia Tutor School
Private School Tuition in Hawaiʻi: 2026–27 Rates and Fees at 9 Honolulu Schools
Academia123
Written by: Academia Tutor School Editorial Team / Supervised by: Yamahi
THE SHORT ANSWER
- Honolulu’s best-known private schools charge $32,000–$34,000 a year for 2026–27. Punahou $34,230 (one rate, K–12), Mid-Pacific $33,315 (preschool–12), ʻIolani $32,890 plus a $525 technology fee (day students). Hanahauʻoli is $31,950 and Le Jardin $29,440–$29,870.
- Several schools are in the $20,000s. St. Andrew’s $23,995, Hawaii Baptist Academy $23,580, Maryknoll $22,650. Saint Louis (boys) charges $15,533–$18,158 tuition plus comprehensive fees of $1,000–$2,200. Kamehameha has announced no tuition from 2026–27, pending Probate Court approval.
- On top of tuition, expect an enrollment deposit ($500–$1,000), technology fees, a Tuition Refund Plan, monthly-plan fees and lunch at some schools. International students pay more at St. Andrew’s, HBA and Saint Louis; Mid-Pacific charges $3,188 per English Language Development course.
- Statewide, the average is $14,767 and the Honolulu-area average $19,711 (HAIS 2026–27 Tuition Report, 97 schools). Only 7 of the 97 schools charge $30,000 or more.
Your guide for this article
School Owner / Hironori Yamaguchi
Yamahi
Introduction
School Owner of Academia Language School in Honolulu, founded in 1969. Moved to Hawaiʻi with family in 2022; father of three. Off duty: caddying at the kids’ golf. Supervises the columns on Academia Tutor School.
How we check this article
- ✓Only facts checked on official school and state pages
- ✓School year and date checked are stated
- ✓Independent: not affiliated with any school
“How much does private school cost in Hawaiʻi, and what else do we pay besides tuition?” is the first hurdle in choosing a school. We checked the 2026–27 tuition of nine Honolulu private schools and Kamehameha on each school’s official pages on November 2, 2026, and put together what tuition includes, the extra fees, international-student rates, how payments are split, and where these schools sit statewide. How need-based financial aid works is covered in a separate article, so this one sticks to “how much.” As of November 2, 2026, no school has published 2027–28 tuition yet.
What do the nine schools charge for 2026–27?
Some schools charge one rate for every grade; others step up by grade. The length of each bar shows the range across grades.
Tuition at nine Honolulu private schools (2026–27, per year, USD)
USD per year (min–max where the rate changes by grade)
010k20k30k
Punahou (K–12)34,230
Mid-Pacific (preschool–12)33,315
ʻIolani (K–12, day)32,890
Hanahauʻoli (JK–6)31,950
Le Jardin (K–12)29,440 – 29,870
St. Andrew’s (K–12)23,995
Hawaii Baptist Academy (K–12)23,580
Maryknoll (K–12)22,650
Saint Louis (boys, K–12, tuition only)15,533 – 18,158
Punahou, ʻIolani, Mid-Pacific, Hanahauʻoli, St. Andrew’s, HBA and Maryknoll charge the same amount from kindergarten through grade 12. Le Jardin and Saint Louis rise slightly in the upper grades. Preschool rates are separate: Le Jardin PK $19,710 and JK $21,500, Maryknoll PK $18,050, HBA preschool $17,740 (Mililani) or $21,760 (Nuʻuanu), and St. Andrew’s Queen Emma Preschool $20,870 for two-year-olds and $18,370 for three and up (hot lunch included).
⚠︎ Kamehameha: no tuition from 2026–27
On December 23, 2025, Kamehameha Schools announced that, pending Probate Court approval, its preschools and K–12 campuses “will no longer require tuition” beginning with the 2026–27 school year; the full cost is borne by Ke Aliʻi Pauahi’s endowment. The HAIS 2026–27 Tuition Report already lists Kamehameha’s three campuses under “No Tuition.” Note that the school’s policy “is to give preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law,” so it does not apply to most families applying from abroad. The outcome of the court approval was not posted on ksbe.edu as of November 2, 2026.
Where do these schools sit statewide? Only 7 of 97 charge $30,000+
“Private school in Hawaiʻi means $30,000” is a common assumption, but the statewide picture is wider. In the HAIS 2026–27 Tuition Report (June 2026; 97 member schools, self-reported; each school’s rate is the average across its grades), the average is $14,767 and the median $12,370. For the 34 Honolulu-area schools the average is $19,711 and the median $19,028.
Hawaiʻi private schools by tuition band (2026–27, number of schools)
schools
No tuition3 schools (3%)
$1–$8,99920 schools (21%)
$9,000–$11,99925 schools (26%)
$12,000–$19,99924 schools (25%)
$20,000–$29,99918 schools (19%)
$30,000 and up7 schools (7%)
Only 7 of the 97 schools charge $30,000 or more, and the top four schools in this article are among them. Half of all schools fall between $9,000 and $19,999. For comparison, the same report lists the public-school cost per pupil in Hawaiʻi at $23,935 (fiscal year 2025, including federal, state and local funds).
What does tuition include? The three best-known schools compared
“Tuition” covers different things at different schools. Whether devices, books, lunch and the Tuition Refund Plan are included changes what you actually pay by several hundred to over a thousand dollars.
Included in tuition vs. paid separately (2026–27)
A simple way to remember it: Punahou folds devices, outdoor-education trips and supplies into tuition but not lunch; ʻIolani charges separately for technology and upper-grade books.
What fees come on top of tuition?
Only fees with a dollar amount on the schools’ official pages are listed. “Not stated” means the page does not give a figure, not that there is no charge.
⚠︎ What is the Tuition Refund Plan?
If a student withdraws or transfers mid-year, the family still owes the full year’s tuition. The Tuition Refund Plan (TRP) is insurance that covers part of that obligation. Punahou and HBA require it on semester and monthly plans, ʻIolani requires it on the monthly plan, and it is optional on a single annual payment (Punahou and HBA require it for financial-aid recipients). For a family arriving from overseas who might have to return home mid-year, it is worth considering even when optional.
Do international students pay more?
This is the difference that matters most to families applying from outside the United States. Some schools publish a separate international rate; others charge the same tuition and add English-language courses.
International-student tuition (2026–27)
Punahou and ʻIolani have no international category on their tuition pages (international students pay the standard rate). Conditions for applying from abroad and I-20 sponsorship differ by school; see the “applying from overseas” part of our mid-year transfer article and ask each admission office.
When and how is tuition paid?
From acceptance to the last payment, the sequence is similar everywhere. The first payment lands in July.
How tuition is paid (for an August 2027 start)
▶
1Accept and sign the contract (March–April)
After the decision letter: enrollment contract and deposit (ʻIolani $500, Hanahauʻoli $1,000, Saint Louis $500). Deposits are non-refundable
▶
2Choose a payment plan
Annual, semester, or monthly (10–11 payments). Semester and monthly plans usually add a plan fee and a Tuition Refund Plan
▶
3First payment in July
Punahou 7/24, ʻIolani 7/31, HBA 7/5. The deposit is credited against the first payment; technology fee and TRP are due with it
4Finish by April–May
Monthly plans run to April (Saint Louis to May). Late payments carry fees (HBA: $40 plus 1.5% a month on the unpaid balance)
Mid-Pacific, Le Jardin, Maryknoll and St. Andrew’s also say they offer annual, semester and monthly plans (Maryknoll: 10 payments) but do not publish dates or fees. Hanahauʻoli’s page does not describe payment plans.
Paying from outside the United States
💱
Tuition is set in US dollars
Tuition is set each year in USD; Punahou states that “tuition costs are reviewed annually.” HAIS reports the statewide average rose 2.9% from 2025–26 to 2026–27 (4.3% excluding Kamehameha). If you budget in another currency, leave room for both the annual increase and the exchange rate.
💳
Card payments cost 3%
Punahou and HBA add 3.12% for credit and debit cards, Saint Louis 3.05%. On $34,230 that is about $1,068. Bank-account debit (EFT) carries no fee. Ask each school’s Business Office how to pay from an overseas bank account.
📅
Deposit in spring, first payment in July
A non-refundable deposit comes right after the March decision, and the first tuition payment in July. Families abroad should count back from the deadlines (Punahou 7/24, ʻIolani 7/31, HBA 7/5) to allow for international transfer times. The Tuition Refund Plan is a safeguard if you have to return home mid-year.
From each school’s 2026–27 official pages (checked 2026-11-02). No exchange rates are given here.
Is there financial aid or a discount?
The three best-known schools offer need-based financial aid; how it works, the deadlines and who qualifies are in our financial-aid article. Separately from aid, some schools list discounts on their tuition pages.
👨👩👧👦
Le Jardin: sibling and early-payment discounts
10% off for a third child and 25% for a fourth. 2% off for paying the full year by a set date (the date is not published).
Le Jardin school page →🎖️
HBA and St. Andrew’s: military and other discounts
Hawaii Baptist Academy gives 10% to alumni, siblings and military families. St. Andrew’s gives 10% to active-duty, retired and reserve military families.
🚫
Mid-Pacific: no aid for international or preschool students
The school states plainly that “financial aid is not available for Preschool or International students.” Families applying from abroad should plan on paying the full amount.
Mid-Pacific school page →Each school’s 2026–27 tuition page (checked 2026-11-02). Financial aid is covered in a separate article.
Are public and charter schools free?
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) schools and public charter schools charge no tuition. HIDOE describes charter schools as “tuition-free public schools of choice open to all,” and the State Public Charter School Commission says state law “explicitly prohibits them from charging tuition.” What families pay are actual costs such as school meals.
🍱
School meals (2026–27)
Breakfast $1.10; lunch $2.50 for PreK–8 and $2.75 for grades 9–12. Qualifying families get free or reduced-price meals.
How Hawaiʻi public schools work →🏫
Who can enroll
Public schools are assigned by home address; a Geographic Exception is needed for another school. For families arriving from abroad, the visa type determines which schools a child may attend — see our education-move guide.
Moving to Hawaiʻi for school →HIDOE “School Food Services” (2026–27 meal prices) and “Charter Schools”; Hawaiʻi State Public Charter School Commission FAQ (checked 2026-11-02).
⚠︎ Public cost per pupil: $23,935
As a reference point, the HAIS Tuition Report cites the public-school cost per pupil in Hawaiʻi at $23,935 (fiscal year 2025, including federal, state and local funds). That is what the system spends, not what families pay, but it is higher than the private-school median of $12,370.
What Academia Tutor School can do
Tuition is not only “how much” but “which school can we keep paying for” and “what is the total once international surcharges and English courses are added.” Through the Hawaiʻi Private School Transfer Plan we lay out the full cost per school (tuition, fees and international surcharges) for your child’s grade and budget and handle the application. English and interview preparation is through the Private School Admissions Prep program, available online from overseas. We do not give financial or tax advice; questions about financial aid go to each school’s office.
Related pages
- Financial aid at Hawaiʻi private schools · 2027–28 application deadlines · Entering a private school in a later grade · How Hawaiʻi public schools work
- Hawaiʻi School Guide: Punahou · ʻIolani · Mid-Pacific · St. Andrew’s · Le Jardin · Academia Tutor School fees
Sources and date checked
- Punahou School, “Tuition and Financial Aid” and “Re-enrollment” (punahou.edu). ʻIolani School, “Tuition” (Business Office), “Day Student Tuition” and “Boarding Tuition & Financial Aid” (iolani.org). Mid-Pacific Institute, “Tuition and Financial Aid” and “International Program” (midpac.edu)
- St. Andrew’s Schools, “Tuition” (standrewsschools.org). Le Jardin Academy, “Tuition” (lejardinacademy.org). Hanahauʻoli School, “Tuition and Fees” (hanahauoli.org). Hawaii Baptist Academy, “Tuition & Fees” and “International Students” (hba.net). Maryknoll School, “Tuition” (maryknollschool.org). Saint Louis School, “2026-2027 Tuition & Fees” (PDF updated February 23, 2026, saintlouishawaii.org)
- Kamehameha Schools, “A Kamehameha Schools education: a kahua of kuleana” (December 23, 2025, ksbe.edu). Hawaiʻi Association of Independent Schools, “2026-27 Tuition Report” (June 2026, hais.us). Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, “School Food Services” and “Charter Schools” (hawaiipublicschools.org). Hawaiʻi State Public Charter School Commission, “Frequently Asked Questions”
Information as of November 2, 2026. Tuition and fees change every year, and no school has published 2027–28 tuition yet. Only amounts printed on the schools’ official pages are listed; “not stated” does not mean there is no charge. Always confirm with each school’s tuition page and Business Office. Academia Tutor School is not affiliated with any of these schools.
ABOUT ME
