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Hawaiʻi Private School Interviews: What Kids Do, Are Parents Interviewed?
Academia123
Written by: Academia Tutor School Editorial Team / Supervised by: Yamahi
THE SHORT ANSWER
- For kindergarten, the “interview” is not a question-and-answer test. It is time your child spends with teachers and other children. ʻIolani runs a weekday individual visit (30–40 minutes of testing) and a 90-minute Saturday group session; Punahou runs a weekday-morning individual assessment and a Saturday-morning group session; Mid-Pacific runs a 90-minute Saturday group assessment.
- From grade 6, it becomes an interview plus writing. ʻIolani: a group activity and short writing sample for grade 6, an individual interview and writing sample for grades 7–11. Mid-Pacific: an on-campus assessment and interview. Punahou: a Saturday interview and writing session for grades 9–12.
- Parents are interviewed at St. Andrew’s (a virtual meeting). ʻIolani states that parents are not interviewed; Punahou and Mid-Pacific ask parents to write a questionnaire or summary instead.
- If you live outside Oʻahu, some schools offer Zoom: ʻIolani for grade 6 and up, Mid-Pacific at every level (ask the Admissions Office), and St. Andrew’s interviews are virtual to begin with. Punahou says only “contact us if your child cannot attend.”
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
“What will they ask my child?” is the question we hear most often from parents applying to private schools in Hawaiʻi. What the schools publish, though, is the format: how long, in a group or one-on-one, and whether parents take part. They do not publish the questions. This article separates two things: what Punahou, ʻIolani, Mid-Pacific, St. Andrew’s, Le Jardin, and Hanahauʻoli say on their official 2027-28 admissions pages (checked October 27, 2026), and what Academia Tutor School covers in its own interview practice. Dates are Hawaiʻi time.
What the “interview” looks like, by school and grade
2027-28 applications: the format of the child’s session (three major schools)
For kindergarten, all three schools combine an individual session with a group session rather than a sit-down interview. The format starts to look like a conventional interview from grade 7.
Other schools: the format of the session (2027-28)
When are the sessions? (November 2026 – April 2027)
Child sessions and decision dates (2027-28 applications)
PunahouʻIolaniMid-PacificOther schools
Application deadlineFinancial aidSessions and documentsDecisions
Application deadlineFinancial aidSessions and documentsDecisions
Oct
▼ Today 10/27
Nov
11/7 and 11/21 (Sat.) grades 4–5 group session (grade 5 on 11/7)11/2 application deadline (all grades)Saturdays Nov.–Jan.: grade 6 group activity, grades 7–11 interviewsNov.–Jan.: grades 6–12 assessment and interview11/30 Hanahauʻoli JK application deadline
Dec
Dec.–Jan.: kindergarten 90-minute Saturday group assessment12/15 Le Jardin application deadline
Jan
1/16 (Sat.) grades 1–3 group session (the only date)1/15 documents, CSS, and session scheduling due1/15 St. Andrew’s priority application deadline1/23 and 2/6 (Sat.) St. Andrew’s K assessment; Saturdays Jan.–Feb. Hanahauʻoli JK
Feb
2/15 financial aid deadline
Mar
Mid-March: decisions by emailMarch: decisions (K and grades 1–12)3/31 St. Andrew’s decisions
Apr
Early April: Hanahauʻoli decisions
Punahou (kindergarten and grades 6–12) and ʻIolani (kindergarten) do not publish session dates. The date and time come by email after you apply, and Punahou notes that “appointments are limited.”
Are parents interviewed?
📝
Punahou: a written questionnaire
No parent interview is listed. Every grade level submits a Parent Questionnaire (grades 6–12 also a Candidate Questionnaire, due November 7). The contents are not published.
Punahou school page →🏫
ʻIolani: parents attend an information session
The grades 7–11 checklist says: “Parents are not interviewed and will attend an informational session during the candidate’s interview.” For kindergarten, parents are hosted on a campus tour during the individual visit and attend an informational program during the group session.
ʻIolani school page →💻
Mid-Pacific: a written summary and a 20-minute follow-up
Parents complete a Parent/Guardian Summary (your child’s qualities, your family, your interest in the school). For kindergarten, an optional 20-minute virtual follow-up meeting after the assessment gives feedback and answers questions.
Mid-Pacific school page →🎥
St. Andrew’s: a virtual interview
For kindergarten through grade 6, the parent meets virtually with a member of the Admissions Committee. For grades 7–12, both the student and the parent(s) take part. International applicants may bring a translator (the school does not provide one).
Le Jardin and Hanahauʻoli do not mention a parent interview on their admissions pages. Hanahauʻoli’s docent tours are for parents and guardians only.
What are schools looking for? (In their own words)
🧒
Punahou
The process is “designed to get to know your child as a whole person,” and assessments “may include individual and group activities, standardized tests, and interviews.”
🌱
Mid-Pacific
“Designed to help us get to know your child as a learner, community member, and individual.” Families are encouraged to attend events and get to know the faculty, programs, and values.
🔍
Hanahauʻoli
Looks for children “who demonstrate curiosity, the ability to focus, and enthusiasm for learning,” and expects “some leaders as well as some followers, some highly verbal children as well as some quiet thinkers.”
⚠︎ Do not record any part of the session
Punahou states that it expects “no part of the admissions session, including interviews, assessments, presentations, or other activities, be audio or video recorded,” naming mobile phones, smart glasses, and smart watches as examples, and adds that “any violation will be noted and may be considered by the admissions committee.” Treat every school the same way.
What happens on the day? (ʻIolani kindergarten as an example)
ʻIolani kindergarten: from application to sessions
▶
1Application and fee
Apply in Ravenna by October 15 (closed for 2027-28). About 96 students are admitted
▶
2Date by email
Within two weeks of the completed application and fee, you receive the individual and group appointment times
▶
3Weekday-morning individual visit
A one-hour slot; testing of the child is 30–40 minutes with a short break. Parents are hosted on a campus tour
▶
4Saturday-morning group session
90 minutes. Parents attend an informational program
▶
5Documents
Teacher reports and report cards by January 31. Delegate teacher references after November 30
6Decision
Emailed in mid-March. Enrollment deadline April 22
⚠︎ The individual visit is 30–40 minutes of your child’s time alone with a teacher
During ʻIolani’s kindergarten individual visit, the parent is elsewhere while the child spends 30–40 minutes one-on-one with a teacher. Being settled in a room with a new adult and no parent is the foundation, before any question is answered. The Saturday group runs 90 minutes with about ten other children (Hanahauʻoli publishes “10–12 children”).
Practicing at home (what Tutor’s interview practice covers)
From here on, this is not the schools’ guidance. It is what Academia Tutor School covers in the interview and group-activity practice of its private school admissions prep program, working backward from the published formats: 30–40 minutes individual, 90 minutes in a group, and an interview plus writing from grade 7.
Four things to do at home, in order
▶
1Time away from a parent
A few times a month, 30 minutes with an adult in a room without a parent: a class, a friend’s house. Promise to pick them up afterward, and keep it
▶
2Talk about yourself in sentences
Name, age, favorite things, family, in a full sentence rather than a single word. Make sentences the habit first
▶
3Activities with new children
Park or library programs where your child shares materials, waits for a turn, and cleans up with children they have not met
4Follow two-step directions
Games like “put two blue blocks in the box.” From grade 7, practice writing a short piece in 25 minutes
Below are example questions used in Tutor’s interview practice. They are not questions published by any school. The goal is not a memorized answer but one or two sentences in your child’s own words.
🙋
About me (kindergarten and up)
What is your name? How old are you? What do you like to do? — One sentence each; giving a reason for the favorite is plenty.
📚
Books and play (kindergarten and up)
What book do you like? What do you like to play? — The title of a favorite book and a line about what happens in it.
👨👩👧
Family and school (kindergarten and up)
Who is in your family? What do you do at school? — Names of family members and something they do at school.
🏫
This school (grade 7 and up)
Why do you want to come to this school? What do you want to try here? — Name one program or event and give a reason.
💪
Strengths and challenges (grade 7 and up)
What are you good at? What is hard for you, and what do you do about it? — An honest challenge and what they do about it.
✍️
Writing (grade 6 and up)
ʻIolani asks grade 6 for a short writing sample, and grades 7–11 and Punahou grades 9–12 for an interview with writing. Practice choosing one experience and writing about it in 25 minutes.
Examples from Academia Tutor School’s interview practice, not official school questions. They are adjusted by grade and school.
⚠︎ If English is still new, tell the school honestly
None of the schools states on its official pages how it handles a child who cannot yet answer in English. St. Andrew’s allows international applicants to bring a translator to the interview. For the others, telling the Admissions Office before you apply how long your child has been learning English is better than leaving the child to struggle on the day. In practice, the first skill we teach is asking “Can you say that again?”
If you live outside Oʻahu
💻
Schools that offer Zoom
ʻIolani: “Off-island applicants will be interviewed via Zoom” for grade 6 and up. Mid-Pacific: from preschool through grade 12, “if you reside off-island, please contact the Admissions Office to request a virtual option.” St. Andrew’s interviews are virtual to begin with. Punahou says “please contact us if your child cannot attend an on-campus appointment” and does not mention Zoom.
🏠
Punahou’s residency condition
For kindergarten through grade 8, Punahou considers applicants from the neighbor islands, the mainland, or other countries “only if their parents will be living on Oʻahu during the school year.”
✈️
Flying in for the session
Session dates at Punahou and ʻIolani (kindergarten) are set by the school and sent by email, so do not lock in travel dates before you have them. Mid-Pacific lets you choose a slot in its checklist.
🎒
Which grade to apply for
Kindergarten for fall 2027 at Punahou is for children born June 1, 2021 – July 31, 2022. Children applying to grade 6 are in grade 5 now (see the SSAT article).
What Academia Tutor School can do
Interviews and group activities are the hardest parts to practice at home. In the private school admissions prep program, individually or in groups of up to five, we practice talking with a new adult, group activities built on waiting for a turn and sharing materials, and, from grade 7, the interview and a 25-minute writing piece, all in English. Parents hear how each lesson went, and students outside Hawaiʻi can join online.
Related pages
- How kindergarten admissions work at Hawaiʻi private schools · The SSAT for grade 6 and up: when and which level · Punahou vs. ʻIolani
- Hawaiʻi School Guide: Punahou · ʻIolani · Mid-Pacific
Sources (checked October 27, 2026)
- Punahou School: “Admissions,” “Applying to Punahou,” “Kindergarten – Grade 3,” “Grades 4 – 5,” “Grades 6 – 8,” “Grades 9 – 12,” and the 2027-28 application checklists (punahou.edu/admissions)
- ʻIolani School: “Day Admission,” “Visits and Events,” and the 2027-28 kindergarten, grade 6, and grades 7–11 checklists (iolani.org/admission/day)
- Mid-Pacific Institute: “Apply to Mid-Pacific” and the 2027-28 preschool, kindergarten, grades 1–5, and grades 6–12 checklists (midpac.edu/admissions)
- St. Andrew’s Schools, “Applying to K–12” (standrewsschools.org); Le Jardin Academy, “Admissions” (lejardinacademy.org); Hanahauʻoli School, “Admissions FAQs” and “Application timeline” (hanahauoli.org)
Information as of October 27, 2026. Session formats and dates change every year, so confirm with each school’s official site and Admissions Office. The “practicing at home” section and the example questions are Academia Tutor School’s own practice material, not instructions from any school. Academia Tutor School is not affiliated with any of these schools.
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