Hawaiʻi Baptist Academy
Hawaiʻi School Guide ｜ Written by: Academia Tutor School Editorial Team / Supervised by: Yamahi
- Private Christian college-preparatory school, preschool through Grade 12, in Nuʻuanu, Honolulu, with a second preschool in Mililani. Founded in 1949; more than 1,100 students on four campuses.
- Entry points: preschool (two Early Learning Centers), kindergarten and Grades 1–12 (Grades 10–12 start with a credit review). International students: Grade 9 is the preferred entry point.
- Next deadline: K–12 applications for 2027–28 are due Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2026. In-person Open House: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026.
- Tuition 2026–27: $23,580 (K–12); preschool $17,740 (Mililani) or $21,760 (Nuʻuanu); international students $28,580.
Basic information
Which grades can you enter?
- Preschool: the Early Learning Center (ELC) in Nuʻuanu serves ages 3–5; the ELC at GracePoint in Mililani serves ages 2.5–5. The website does not clearly post the birth-date rule for 2027–28 — ask admissions.
- Kindergarten: HBA posts different age cutoffs for boys and girls. For 2027–28, “all kindergarten boys should be five years old by June 30, 2027,” and “all kindergarten girls should be five years old by September 30, 2027.”
- Grades 1–9: open to new students. Grades 10–12: a credit review comes first.
- The website does not publish seat numbers; it says only that spaces are limited.
2027–28 admissions timeline
ApplicationFinancial aidOpen house & testsDecision
The K–12 application fee is $125 (non-refundable), and applications go through Ravenna. Families who accept an offer pay a $500 deposit; the reply deadline is given in the acceptance letter.
The kindergarten age cutoff is not the same for boys and girls: boys must be 5 by June 30, 2027, girls by Sept. 30, 2027 — so a boy born in July–September 2022 is not yet eligible for K in 2027–28, while a girl born then is. And for Grades 7–12, the SSAT is not required: HBA gives its own admissions test (the SSAT is optional; HBA’s code is 3760).
Tuition and financial aid
- Tuition for 2026–27: K–12 $23,580; preschool $17,740 (ELC at GracePoint Mililani) or $21,760 (ELC Nuʻuanu); international students $28,580 ($23,580 plus a $5,000 international student fee).
- Fees: Student Activity Fee $720–$1,200 (new for 2026–27; it replaces the old book, comprehensive and technology fees); Tuition Refund Plan $166; class dues $65–$100 (Grades 7–12); PTF dues $25; elective fees $5–$217. After-school program (K–6, optional) $3,500. The 10-month payment plan has a $150 handling fee.
- Discount: 10% for alumni, siblings or military families (only one discount at a time).
- Financial aid is need-based, through Clarity ($65). The 2027–28 platform opens to new applicants on Dec. 1, 2026; the first-round deadline is Jan. 15, 2027, with other documents by Jan. 20. The website does not mention merit scholarships or how many families receive aid.
Applying from outside Hawaiʻi
- Grade 9 is the preferred entry point for international students; Grades 10–11 are by special consideration, and HBA does not accept international applications for Grade 12.
- The first step is a preliminary interview on Zoom. Only after that do families apply through Ravenna with a special code — do not apply before the interview.
- Tests: the HBA Entrance Exam plus the SSAT or TOEFL Junior (iTEP SLATE Plus or TOEFL Junior if there is no SSAT test site nearby). The page still says “SSAT by January 2026,” so confirm the test date for 2027–28 entry.
- HBA issues the I-20 for an F-1 visa after all admissions steps are complete and the $500 non-refundable deposit is paid. Medical insurance is required ($176 a month).
- Housing: the international page says HBA offers a homestay program provided by the school, but the homestay options page lists three private homestay agencies. Confirm the current arrangement with admissions. The website does not mention boarding or an ESL program.
How Academia Tutor School can help
Our Private School Entrance Exam Prep program prepares children for the parts of admission that are hard to practice at home: developmental and achievement tests like HBA’s, parent and student interviews, and the reading, vocabulary and math skills behind them. Lessons run Monday to Friday after school, private or in groups of up to five. In 2026, our students were admitted to 23 schools.
No tutoring program can promise admission, and we do not. Our goal is for your child to walk in calm and ready to show who they are.
Related: Hawaii private school application deadlines for 2027–28 · Hawaiʻi School Guide
Sources
Hawaiʻi Baptist Academy, “About,” “Our Story,” “History,” “Contact Us,” “Admissions,” application process pages (Kindergarten, Grades 1–6, Grades 7–9, Grades 10–12, ELC Nuʻuanu), “ELC Nuʻuanu,” “ELC Mililani,” “Open House,” “Tuition & Fees,” “Financial Aid,” “International” and “Homestay Options.” Information as of October 24, 2026. Details change every year — always confirm with the school. Academia Tutor School is not affiliated with Hawaiʻi Baptist Academy.
