Hawaii Private School Application Deadlines for 2027–28: Punahou, ʻIolani and Mid-Pacific
Academia123
Academia Tutor School
Teacher Recommendations for Hawaiʻi Private Schools: Who, When and How to Ask
Academia123
Written by: Academia Tutor School Editorial Team / Supervised by: Yamahi
THE SHORT ANSWER
- You do not write or collect the recommendation. Your child’s current teacher fills in an online form that the school sends and submits it directly to the school. Your job is to enter the teacher’s email address in the application system (myPunahou at Punahou, Ravenna at ʻIolani, myPueo at Mid-Pacific). You never see the contents.
- Who writes it: for kindergarten to grade 5, the current classroom teacher (Punahou asks for two forms if language arts and math are taught by different teachers). From grade 6, Punahou and Mid-Pacific want the current math and English teachers; ʻIolani wants two current main-subject teachers. Mid-Pacific and St. Andrew’s also require an administrator (principal, dean or counselor).
- When: Punahou lets you send the form from October 15 and must receive it by December 31. Mid-Pacific’s deadline is January 15, 2027. ʻIolani asks you to wait until after November 30 and must receive the report by January 31, 2027.
- If your child’s school is outside Hawaiʻi: the form arrives in English. St. Andrew’s requires a certified English translation and does not provide translation. The other schools publish no translation rule, so ask the admissions office before you send the request.
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
“Which teacher should I ask?” and “What if the teacher does not read English?” are, after the interview, the questions we hear most often about Hawaiʻi private school applications. On October 28, 2026 we checked the 2027-28 application checklists of Punahou, ʻIolani, Mid-Pacific, St. Andrew’s, Le Jardin and Hanahauʻoli, plus Ravenna’s official pages, and put together how the recommendation works, who writes it, the deadlines, and what to do when the current school is outside Hawaiʻi. Dates are Hawaiʻi time.
How it works: you request, the teacher writes
The schools call it a Teacher Reference Form (Punahou) or a Teacher Reference Report (ʻIolani, Mid-Pacific, St. Andrew’s). It is not a letter you receive from the teacher and hand in. The flow is almost the same at every school that uses an online application system.
How a teacher reference reaches the school (Punahou, ʻIolani and Mid-Pacific)
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1Apply and pay the fee
Once the application is processed, the school assigns a checklist to your account
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2Enter the teacher’s email
In the checklist, enter the current teacher’s name and email address and send the request. ʻIolani calls this “delegating” the form
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3The teacher gets an email
The teacher receives a secure link and completes the form online. On Ravenna, the teacher does not need to create an account
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4It goes straight to the school
The completed form is submitted by the teacher directly to the school. It never passes through the family
5You track it in the checklist
The checklist shows whether the form has arrived. The contents are not shown to parents
⚠︎ Parents do not see the reference
Ravenna’s page for teachers states that parents and guardians have no access to the teacher’s evaluation form or answers at any time. The shared Hawaiʻi independent-school (HAIS) form used by St. Andrew’s and Le Jardin says the evaluation “will not be shared with students, parents, or guardians” and does not become part of the student’s permanent record. This is not a document you ask the teacher to word a certain way. It is the teacher’s own view, sent to the school as it is.
Who writes it, and how many? (Punahou, ʻIolani, Mid-Pacific)
2027-28 applications: which teachers, how many forms (the three largest schools)
All three schools say “current teacher.” Last year’s teacher or a tutor does not qualify. Only ʻIolani’s grade 6 checklist adds: if your child has only one main teacher, ask last year’s main teacher or contact the school.
When to ask: October through February
Reference requests and deadlines, 2027-28 (six schools)
PunahouʻIolaniMid-PacificOther schools
Application deadlineFinancial aidReferences and documentsDecisions
Application deadlineFinancial aidReferences and documentsDecisions
Oct
From 10/15 the Teacher Reference Form can be sent (K–12). Punahou recommends notifying teachers in October▼ Today 10/28
Nov
11/2 Mid-Pacific application deadline (all grades)11/1 Punahou grades 6–12 application deadline (K–5 closed on 10/1)11/15 ʻIolani grades 6 and 7–11 application deadline (K closed on 10/15)11/30 Hanahauʻoli JK and grades 1–6 application deadlineAfter 11/30: delegate ʻIolani reference reports (K and grades 7–11)
Dec
12/15 Le Jardin application deadline (all grades)12/31 Punahou: teacher reports must be received (all grades)
Jan
1/15 Mid-Pacific: reference reports, records and other documents due1/15 St. Andrew’s priority application deadline (applications still accepted after)1/31 ʻIolani: reference reports, report cards and questionnaires due1/31 Hanahauʻoli: teacher reference form and report card due
Feb
2/15 Le Jardin references and documents / 2/16 St. Andrew’s supporting documents
Mar
March decisions (ʻIolani mid-March, Mid-Pacific March, St. Andrew’s 3/31, Hanahauʻoli early April)
Even where the application deadline has passed (Punahou K–5, ʻIolani K), the reference deadline is still ahead. Applying is step one; requesting the reference is a separate step that is easy to forget.
The other three schools: a different method at each
Teacher references at St. Andrew's, Le Jardin and Hanahauʻoli (2027-28)
Grade 6 and up: English and math teachers, plus an administrator
In middle and high school grades you ask subject teachers rather than a homeroom teacher. Each school has its own rule for whom to ask and when.
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Punahou (grades 6–12)
One form each from the current math and English teachers; one form if the same teacher teaches both. Punahou writes: “Being mindful of the teachers’ time, we recommend notifying your teachers in October,” and asks families to give teachers at least one month.
Punahou school page →📗
ʻIolani (grades 6, 7–11)
Two current teachers of English, math, history or science. A mentor (coach, instructor) report is recommended and an administrator report is optional. Grades 7–11: wait until after November 30, so the teachers have more time to know your child.
ʻIolani school page →📕
Mid-Pacific (grades 6–12)
Math and English teacher reports plus an Administrator Reference Report from the current principal, assistant principal, dean or counselor. All three are requested from the myPueo checklist and must be received by January 15, 2027.
Mid-Pacific school page →📙
St. Andrew’s (grades 7–12)
English and math teachers plus an administrator (principal, dean, advisor). An extracurricular reference from a coach or instructor is optional. From schools outside the US, add a certified English translation.
⚠︎ “Ask early” and “wait until after November 30” do not contradict each other
Punahou opens the form on October 15 and asks for a month’s notice; ʻIolani says to delegate after November 30. Both want the teacher to know your child well and still have time before the deadline. The approach that is easiest on teachers is to tell them in October that an English online form will arrive, then send the actual request on the schedule each school sets.
If your child’s current school is outside Hawaiʻi
Teachers at a school on the mainland or in another country are often filling in a Hawaiʻi private school form for the first time. Below, the published school rules are kept separate from what Academia Tutor School has seen in practice while helping families apply.
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Translation rules
St. Andrew’s requires a certified English translation for references and records and states that it does not provide translation services. Punahou, ʻIolani and Mid-Pacific publish no translation rule. Before sending the request, email the admissions office: may the teacher write in another language, and who provides the translation?
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The teacher’s email address
The form arrives as an English email at the address you enter. Confirm the teacher’s official school address first, and after sending, tell the teacher to look for it (it can land in spam). If it never arrives, check the address and resend, or contact admissions. The steps differ by system.
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Work back from the school calendar
Many school systems have a break in late December, when teachers do not check school email. Count back from Punahou’s December 31, Mid-Pacific’s January 15 and ʻIolani’s and Hanahauʻoli’s January 31 so the form is in the teacher’s inbox by early December. Time zones matter for a teacher abroad who has a question.
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What to give the teacher
The school’s name, the deadline, a note that an English online form will arrive by email, and a short memo on what your child has been doing lately (class roles, activities, effort at home). Do not give the teacher a draft. The form is the teacher’s own view, and the family does not see it.
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No school, or only one teacher
Punahou’s kindergarten checklist says to let the school know if your child does not attend school or the current school does not provide the requested information. ʻIolani’s grade 6 checklist says to ask last year’s main teacher or contact the school. In both cases, tell admissions first rather than deciding on your own.
“School rules” were checked on each school’s official pages on October 28, 2026. Everything else is Academia Tutor School’s experience helping families, not the schools’ official instructions.
What Academia Tutor School can do
The reference itself is written by the teacher, so no one can write it for you. Through the Hawaiʻi Private School Plan we track the application and reference deadlines for all six schools, walk you through the request in each application system, provide an English note you can hand to the teacher, and draft the translation question to admissions. The Private School Entrance Exam Prep program prepares the other things the schools look at alongside the reference: the interview, group activity and writing sample, in person or online from anywhere.
Related pages
- 2027-28 application deadlines · Interviews: what kids do, are parents interviewed? · SSAT for grades 6 and up
- Hawaiʻi School Guide: Punahou · ʻIolani · Mid-Pacific
Sources (checked October 28, 2026)
- Punahou School, “Applying to Punahou” and the 2027-28 checklists for K, grades 1–3, 4–5, 6–8 and 9–12 (punahou.edu/admissions, myPunahou)
- ʻIolani School, “Day Admission” and the 2027-28 checklists for kindergarten, grade 6 and grades 7–11 (iolani.org/admission/day)
- Mid-Pacific Institute, “Apply to Mid-Pacific” and the 2027-28 checklists for kindergarten, grades 1–5 and grades 6–12 (midpac.edu/admissions)
- St. Andrew’s Schools, “Applying to K–12” and the Teacher Reference Report forms (standrewsschools.org); Le Jardin Academy, “Apply Now,” “Homestay Program” and the HAIS forms (lejardinacademy.org); Hanahauʻoli School, “Application timeline” and “Admissions FAQs” (hanahauoli.org)
- Ravenna, “Family Center” and “Teacher Center” (ravennasolutions.com)
Information as of October 28, 2026. Punahou’s and Le Jardin’s dates are shown as month and day because the official materials carry no year. Deadlines and the number of forms change from year to year, so always confirm with each school’s website and admissions office. The practical notes under “If your child’s current school is outside Hawaiʻi” are Academia Tutor School’s experience, not the schools’ instructions. Academia Tutor School is not affiliated with any of these schools.
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