Hawaiʻi Private Schools: Entering at a Non-Entry Grade or Mid-Year

Written by: Academia Tutor School Editorial Team / Supervised by: Yamahi

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

“We are moving next summer, but our daughter is already in fourth grade. Can she get into a private school?” and “We are relocating in January. What happens to school?” are the first questions families ask when they move with children. For this article we read the 2027-28 admission pages of nine Honolulu private schools and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) enrollment pages on October 31, 2026, and sorted the answers into two situations: a non-entry grade and a mid-year start. The full picture of deadlines is in our deadline summary and the moving guide; here we stay on “entering partway.” Dates are Hawaiʻi time.

Which path is yours? Three questions

The path depends on the grade your child enters in August 2027 and on when you need to start. Answer the questions in the figure from the top.

What is an “entry grade”? The three largest schools

Private schools admit a fixed number of new students at certain grades, the entry grades. At every other grade, a seat opens only when a current student leaves. Here is how the three largest schools put it on their own pages.

The other schools: every grade, and applications after the deadline

Beyond Punahou and ʻIolani, the entry-grade rule is looser, and several schools state in writing that they keep reviewing applications after the deadline.

From grade 6, testing and interviews are added

For a child entering partway, the part that takes the longest to prepare is testing from grade 6. Some schools require the SSAT; others use their own assessment.

When and which level of the SSAT to take is in our SSAT article, and how to ask for teacher references in the reference article. Report cards and references from a school abroad may need an English translation; St. Andrew’s asks for a certified one.

Entering from outside the United States: international applicants

What a school asks for changes depending on whether the child comes with a parent who is relocating, or comes alone as an international student on an F-1 visa. This is what the schools state for applicants from abroad.

If August is too far away: public schools enroll mid-year

Most private schools open seats only for the August start. If a transfer or a lease brings you to Hawaiʻi partway through the year, one common route is to enroll at the public school for your address first and apply for a private school’s entry grade the following August. Here is the HIDOE procedure.

Moving from outside Hawaiʻi: grade placement, time zones, timing

What Academia Tutor School can do

Applying at a non-entry grade starts with a different job from kindergarten admissions: checking, school by school, where a seat exists for your child’s grade. With the Private School Transfer Plan, we list the schools that accept your child’s grade and timing, contact the admission offices, and handle the application and enrollment steps. For families arriving mid-year, the Public School Transfer Plan covers the district-school enrollment, and the Private School Admissions Prep Program prepares grade 6 and up for the SSAT, interviews and English tests, with online lessons from overseas.

Related pages

• Moving to Hawaiʻi for your child’s education · 2027-28 application deadlines · Punahou vs. ʻIolani · When and which SSAT to take
• Hawaiʻi School Guide: Punahou · ʻIolani · Mid-Pacific · St. Andrew’s · Le Jardin · Hawaiʻi Baptist · Maryknoll · Saint Louis

Sources and date checked

• Punahou School, “Applying to Punahou” (mid-year enrollment), “Kindergarten – Grade 3,” “Grades 4 – 5,” “Grades 6 – 8,” “Grades 9 – 12” (punahou.edu/admissions). ʻIolani School, “Day Admission,” “Boarding Admission,” the 2027-28 admission checklists (K, grade 6, grades 7–11, boarding) and the Boarding Admission FAQ (iolani.org/admission). Mid-Pacific Institute, “Apply to Mid-Pacific,” the 2027-28 Application Process and Checklists (grades 1–5, grades 6–12), “International Program,” “Tuition and Financial Aid” (midpac.edu/admissions)
• St. Andrew’s Schools, “Admissions,” “Applying to K–12,” “Enrollment FAQs” (standrewsschools.org). Le Jardin Academy, “Apply Now,” “Homestay Program” (lejardinacademy.org). Hanahauʻoli School, “Application timeline,” “Admissions FAQs” (hanahauoli.org). Hawaiʻi Baptist Academy, “Application Process” (grades 1–6, 7–9, 10–12), “International” (hba.net/admissions). Maryknoll School, “Apply Now,” “Tuition” (maryknollschool.org/admission). Saint Louis School, “Getting Started,” “Admissions FAQ” (saintlouishawaii.org)
• Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE), “How to Enroll,” “Enrollment FAQs,” “Student Health & Immunization Requirements,” “English Learner Program,” the Online Registration (OLR) instructions (July 2025), the Home Language Survey and the Parent/Guardian EL Program Rights Fact Sheet (hawaiipublicschools.org)

Information as of October 31, 2026. Entry grades, openings, deadlines and tests change every year, and most schools do not publish a mid-year policy, so always confirm with each school’s website and admission office. Grade placement notes are based on the July 31 cutoff; the schools do not publish birthday ranges above kindergarten. Academia Tutor School is not affiliated with any of the schools named here.