Kamehameha Schools Hawaii Campus - History

History

The Kamehameha Schools were established in 1887 from the estate of Bernice Pauahi Bishop. The first campus was built in the Kapālama area of Honolulu, then a Maui Campus, and finally, the Hawaiʻi Island Campus. Plans were announced in 1999 to move from a smaller temporary campus.

Located in Keaʻau, roughly 10 miles (16 km) from the seaside port town of Hilo, Hawaii, the Hawaiʻi island campus opened in August 2001. As of 2006, the 300-acre (1.2 km2) campus served approximately 1,120 students from grades K-12. Students attend from the entire island, although those on the western side between Paʻauilo and Naʻālehu have the option of apply to the main Kapālama Campus as boarders.

The Keaʻau campus is located on land formerly owned by William Herbert Shipman, who, along with Captain Elders and Samuel M. Damon, acquired the property in 1881 when it was auctioned by the estate of King Lunalilo, a grandnephew of King Kamehameha I.

In addition to classroom buildings at the elementary and middle school division, shared buildings include a learning center, administration building, and a cafeteria/band facility. Construction of the Hawaiʻi Campus cost roughly $225 million dollars. Like its sister campus in Pukalani on Maui, the Hawaii Campus graduated its first class in 2006. Ninia M. E. Aldrich became principal of the high school in 2002. About 100 students were in the first high school class in 2002.