Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School

Our Mission: Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School’s staff, parents, and community are dedicated to the intellectual, personal, social, emotional, and physical growth of students. Our highly qualified and skilled staff recognizes the value of professional development to rigorously challenge students. Our teaching practices are grounded in Hawaiian culture, values, and traditions, and are reflective and responsive to the needs of our students. Through our Hawaiian-focused, project-based learning experiences and opportunities, our students discover their potential, achieve readiness for their life’s journey, and succeed in a safe and caring environment.

Our Vision: Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School’s vision is to educate and prepare students to be resilient, lifelong learners that will thrive globally with a strong identity and connection to Hawaiʻi and the Hawaiian culture.

Our Story:

Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School is a kindergarten-through-ninth-grade school founded in July 2000. Since then, it has evolved into the Hawaiian-focused, project-based learning school it is today, implementing Hawaiian culture, values and traditions as guiding principles.

Grade-level projects are centered around Aloha ʻĀina (love of our land) and focus on sustainable living through ʻIke Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian knowledge) and Mahiʻai (Hawaiian agricultural practices).

Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School is committed to educating and caring for the whole child — intellectual, personal, social, emotional and physical well-being — while providing a well-rounded educational experience. Through its project-based learning program in ʻIke Hawaiʻi and Mahiʻai, students engage in all academic core content areas.

The name of our school, Nā Wai Ola, translates to “The Waters of Life.” We appreciate and understand that water is a valuable and essential component of sustaining life. Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne? — Where is the water of Kāne? This question asks where life-giving water can be found.

Through our project-based learning program, students investigate, learn and practice different approaches to sustainable living through Aloha ʻĀina, ʻIke Hawaiʻi and Mahiʻai. Hawaiʻi Island is known for its pure sources of water, which are naturally filtered through an aquifer beneath our sacred mountain, Mauna Kea. It is at Mauna Kea that we find life-giving water.

Just as water sustains all life and living things, our school seeks to sustain life through education.