The Puna district is one of the fastest growing areas in the United States. A few short years ago, land prices were incredibly low, drawing attention from many to the prospects of living on the beautiful island of Hawaii. One of the biggest questions asked by those who are interested in moving to the Hilo and Pahoa area on the East side of the island are what the schools are like and which schools are recommended.
Unfortunately, I’m sorry to say that it is well known that the schools here have a very bad reputation. In my years here, I have noted several reasons for this, though different people will tell you different things. Those who have never lived anywhere else may even tell you that the schools here are not bad at all. Indeed, school may be easier for local kids, but it can be extremely difficult and even violent toward children from the mainland, especially if the students are white. I will try to include as much non-biased information here as possible as well as information given to me both by the local media and by many local friends of mine.
To begin, I have never known a single person who has not told me that the schools here on the Big Island are horrible except for those who actually worked in the educational system. It seems to me a matter of course that those who work in the system and control it would be biased toward their own work, so it would be best to focus on the ideas of those whose children have gone to Big Island schools and who have attended public school here themselves.
One of the biggest complaints in the area is the lack of education of the instructors. Many of the students that I have spoken with as well as many of the parents seem to all agree that teachers here in general (and certainly NOT any one in particular) tend to be less educated or more poorly educated than teachers in most other areas. The reason for this is unknown, but I did have experience with this myself.
The result is that many of the children, though quite capable and intelligent, are receiving extremely sub-par educations. It is reported that students in the area perform more poorly in school and on tests than children in most other areas of the country. Hawaii’s schools are rated as some of the lowest in the nation when it comes to education and many parents are clamoring for better educators and a better education system.
Another complaint that is often discussed in the local newspaper is the level of violence in area schools. While those from the mainland claim that it is the local children causing the problems because so many are racist, I believe that the problem stems from other issues. While the rumors about racist locals abound, my experience has taught me that any anger felt from locals is not aimed directly at whites, but seems to be a personal problem with the individual and has nothing to do with anyone’s skin color or place of origin. Simply put, if a local in Hawaii is hateful, it is because they are a hateful person, not because the current object of their hatred is a white person. Indeed, I have never in my years here met a single “racist” Hawaiian.
That said, violence does seem to be a problem. Violence in Big Island schools tends to be mostly bullying and extreme verbal abuse with little actual physical abuse. Guns in schools are, thankfully, not a problem here. Many who live here will tell you that the violence does not stem from the fact that the children themselves are violent or because families here are violent, but because the school system here is extremely localized and has little outside influence, so almost nothing at all has been done over the years to curb the bullying problem in schools.
The local government is very aware of the problem and has long informed parents that changes are being made and that the school systems are going to start cracking down on violent situations, but it seems that the problem has become very great and quite a bit of time and effort will be needed before we see any positive changes.
Other options include private schools, which seem to be a bit better, and a few Waldorf schools. Waldorf schooling is largely accepted as superior, but many complaints from parents on the Big Island are about the local Waldorf schools, so check with someone who has experience rather than asking school officials who may be unwilling to discuss problems with the families of future scholars.
After much research before moving to the area, I decide that should I have any children, they will be homeschooled. Many parents who live in the Hilo and Pahoa areas choose homeschooling as the superior method of teaching their children as violence is not an issue and parents can be sure that their children are getting a proper education. If you decide to move to the area, study the schools very closely and consider your options when it comes to homeschool and private school.
