Kalaheo High School

Posted: April 20, 2022

I taught here 1 year and substitute taught for 1 year. I would still be working if we had not moved, and would be working full time if I did not now have children of my own. A previous review said that teachers are "dropping like flies" and although I sympathize this may happen in part for negative causes, there are many reasons why teachers are hard to keep in Hawai'i, and many reasons why a teacher may leave a position, including finances, military duties, and cost of childcare. I have many fond memories here, and really miss the staff and students. I know that it is hard to form a community when many of the students are military or will eventually leave Kailua. I would say though that there are members of the staff who care for students deeply, and in some ways, high school is what you make it. It is still a public high school, with all of those issues, but I would say that I am happy to see Mr. James Rippard as the principal as he struck me as a man of integrity and great care for students, and it is heartening to have such persons in charge. If you want a more sheltered school, consider paying for private, but if you need a public school, there are many caring staff members and your student will meet people from all over the world in their classroom with varied experiences. There are also AP courses and interesting classes here that you may not find elsewhere, including marine science, culinary class, and natural resources. One thing I did not like was all of the college reps coming in to recruit students. I know this is an issue with all public high schools, but most jobs in Hawai'i do not require degrees, and the cost is not worth it for most people that want to stay in Hawai'i, and leaving island for university can be hard for community. I personally loved teaching here and loved the students, despite how crazy everything can be in Hawai'i. When I taught, I took students out on a beach cleanup and we cleaned up 3,000 lb. of trash with Sustainable Coastlines, and brought in plankton and algae for labs...my favorite memories are laughing with students and seeing them grow and learn. If you are considering Kalaheo High School, take the time to take a tour.

Posted: April 20, 2022

Posted: April 20, 2022

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Posted: March 28, 2019

Teachers tell their kids to fight off property grounds so that they don’t have to do paperwork

Posted: March 28, 2019

Children aren’t allowed to make up the work when absent until end of the quarter. Also teachers NEVER enter the grades in on time.

Posted: March 28, 2019

Most of the teachers my children have had here don’t work with them. I have 2 kids in this school 1 graduating this year. Next year my other child will go somewhere else

Posted: March 28, 2019

I’ve only seen and heard the coaches, guards and counselor (football and soccer)

Posted: March 28, 2019

Only counselors and the janitors/security guards and coaches have leadership skills here (Although, I have not met the new principal)

Posted: March 28, 2019

I have not once been offered tudoring or meeting from teachers or office staff due to my son’s poor grades

Posted: March 28, 2019

Horrible for the most part! Office staff ratings are in the negative! They don’t like the students and can care less when a parent comes in. They try to avoid eye contact so that the other person can assist or help the person whom have entered. I have heard the way they speak to other people’s children with no respect and none of the children in my presence have been disrespectful. If you have other options go somewhere else!! These people don’t care about our children. I asked for someone to come out of the office because I had 2 babies in the car to check my ID to pick up my senior for doctors appt. she said they couldn’t and I would need to come in. So with my injured back and unstrapping 2 babies only to see one of the office staff talking outside to a lady in the car right next to me!!! This is horrible!! I had to walk in with the babies to get my daughter whom is practically an adult. There is more I can add but this is crystal clear.

Posted: July 19, 2017

Posted: July 19, 2017

Kalaheo is an interesting school to say the least. There is very little school spirit or sense of unity and friendships there which is sad. As a student for 3 years now, I don't think they have figured out the right attitudes to promote in the right ways. At rallies, usually you'd expect everyone to be up and cheering for the cheer squad and sports teams, but surprisingly only 100 kids out of everyone ever feel inclined to. Everyone else just ignores the whole assembly and stares at their phones. I find it hilarious that the school thinks they can fix the problem by upgrading the empty grassy field, that they call a football field, with some bleachers on the side. Who knows, right?
Additionally, I would just like to mention that it is scary to get lunch there, if you are buying, because even if you are only a few cents under your balance they WILL take your lunch, because they are not afraid to make a kid starve. I feel like all of the staff (not the teachers or counselors) has this personal vendetta against teenagers because we're bound to screw up everything. Lunch ladies, janitors, and often the office people just sulk all day, and seem to take out their personal frustrations on us. It is extremely uninviting. Even the teachers have said the same thing in many of my classes.
Teachers here just keep dropping like flies. So many teachers quit every year, and TELL us that they are leaving because of "poor work environment", "lazy academics", and "unsatisfactory curriculum". Of the teachers I personally have had in the last three years, literally 7 of them have quit (thus far none of my math teachers have stayed). My geometry teacher even transferred out over Christmas break because she couldn't wait.
I cannot go on ranting without acknowledging the good things too. AP classes are few, but they are fantastic (non ap/honors classes are worthless/workless). They provide an excellent challenge, with the right amount of rigor, and fantastic teachers to back them. I highly recommend AP World History (most awesome teacher on campus), AP Psychology (most interesting and fun class ever), and AP English (if you want to learn to write better TAKE this class). I am highly impressed with all of the AP teachers.
Also the counselors are VERY caring and accommodating. I really enjoy and appreciate them being there. I have received so much help from them, I am grateful.

Posted: July 19, 2017

Posted: July 19, 2017

Posted: July 19, 2017

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Posted: July 19, 2017

Posted: December 29, 2016

What a disappointment! We requested a Geographic Exception for our daughter to attend HS here after we carefully reviewed both options in Kailua, and sadly, we are pulling her out this month, Dec 2016. The initial registration process for us was the first of many disappointing encounters. We were treated rudely and misinformed on step needed to enroll. On another occasion our daughter did not have enough money in her lunch account and her lunch tray was actually taken from her. How absurd to take food from a child and then waste the lunch and toss it after she had handled it! I sat in the office and fumed for nearly 45 minutes before administration even came out to speak with me. Most recently my daughter was threatened by another female student via text. I immediately called the school and asked to speak directly with the principal. I was put on hold after the front desk lady tried to pry information from me explaining that it involved a critically important situation involving my daughter's sense of safety at the school. My phone call went to a voicemail on November 3, 2016. Today is December 29, 2016 and no one has ever returned my call. Unfortunately the teachers are also subjected to threats and harassment as well. During a science class a boy threatened and yelled right up in the face of the teacher, upsetting the teacher and students alike. That teacher suddenly left the school last month. We just received notice this week that the math teacher is now leaving too. Too many disruptive situations for far too long already. Take a ride down the street during drop off and pick up and you'll see a few fights, kids hanging out on neighbors yards and young drivers racing down quiet neighborhood streets. We had such high hopes for you Kalaheo and you've more than disappointed. The entire administration needs a new overhaul so that our kids and our teachers can thrive, not simply survive four years of high school. Do your due diligence before enrolling here!!

Posted: October 23, 2015

The plus sides: The honor and AP classes are challenging, most sport teams and clubs are welcoming, most admin and staff seem to care, and keeps parents inform by monthly newsletters! Areas to improve: Can use more adult supervision to make sure students are following rules in between class breaks and lunch, enforce dress code, make sure substitutes are highly qualified, and spruce up campus to be more inviting. Has the potential to be the best high school in Hawaii, just needs a little fine tuning!

Posted: June 2, 2015

Posted: June 2, 2015

Posted: June 2, 2015

I transferred here for 1 semester, and it completely messed everything up. My teachers had almost no control over the class. My history teacher gave the class a sixty-point extra credit, so I more than passed that class by only doing worksheets. I don't think we even did worksheets in that class. In science, we literally filled out worksheets every day. When I arrived at the school, I was ahead of the Japanese II class, but by the time I left, I was really behind. Because of Kalaheo, I had to repeat my math and Japanese classes when I came to private school. Kids even smoked e-cigs in the back of my health class. I don't understand how this school got such a great rating in Honolulu magazine, because the time I spent there was completely wasted.

Posted: June 2, 2015

Posted: June 2, 2014

As a student at Kalaheo,I can confirm that there is nothing good about this school. Staff turns a blind eye to drug use and most of them are there for the money. There are only 2 functional toilets for boys throughout the school and there are no toilet paper rolls or running water.

Posted: April 27, 2014

My daughter spent about 2 and a half years at the school. She had a pretty good experience. She was not in the AP type classes so she was not always challenged as much as she could have been. Her counselor and the college counselor were great. wish they could have been more flexible with students with enough credits wanting to leave campus early to work part time for a job in their career field.

Posted: December 30, 2012

I live right beside this school, and I have to say, this school has a huge problem with truancy. Everyday, dozens of kids are dropped off at the intersection by the school and never actually go on campus. I watch them all day walking back and forth down the streets, trespassing on private property, and generally wasting their lives. There have been several large fights break out after school on the street with mobs of students egging the fighters on, as well as a couple of drug busts so far this year. Kaleheo is in a nice part of Kailua, but there seems to be no control at the school whatsoever. My husband met with the administrator last year to try to partner with the school in solving these problems, but they didn't seem too concerned. I have no idea how this school gets a "great school" rating on their test scores when the attendance is so low. This seems a little strange to me. When my children are high school age, I will do whatever I have to to keep them from going to Kaleheo.