Founded in 1949, Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy (HPA) is one of the premier independent, co-educational college-preparatory boarding and day schools in the Pacific Region offering an unmatched global education in a small school setting. The residential program admits about 400 students in grades 9 through 12.

HPA is located in the midst of one of the Earth's most diverse ecosystems on the island of Hawai‘i, attracting students from throughout the state, the U.S. mainland and territories, and every populated continent in the world.  The Upper School for grades 9-12 is located on 220 acres in the foothills of the Kohala Mountains.  Boarding students enjoy the beauty of the campus and the multitude of opportunities the facilities provide. Academic facilities include 22 classrooms, a lecture hall, Institute of English Studies (IES) classroom, music and rehearsal rooms, science laboratories, and an internationally-recognized Energy Lab described as “the worldʻs greenest K-12 school building.”

HPA's curriculum is college preparatory, with emphasis placed on acquiring knowledge in all subject areas, including English as a Second Language for international students. The student-faculty ratio is 10:1; most classes number between 8 and 20 students.  HPA offers more than 15 Advanced Placement courses, including Art History, Biology, Calculus AB/BC, Chemistry, English Language/Composition, Environmental Science, Literature/Composition, Japanese, Physics B/C, Psychology, Spanish, Statistics, Studio Art, U.S. History/Comparative Government, and Human Geography.

The Energy Lab is the nucleus for studentsʻ independent research projects, which include brainwave and DNA research, robotics, and drone mapping, and the schoolʻs sustainability program, Go Green, a comprehensive campus effort initiated by students to create a healthy and sustainable future for generations to come through education, community outreach, and implementation of sustainable practices.  Partnerships with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Cornell University, and Stanford University provide students with opportunities to participate in real-world, cutting edge research.

The school takes advantage of Hawaiʻiʻs geographical setting and gives students a strong sense of Hawaiʻi and its culture.  Young people are engaged in a “living laboratory” of learning that includes astronomy, marine science field studies, sea turtle research, renewable energy studies, independent research, scuba certification and more.  Offerings also include programs in the visual and performing arts, as well as a championship athletic program that stresses school-wide participation and teaches the values of sportsmanship and fair play.

On weekends, the schoolʻs popular outdoor program offers students a rare opportunity to experience some of Hawaiiʻs most beautiful, remote, and memorable land and seascapes while participating in service learning programs with local non-profit organizations.

HPAʻs four-week residential summer session offers new and prospective students from around the world an excellent introduction to the schoolʻs program and instructors.  Summer courses are structured for academic enrichment and integrate environmental stewardship and awareness, and sustainability education and practices.  Many students return every summer to learn in this unique setting and meet new friends.

HPA graduates are highly regarded by university admission officers across the United States.  Deans of admissions from top universities often travel to Hawaiʻi to meet our students in person.  HPA seniors recently have been admitted to Brown, UC Berkeley, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, UCLA, MIT, NYU, Princeton, Rice, USC, Stanford, and Yale.