Mokapu Elementary School

I was nervous about sending my child here after seeing how big the school was (K-6 about 900 students), but the school does a great job of not feeling huge. Each class and grade level has a sense of community. The gifted and talented program is fantastic with so many opportunities for field trip and advanced studies. 4th graders take an annual field trip to another island.

I think this school had a lot of offer and it all depends on how involved you can get as a parent. Communicating, volunteering, helping from home, getting to know the staff, helping PTA when you can. Do the extra enrichment for your child after school. So many opportunities there on island to do extension activities in science! Enjoy the experience and be respectful to their culture. Don't complain while online from your couch and not do anything to try to help. A school is only as good as it's volunteers/parents. If you have a burned out teacher, who doesn't like children, and your child is miserable -- ask for a meeting, talk to the teacher, go with your gut and move your child early on if you need to. Don't let one bad seed be a bad mark on the whole school.

any school will have it's challenges, certain staff members that you don't click with, kinks in communication or organization, but it's all how involved you are and how easily you try to resolve issues. Most of the teachers there are really great. I didn't click with a few, but made a point to get to know them as people and it made things easier. My son learned to read in JrK. I volunteered and did extra enrichment to challenge my kids. We explored the island and learned as much as we could, making the most of our opportunity to live in Hawaii. They have wonderful after school programs, new administration, are on top of core curriculum, and any issues with office staff are quickly addressed with a chat with PCNC, VP or an ICE survey. The junior K and K classes are combined, which isn't always beneficial for advanced K students. Mokapu has GT, SW, SPED, PE, Computer, Library. Music is a local Hawaiian lady who comes to the class with her ukelele, kids seem to enjoy the music parts of it but I didn't always agree with her message/lessons. If you are rude, immature and create conflict you will not have an easy time, here or anywhere. Many parents just don't get involved, don't go to PTA meetings/functions, don't respect other adults but love to complain. With the transient military coming/going consistency is difficult. The more involved you are, the better your child will do. The better you get to know your child's teacher, the better your experience will be. Treat this Hawaiian experience as a blessing and make the most of your time there. If you aren't happy, consider homeschooling. There are a lot of parents who do so there is a good support network. Or ask for a geographical exception for another school in Kailua or look at paying for private school. Look at standards online for schools on mainland, to compare and make sure your child is up to par. You are your child's best advocate.

I wouldn't recommend this school to anyone. My Daughter was so behind when we moved back to the mainland. This school staff is rude, they don't care about anything or follow through with anything they say or promise to do.