Punahou School

Punahou School (known as Oahu College until 1934) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 3,700 students attend the school from kindergarten through 12th grade. Protestant missionaries established Punahou in 1841. In 2006, it was ranked the greenest school in America. In 2017, Punahou's sports program was ranked second nationally in the MaxPreps Cup standings. Punahou's student body is diverse, with student selection based on both academic and non-academic considerations. In 1795, King Kamehameha I overtook the land known as Ka Punahou in battle. Along with Ka Punahou, he gave a total of of land (from the slope of Round Top to the current Central Union Church, which included a tract of Kewalo Basin) to chief Kameeiamoku as a reward for his loyalty. After Kameeiamoku died, the land passed to his son, Ulumāheihei Hoapili, who lived there for 20 more years. When Hoapili left to become governor of Maui, he gave the land to his daughter, Kuini Liliha. Liliha and her husband, Oahu Governor Boki, gave Ka Punahou to Reverend Hiram Bingham, one of the first Protestant missionaries in Hawaii. Queen Kaahumanu was a strong supporter of the mission and built a house for herself near Bingham. A portion of the stone wall she had built to protect the compound from roaming cattle has been preserved. Punahou School was originally a school for the children of missionaries serving throughout the Pacific region. It was the first school west of the Rocky Mountains and east of Asia with classes in English only. The first class was held on July 11, 1842, and had 15 students. Daniel Dole was Punahou's first principal. Punahou has educated members of the Hawaiian royal family, but is not to be confused with the Royal School. It was known as Oahu College from 1853 to 1934. During World War II, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commandeered much of the Punahou campus.