Our admissions policy

Admission preference to Hawaiian applicants

Kamehameha Schools’ admissions policy is to give preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law. If you would like your child to be considered under that policy, your child’s Hawaiian ancestry must be verified by Kamehameha’s Ho‘oulu Verification Services.

If your child is not already registered with the Verification Services, you may request a Hawaiian Ancestry Registry (HAR) form to start the ancestry process. You may call the Verification Services at (808) 523-6228, or toll-free at 1-800-842-4682 to ask questions or for a HAR form. Please do not submit any original birth certificates to the Admissions Office.

Admission preference to orphans and indigents

At our major entry points, up to 25% of new spaces are reserved for applicants identified as either orphaned or indigent. As directed by the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, these children receive additional consideration for admission. However, this does not mean that all orphaned or indigent children are automatically admitted. All applicants are tested and evaluated during the admission process and must demonstrate their ability to be academically successful at Kamehameha Schools.

Orphan

A child who has lost one or both biological/birth parents through death. Children in single-parent households do not qualify as “orphans” unless the absentee parent is deceased. To verify orphan status, the deceased parent’s death certificate must be submitted, and his/her name must also appear on the child’s birth certificate.

Indigent

A child whose parents/legal guardians annual household income is at or below the 200% U.S. federal poverty guidelines for Hawai‘i qualifies to be considered indigent for the purposes of Kamehameha Schools (KS) Admissions process.

To be assessed for indigent consideration, the following criteria applies:

• Being a member of a family receiving TANF, SNAP, Free and Reduced-Price Lunch, WIC or Section 8 public assistance that meets the 200% Federal Poverty Guidelines for the State of Hawai‘i;
• Being a member of a family with income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for the State of Hawai‘i; and/or
• Being a Ward of the State or child in Foster Care.

Income eligibility guideline are listed below. Families with an annual household income at or below the value corresponding to its household size may qualify as indigent.

If you are interested in qualifying for indigent consideration, you must complete the appropriate section in the admissions application and submit all required documents by the stated deadline.

Kamehameha Schools reserves the right to determine whether an applicant qualifies as indigent. Indigent consideration does not guarantee admission to Kamehameha Schools.