Hawaii Preparatory Academy

Hawaii Preparatory Academy sits in Kamuela on the Big Island, a paniolo town in the high country between Mauna Kea and the Kohala coast. The school enrolls between 500 and 700 students across elementary, middle, upper, and post-graduate programs, drawing both day families from the island and boarders from across the Pacific Rim and the mainland.

The setting shapes the work. Faculty teach in a place where marine science, astronomy, and ranchland ecology are not field-trip novelties but accessible most weeks of the year. Language programs in Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, and English as an Alternative Language reflect a student body with deep ties to Asia and Polynesia, and ESL-trained teachers find regular use for that credential.

Hawaii Preparatory Academy is financially stable in a way that matters for staff planning. The school reported roughly $28.5 million in revenue and $131 million in net assets in 2023, with fundraising up nearly 40 percent year over year. That kind of balance sheet supports steady salaries, professional development, and the housing assistance that makes living on the Big Island workable.

Hiring runs across the K-PG span: classroom teachers in sciences, humanities, mathematics, languages, and the arts, plus residential life staff, coaches, college counselors, and administrative roles tied to admissions and advancement. Boarding school experience helps but is not required for every position.

For educators weighing a move to Hawaii, HPA offers a rare combination of academic range, island geography, and institutional health.