Punahou School

Punahou School is a large non-denominational K-12 day school in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. It serves more than 1,000 students across elementary, middle, and academy divisions on a single campus. The school frames its mission around Ka Punahou, "the new spring," and the idea of kuleana — a shared responsibility to Hawaiʻi and the wider world.

Scale shapes the teaching job here. Punahou is one of the largest independent day schools in the country, so departments are deep and specialized. New faculty work alongside veteran mentors, and teachers can focus on a narrow subject area rather than covering every grade. The world language program spans Mandarin, Japanese, French, Spanish, and Latin, reflecting the school's Pacific setting.

The finances are unusually strong for an independent school. Punahou reported about $146 million in revenue and net assets near $570 million in 2023, with fundraising up 5.7 percent. For faculty, that stability funds labs, studios, and athletics rather than year-to-year cuts. Benefits typically include health coverage and retirement contributions in line with peer independent schools.

Teaching jobs at Punahou School post across all three divisions. Openings include core subjects, world languages, arts, athletics, and counseling, plus staff roles in admissions, advancement, and operations. Most faculty searches open between January and April for the following school year.

One honest note: Honolulu is expensive, and Punahou is a day school with no campus housing. As a day school, faculty also keep evenings and weekends free — a different rhythm from boarding life. Weigh cost of living against that lifestyle trade.