Hawaii Preparatory Academy
| Hawai i Preparatory Academy | |
|---|---|
Upper Campus | |
| Address | |
65-1274 Kawaihae Rd. , 96743 United States | |
| Coordinates | 20°1.7695′N 155°42.0606′W / 20.0294917°N 155.7010100°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, college-prep, day and boarding |
| Established | 1949 |
| Founder | Harry S. Kennedy |
| Head of school | Fred Wawner |
| Grades | K–12 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Number of students | 618 |
| Campus | 2 campuses (village and upper) |
| Campus type | Rural |
| Color(s) | Red and White |
| Athletics conference | Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II |
| Mascot | Ka Makani |
| Accreditation | National Association of Independent Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges |
| Museum | Isaacs Art Center |
| Website | www |
Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy (also known as HPA) is a K-12, coeducational, private, day and international boarding school located in Kamuela, Hawaii on the island of Hawaiʻi (also known as the Big Island). In 2024, the school celebrated its 75th anniversary.
While the town is known as "Waimea", because there are multiple locations in Hawaii with that name, the term "Kamuela" is used by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to distinguish it from other locations.
HPA is divided into a lower school, middle school and upper school. The lower school consists of grades kindergarten through 5, the middle school consists of grades six through eight, and the upper school consists of grades nine through 12.
The upper school is located at the foot of the Kohala Mountains, while the lower and middle schools are located in the center of the town of Waimea. The school is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
The school hosts many noteworthy science-related educational programs for the benefit of its students, such as Turtle Tagging with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and The Energy Lab, a partnership with Stanford University The school is also the host of the TED organization's TEDxYouth@HPA event. The school has a signature capstone program for all students in grades 5, 8, and 12.