ûIolani School is a private coeducational K-12 college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaiûi. It serves more than 2,200 students with a boarding program for grades 9-12. ûIolani was founded in 1863 by Father William R. Scott, it was the principal school of the former Anglican Church of Hawaiûi. It was patronized by Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma who gave the school its name in 1870. ûIolani in the Hawaiian language means "heavenly hawk". Today, ûIolani School is affiliated with the Episcopal Church in the United States. It is administered by a Board of Governors and is one of the largest independent schools in the United States.
On October 11, 1862, Thomas Nettleship Staley arrived in Hawaiûi by request of Kamehameha IV and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. The following year Kamehameha IV, a member of the Church of England, established the Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church, also known as the Anglican Church of Hawaiûi. The school was originally named Saint Alban's College.
In 1863, Staley's companion Father Scott purchased land in LÃÂhaina and established Luaûehu School, a school for boys. When Father Scott fell ill and returned to Britain, Father George Mason was summoned by Staley to administer the school on Maui. On January 12, 1863, the college was also established in the Pauoa Valley in Honolulu. Before Staley, too, left the islands for Britain in 1870, Father Mason merged the two schools and relocated it to the St. Alban's campus. Later Bishop Alfred Willis purchased land on Bates Street in Nuûuanu Valley and moved part of the school there, intending it for students of full or part Hawaiian descent, under the new name of ûIolani College. St. Alban's College, intended for white students, separated and continuing operating at Pauoa until 1887.
With the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaiûi and annexation to the United States in 1898, the Anglican Church of Hawaiûi became part of the Episcopal Church United States (ECUSA). ûIolani School was moved to Nuûuanu, transferred back to downtown Honolulu and then moved to Nuûuanu a second time. It remained in Nuûuanu from 1927 to 1953, when it was moved to the present Ala Wai site. The elementary school was moved to the Ala Wai site in 1946.
In 1979, the school became co-educational, ending its all-male enrollment policy.
ûIolani School grew and refined its program offerings with a standard college preparatory curriculum as a foundation for every student. Religion, performing and visual arts, music, and athletics became integral parts of the ûIolani School education. As such, all students in fourth grade must be involved in performing arts.
Returning to its history of being a boarding school, ûIolani opened its newly constructed Residence Hall for boarding students in February 2019.
The campus is divided into Upper and Lower School. Buildings include the I-Wing, Castle Building, Weinberg Building, the Art Building, Nangaku Building, Sullivan Center for Innovation and Learning, the Arrillaga Student Center, Residence Hall, Kaneshiro Science and Innovation Center, Sidney and Minnie Kosasa Performance Studios and Courtyard, and the Father Bray Athletic Center. Other facilities include St. Alban's Chapel, K-1 Community, Ai Family Learning Center, Upper Gym, Lower Gym, Dillingham Pool, Tsuzuki Group Library and Seto Hall. ûIolani School also has faculty housing, a football/soccer field (Eddie Hamada Field) with stadium seating (Kozuki Stadium), an all-weather track & field layout (Eddie Hamada Track), a baseball field, an outdoor basketball court (One Team Fieldhouse) and six tennis courts.
The Harold K.L. Castle Building was dedicated in 1980 to the Castle Family which had donated land to ûIolani School. The Castle Building also contains most classrooms for the 7th and 8th Grade. Orchestra and Choir also use this building for their Performing Arts classes for both Upper and Lower School students.
The Sullivan Center for Innovation and Leadership was finished at the end of 2012 for the replacement of the Upper School Library. The Sullivan Center was created to emphasize sustainability and includes classrooms, laboratories, an auditorium, and a garden among other facilities.
In late 2023, plans for a new Student Center were revealed, following a $10 million donation from parents Justine Stamen Arrillaga and John Arrillaga Jr. (son of John Arrillaga). The project is completed as of January 20, 2026.
The Kaneshiro Science and Innovation Center and the Sidney and Minnie Kosasa Performance Studios and Courtyard were both opened for the 2019 school year. These state-of-the-art and eco-conscious facilities allow the K-1 community at ûIolani School to embrace their creativity with the aid of a number of decorations created in the school's Sullivan Center for Innovation and Leadership. An interactive organ was installed as well.
ûIolani School's athletic program was founded in 1932 by Father Kenneth A. Bray. Over 900, or 70%, of the student body, participates in one of over 32 competitive sports. ûIolani School is a member of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, an athletic conference composed of Honolulu-area private schools.
Since the formation of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association, ûIolani has won over 75 state championships in various sports. It is the only school in Hawaiûi to have won five consecutive state championships in Boys Basketball from 2002 to 2006. ûIolani has the most consecutive state championships in Boys Wrestling, and is the first ILH school to win a Girls Wrestling State Championship in 2005. They also have eight consecutive D-II football titles, highest in the nation.
ûIolani School's campus is divided into two sections: Lower School and Upper School. Lower School is for elementary students, kindergarten through 6th grade. Upper School is 7th through 12th grade. The daily schedule has six periods that rotate weekly.
For the Lower School, students in kindergarten through 3rd grade are given courses in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and special courses. From 4th-6th grade, students are given the same courses as earlier grades, with the addition of performance arts classes. This includes various classes in music and performing arts, including jazz dance, hula, musical theater, and orchestra. Special classes include religion, music, physical education, and library.
For the Upper School, the school requires four classes each semester, excluding art, physical education, and music classes. To graduate, the school requires a total of 18.5 credits. These credits include four years of English, three years of the same foreign language, three years of mathematics, three years of history, three years of science, and an unspecified amount of required art, guidance, religion and other elective courses. The school offers 27 AP classes, including courses in English, mathematics, and history.
ûIolaniâÂÂs summer school allows students to earn graduation credits; credit courses offered during summer include art, history, science, computers, and language. Courses are offered for both the Lower School and the Upper School. Enrollment is offered to students, international students, and visiting students in both levels, however enrollment to regular students is preferred.
Harold Keables was first a teacher in Denver, where he was named the National Teacher of the Year by Life magazine; in 1965 he started teaching at ûIolani School. Each year his legacy is honored via the Keables Chair, which brings "outstanding teachers, writers, and artists to ûIolani."
The ûIolani Fair has been held every year in late April to fundraise for student expenditures. Initially started as the Fun Festival in 1948, it would later become the Carnival, and eventually in 1990, the Fair. Themes for each year were introduced shortly thereafter. The fair typically consists of different sections including food stands, games, rides, a silent auction, a video game center, a white elephant sale, and a marketplace.
ûIolani students are involved in many extracurricular activities from academic to interest-led.
Imua ûIolani is the school news magazine. It is published quarterly, distributed to all students, and is available online. In 2008, Imua ûIolani was named the best school newspaper in the state.
The ûIolani math team has been participating in the Oahu Mathematics League since the mid 1970s (the league was started in the 1968âÂÂ69 school year). The team has won the league championship in 1977, 1981, 1984, 1990, 1991, and from 1993 to the present. This marks 37 total championships, including the past 32 in a row. This streak is the longest state championship streak of any high school competition in Hawaii. The JV team has claimed the top spot ever since the inception of the JV division in the 2000âÂÂ01 school year. Also, ûIolani holds the record for placing first 19 times in the Hawaii State Math Bowl (which was started in 1978).
ûIolani School's Gender-Sexuality Alliance strives to promote inclusivity on campus and allow spaces for discussions on contemporary issues such as gender identity, pronouns, and sexuality through student-submitted questions, in addition to ice breakers for members and media with representation LGBTQIA+ individuals. Furthermore, the club provides website resources for students to utilize if necessary. Every year, the club holds its annual No Name-Calling Week in conjunction with the Chapel Council to bring to light the issue of bullying and discrimination, as well as participating and walking in Oûahu's annual Pride parade.
Originally the ûIolani School International Affairs Association, or ISIAA, ûIolani's Model United Nations club has competed in various conferences since its founding in 2011. With the help of coaching by two advisers and student leadership, the numerous delegates who have joined since the club's founding have competed in a number of conferences, amassing a multitude of awards from different committees. Examples include the annual PacMUN conference, as well as international conferences such as AJMUN and VMUN, in addition to national conferences such as SCVMUN.
The active participation of ûIolani's surf team in numerous competitions around the island has yielded great achievements to its members. Members participate in the annual Hawaiûi Surf Association's yearly competition, participating in both divisions of the shortboard, longboard, and bodyboard events. The team won the state championship in 2024.
ûIolani has an active chess team with many individuals winning awards both in Hawaii and in the mainland United States. Members compete in the annual Hawaiûi State Scholastic Championship, recently winning second place in 2025. The organization is led by two coaches, one of whom is a three-time Hawaiûi State Chess Champion, most recently winning the title in 2025. The ûIolani chess team captured the first three scholastic championships in Hawaiûi, beginning in 1997.