Public school vs Private school - Honolulu (renting, house)

[howe92]

I'm 16 and moving to Honolulu from Seattle. I was just accepted at Mid-Pacific Institute but I'm not so sure if I want to go... I keep feeling like I can get the same education from a public school in Seattle as I can get from a private one in Honolulu. And it's funny because there are incredible amounts of people graduating from these Hawaiian private schools and going to the UW!
Anyway, I've heard the public schools in Honolulu are awful, and it really is a shame because in Seattle, even if the school board is a mess, the public schools in Seattle are some of the best in the country. So therefore I find myself convinced that some of the public schools in Honolulu must not be totally bad because I've gone to public schools all my life and they've been great. Maybe it's because they're in Seattle. But I've heard Kalani and Kaiser are pretty decent, and they must be since they offer the same amount of AP classes as they generally do in Seattle. The house we're renting for 6 months is nearby Kalani, which offers some interesting AP classes - ones I would sign up for. Sure MidPac offers video production, glass blowing, and hula dancing... But I wouldn't sign up for these classes as I prefer the more "essential classes" (I also have my mind set on going abroad senior year and I want to waiver classes that aren't very stimulating like OC-Eds and physical education). Also, I have a feeling that if I try hard and succeed in any school, public or private, and if I do enough outside of school, colleges won't really care what school I come from... In short, I'm pretty stubborn right now, and I'm scared of private schools and how prestigious they seem. I'm sad I won't have any friends, and my exchange student that I'm hosting from Germany will be going to Kalani where I wish I could help and support him by at least going to school with him... Also, I don't like that these private schools require collared shirts to be worn - and without logos. I've never seen a polo without a logo. They won't let me wear a normal crew neck t-shirt either. Darn. I think I could manage at Kalani without paying fifteen thousand dollars per year (if I did pay that, bye bye college money!) and take a hefty load of AP classes there. I don't know. Maybe I'm too cheap. I just find myself wriggling out of the thought of attending a private school and using excuses like "what about dying children in Africa or Asia who never will have the chance to go to school, oh, that $15,000 going to one year of high school could help several hundreds of children at least make it to elementary school."

I don't even know. Replies are appreciated. Sorry for the pessimistic/crude nature of my post. I probably sound like a mainland snob who's ignorant and arrogant or something. Yikes!!

[whynot?]

That's my advice. Go to Mid-Pac. Or Punahou if you can get in. Spend your remaining high school terms with people who are motivated to achieve, not just trying to get through school. Hawaii has been in the bottom five states (along with Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, and Florida) for the lowest SAT scores in the country for the past several years. It would take decades to improve the public schools, but you have only a couple of years to prove your mettle and get in the best college you can.

[MJinAustin]

I have to say after graduating from Punahou (the only private school I went to --- all rest were public on the mainland), I had more opportunities from high level colleges because they knew the reputation of the school. My brother went to Mid-Pac. I think the private schools in Hawaii are well known with the colleges (particularly in California, Oregon, and Washington) and lower grades at the better private schools will take you farther than a 4.0 from some of the public schools. Not all the private schools are great and not all the public schools are horrible, but the general reputation of the private schools is going to give you a leg up when you apply for college. And don't worry about feeling like you're in an elitist sort of place just because you're going to private school. LOTS and lots of kids in Hawaii go to private school. It's the norm there. Even at Punahou - which might be the most elitist due to extensive finances of many of the students' families - there were average Joes (like me) and we all had friends and we all did sports and we all got a good education.

You've already gotten into Mid-Pac...that's a good thing.

[serrow]

i have 2 kids. the oldest entering kindygarten next year.

I've never been a fan of blindly sending kids to private school. I grew up in washington state where the schools were quite good.

I had this opinion until spending time on Iolani's campus. That shop sparkles. It's beautiful and the kids have so much provided for them. It really does almost make it feel worthwhile.

My new opinion is that I will not send my kids there until they are old enough to understand the sacrifice it takes to make that commitment.

[tpk-nyc]

I went to Mid-Pac. It's a great school and I had a wonderful time. Hawaii has the second largest number of private school students per capita (after Delaware) for a reason: the public schools are really bad. There is a State Board of Education so, unlike the mainland, it doesn't really matter where you live; schools in affluent areas aren't much better than the rest. Anyone who can, including many from comparatively working class families, goes to private school in Hawaii. It’s more diverse that you imagine. Another thing to consider: if you're from Seattle, it will be easier to make friends at Mid-Pac or Punahou than at Kalani. Certain segments of the population can be very antagonistic towards mainlanders. It can be particularly harsh at school, but it's not problem at a place like Mid-Pac.

[xmoose]

well, I went to mpi for 3 years.
i'm your age, gonna be a junior.
midpac is an okay school.
honestly, I agree that depending on where you go, you can get the same education from a private school here at a public school on the mainland.
but it's honestly up to you where you want to go.
too bad I'm decided not to attending this upcoming school year, or else I could've met you possibly ah hah.
the reason why i'm "dropping out" is because when I think about it,
it's a hell of a lot of money, and if I go to a public school which actually aren't that bad, I could do a lot of extra things outside of school.
or even better, tell my teachers i'd like to go further beyond what they're teaching, and ask if there are any classes/extra stuff I could do.

my passion is theatre which is one reason why i'm going to miss mpi, but then again I thought I could always take theatre outside of school, right?
and it'd still go on my transcript thing.
soooo.
if you're on a budget, go to a public school. and do things on the side.
or if you're so insistent on attending a private, there are cheaper private schools on the island.

[manoagirl]

Go to the private school, entering the public school system at age 16 would be difficult and you might be board because it might be too easy.

[JLeez808]

Wow MPI is $15,000? I didnt know that...What about Punahou or Iolani? More expensive?

U seem pretty serious about ure education. Kalani is "not bad" from what I've heard. I've heard some bad things too though. Try to find out what schools Kalani grads go to on the mainland...that might show u the scope of the education they offer.

[manoagirl]

If you decide to go to a public High school at 16 years old it may not be that bad because the students seem more mature and into dating at that age. For some the worst is Intermediate school, also it all depends upon the school you go to and the area you live in. When I went to Mckinley I ended up graduating at age 16 because I doubled up on my classes and went to summer school. Mckinley is the oldest public school on Oahu. (nick name at that time "Little Tokoyo") Remember it all depends upon what you look like in public school. Some people are teased more than others due to different factor, how you dress, are you over weigh? Are you attractive? Do you have a nice personality??? etc... Who are you parents??? Entering a high school at 16 you may not have many friends because most people hang out in "Clicks" and many of the students have been growing up together since elementary school days. Hard to break into a popular click if you are an outsider and know one knows who you are.

[JLeez808]

Yeah I moved when I was 15, between 10th and 11th grade...that was pretty tuff. To this day I look at my senior prom and graduation as kinda a joke since I only had emotional attachmnets with a handful of people while everybody else had, like manoagirl said, knew each other since "shmall keed time"!

But the friends I did make are still my friends to this day. In fact I just hung with one of them last night...roughly 16 years later!