Waipahu HI (Kaneohe, Pearl City, Waipio: neighborhood, best school districts, living in)

[csbenef]

I am married with 5 children. Their ages range from 6 months - 8 years old. What can you tell me about Waipahu? Is it a good place to raise a family? What are the schools like? We may be relocating to the area.

[jennifermotes]

The schools in Waipahu are some of the worst in the nation. I had to move from Hawaii so that my children would get a decent education.

[lazy1]

Originally Posted by csbenef

I am married with 5 children. Their ages range from 6 months - 8 years old. What can you tell me about Waipahu? Is it a good place to raise a family? What are the schools like? We may be relocating to the area.

Not all of Waipahu is bad! The eastern side near the H1 overpass is alright, so are the communities of Waikele and Waipio which technically are part of Waipahu.

The western side of Waipahu is an entirely different story. I used to live on the western side of Waipahu near Waipahu Intermediate School. IMHO, western Waipahu is a rough neighborhood for Hawaii standards, particularly near the "Pupu" streets and Aniani St. A lot of public housing, drugs, beat downs and strong arm robberies.

The schools in Waipahu are bad, the high school has a lot fights and gangs. If you are from the mainland don't even think about living in Waipahu, there are far better places to raise a family. I moved from Waipahu because of these reasons and the very poor police presence. It's a shame cause when I was a young boy, Waipahu was such a nice place to grow-up.

[csbenef]

Thank you for the information, I appreciate it. Are there areas within 30 minutes to an hour from Waipahu that you would recommend living?

[jennifermotes]

The best places to recommend would be Kapolei (closest), Hawaii Kai, Manoa. If possible, get your children into private schools. My son has just entered the 9th grade and he was at a 5th grade level in English/reading when we moved. He's now taking double reading/English/comprehension classes to catch up.

[MsHell]

Originally Posted by csbenef

Are there areas within 30 minutes to an hour from Waipahu that you would recommend living?

IMO - you are not providing enough info. You can get to just about anywhere on the island in an hour with little or no traffic.

Are you taking a job in Waipahu? Like someone else stated, Waikele, Village Park and Waipio are all considered part of Waipahu and are nicer areas. Personally I like Waikele and Waipio, however not the best school districts if you have children.

The closest areas to Waipahu with decent school districts (you may need to confirm) would be Mililani or Kapolei.

[Eh It's Me]

Pearl City or Aiea near by

[DDane]

Kaneohe is nice.

[lazy1]

For decent public school districts I would recommend Mililani (about 15minutes from Waipahu) and Kaneohe (about 20-30 minutes from Waipahu). I believe Waikele is in the Waipahu school district and Waipio is in the Pearl City school district.