Kauai High School is a public high school located in Lihue, Hawaii. It is named after the island Kauai and is a part of the Hawaii Department of Education.
Kauaʻi High School serves students from ninth through twelfth grades. It was the first public high school on the island of Kauaʻi and has a rich history, a wide variety of programs and many notable alumni. It began operating in 1914 and graduated its first class, consisting of one out of seven students, in 1919. Since then, the school has grown each year with an increasing number of students.
History
The hill above Nāwiliwili was called Ke Kuhiau, which translates as "high point," and it was one of three heiau located near Kalapakī Bay. The residence of Governor Paul Kanoa stood there before annexation, and later it became the courthouse and county offices. When new county buildings were built on Rice Street, Kauaʻi High School was established on top of the hill.
Kauaʻi High School was founded in 1914. On April 30, 1913, The Governor of the Territory of Hawaii signed into law Act 160 to establish "the Kauai High School." On September 14, 1914, Kauaʻi High School opened its doors in the renovated courthouse as the fifth high school of the Territory of Hawaii and the first high school on the island of Kauaʻi.
The securing of this site and plant for high school purposes was brought about mainly by the efforts of the parents who had been supporting the private school in the yard of the Lihue Union Church. The high school was organized as a public institution. This made it available for all eligible students throughout the county. In addition the old private school was affiliated with the high school and partly maintained by tuition fees paid by those who attended: hence the name, Kauai High and Grammar School.
When Kauaʻi High School opened in 1914, it was just a little over a month after the outbreak of World War I. There were seven in attendance that year. Only one of these remained to graduate. The next year seven more entered. For each of the following three years, about twice that number came in. In 1919, 29 entered. Seven students graduated in 1919; numbers climbed to about 100 per class in the 1930s. During the '20s and '30s, some students lived in private dormitories, bungalows were built as classes were added, sports were introduced and students enjoyed dances and theatrical performances. The original school building was torn down in 1931, and the gym (still in use today) was built in 1939.
The '60s was a time when students were encouraged to "do your own thing," and Kauaʻi High was a part of that approach to life. Clubs, activities and committees seemed limitless, and at Kauaʻi High School that was just the beginning. They had added numerous clubs, like the National Thespian Society, Explorer Post, Y-Club and lots more. Kauaʻi High School had about 190 seniors in the '60s. As the '70s rolled in, the school's senior class grew to 249 students, and more clubs, activities, sports and classes were added. A homemade dynamite bomb was found in the "K" building boys' restroom and fortunately was defused. The old "A" building was torn down, and there were plans to build a new, two-story, 12-classroom building. In the 1970s they built the cafeteria, library, administration building, "K" building and the swimming pool.
Kauaʻi High greeted the '80s after a statewide, six-week strike that left classrooms uncleaned, lunches unprepared and, later, the school unopened. The decade also started with the construction of "A" building. The new "A" building was much needed; the 11-classroom building would house new special classrooms designed for science, business, and home economics.
In 1998 the six-period day was abandoned in favor of block scheduling, and in 2000 the intermediate grades went to Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School. Since then, there has been no new construction, but in 2003 the campus was given a facelift.
On March 1 2021, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at Kaua‘i High School for a new gymnasium. Nicknamed "The Roost," the $21 million project began its initial conception in 2011, with the help of John Hara Associates, Inc., and is estimated to be completed by the Fall of 2023. The new gymnasium will seat 1,600 spectators, approximately double the number of seats the current gymnasium holds.
Campus
The campus sits on approximately four acres off Lala Road and has sweeping views of Kalapakī Bay and Nāwiliwili Harbor. Among the facilities are an athletic field, gym, and swimming pool.