Punahou School

Honolulu · HI · Private independent · K-12 combined

Private

20 AP courses 22 National Merit Semifinalists

At a glance

Programs & features
  • 20 AP courses offered (school profile)
  • 22 National Merit SemifinalistsRoughly the top 1% of PSAT scorers in each state — about 16,000 juniors nationally. A useful gauge of a school's academic top end. (2025)
Academic signals
  • APCollege-level courses with a national exam each May. A score of 3+ "passes" and can earn college credit; the pass rate tells you whether a school's AP program has substance behind the course list. exam pass rate 94%

Composed from the school's own published profile (2025), and other public data. Full breakdowns below.

You've seen Punahou School. What are your child's real college odds? Check any college in 10 seconds — no email needed — then get the free Family Decision Report: Reach / Competitive / Match / Likely + the real cost range for every college on their list. Check odds →

How Punahou School compares for families

Among the academically strongest private schools in our database.

  • Nationally94% AP pass rate (US average: ~60%) · 22 National Merit Semifinalists last year (NMSF is the top 1% of US PSAT scorers) · Top 5% of the 218 curated private schools in our database on NMSF concentration.
  • LocallyHI trails the US average on NAEP 8th-grade math (−4 points). Stronger local schools matter even more.
  • vs Similar SchoolsThe closest comparables nearby: Mid-Pacific Institute, La Pietra Hawaii School For Girls, Le Jardin Academy and 5 more. See the sidebar to compare side-by-side.

For Parents

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Your state's public flagship

University of Hawaii at Manoa

70%
admit rate
$12,186
in-state tuition/yr · $34,218 out-of-state
1020–1240
SAT 25–75 · ACT 20–27

The in-state tuition gap is the flagship's biggest draw — most in-state families pay far less than the out-of-state sticker. Average net price after aid runs about $15,664/yr. Admission odds depend on your student's GPA and test scores, not which high school they attend.

See the full University of Hawaii at Manoa profile → Estimate your odds with your scores →

Source: IPEDS admissions, tuition & enrollment + College Scorecard net price. Flagship = the state's primary public research university.

Their published matriculation list

Where their graduates enrolled

Punahou School publishes where its graduates enrolled. What follows is copied from that document — 176 colleges, ordered by the number of students enrolled.

Years, as the document states them
the past four years (2022 – 2025)

College  ·  Students

Hawai'i, U of Mānoa 129
California, U of – Irvine 68
Chapman University 59
Washington, U of 59
Seattle University 49
Creighton University 45
Santa Clara University 43
Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo 36
Boston University 35
Loyola Marymount University 35
Oregon State University 32
Southern California, U of 31
California, U of – Los Angeles 27
Boston College 25
San Diego, U of 25
Northeastern University 23
Oregon, U of 23
San Diego State University 20
California, U of – Davis 19
New York University 19
Purdue University 19
Yale University 18
Arizona State University 17
California, U of – Santa Barbara 17
Michigan, U of – Ann Arbor 16
Puget Sound, U of 15
Brigham Young University (UT) 14
California, U of – Berkeley 14
Cornell University 14
Harvard University 14
and 146 more
Portland, U of 14
San Francisco, U of 12
California, U of – San Diego 10
The University of British Columbia 10
Colorado, U of – Boulder 9
Pacific, U of the 8
Utah, U of 8
California, U of – Santa Cruz 7
Notre Dame, U of 7
Pennsylvania, U of 7
Temple University (Japan) 6
Florida, U of 5
Point Loma Nazarene College 5
Arizona, U of 4
Waseda University 4
California, U of – Riverside 3
Denver, U of 3
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (FL) 3
Hawai'i, U of West Oahu 3
International Christian University 3
Miami, U of 3
Nevada, U of – Reno 3
Rochester, U of 3
St. Andrews, U of (Scotland) 3
Colorado, U of – Colorado Springs 2
Franklin University Switzerland 2
John Cabot University 2
Kapiolani Community College 2
Menlo College 2
Moorpark College 2
Nevada, U of – Las Vegas 2
Orange Coast College 2
Rhode Island, U of 2
Santa Barbara City College 2
Toronto, U of 2
U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School 2
University College Dublin Count 2
Western University 2

These graduates went on to the colleges above.

Check your kid's odds at these colleges →

We'll load the 10 colleges the class chose most often — add your name, email and your child's numbers and we'll see where your child lands at each.

As published, source linked As published by Punahou School — Punahou School Profile 2025–2026 ↗. Found at: p.6 of 6, "Advanced Schooling: Four Year History" section.

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment went from 3,758 in 2018 to 3,700 in 2022 — over 4 years.
-1.5%
Why only 3 data points?

Private school enrollment comes from the NCES Private School Universe Survey (PSS), which is collected every other year — not annually like public-school data. The most recent published collection is 2021–22; NCES targeted spring 2026 for the 2023–24 release — we'll load it as soon as it's published.

For a more current snapshot, see Punahou School's own published school profile (as of 2025-26): issuu.com/punahouschool/docs/punahou_school_profile ↗

If the recent trend holds…

At its recent rate of -0.4%/year, projecting from 2022's 3,700 students:

2023
3,686
2025
3,657
2027
3,629

≈ 71 fewer students by 2027 — a real revenue/relevance risk worth getting ahead of.

An extrapolation of the recent trajectory, not a forecast of the school's plans; ignores one-off shocks.

Revenue at risk

At tuition per student, the 71 students projected to be lost by 2027 represent ≈ $1,136,000/year in tuition at risk.

Tuition is an editable estimate (PSS doesn't publish tuition) — set it to your school's figure.

Most similar nearby high schools

The schools most like this one — same type, blended on distance and size — and where their enrollment is heading. These are the schools families here weigh against each other.

SchoolTypeMilesHS enrollmentTrend
Mid-Pacific Institute
Honolulu
Private 0.8 1,521 -0.5%
La Pietra Hawaii School For Girls
Honolulu
Private 3.0 141 -11.9%
Le Jardin Academy
Kailua
Private 6.6 747
Assets School
Honolulu
Private 7.2 339 -1.2%
Maryknoll School
Honolulu
Private 0.1 904 -21.0%
Hawaiian Mission Academy
Honolulu
Private 0.9 70 -30.0%
Iolani School
Honolulu
Private 1.2 2,021 +5.6%
St Louis School
Honolulu
Private 1.6 893 +1.9%

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