ks
Kamehameha Schools Admissions Information
Applying to Kamehameha Schools
Student Anuhea (2 min.)
Hear a student’s perspective about applying and transferring to Kamehameha Schools as a sophomore.
Applying to Kamehameha Schools
Parent Louise (3 min.)
Hear a parent’s perspective about applying her daughter to Kamehameha Schools.
Dear Parent,
While some aspects of the Kamehameha Schools (KS) selection process may resemble a “lottery”, there is an evaluation procedure or else the four-member faculty rating committee would just throw names into a hat. A good report card helps immensely, but the committee may be on the lookout for behavioral concerns on teacher reference reports. KS is forced to release students each year for disciplinary reasons and has a zero-tolerance policy on theft, drugs and alcohol where public schools do not.
Regional seat allocations are updated annually using data provided by the DOE. They tell KS how many Hawaiian children (K-12) attend public schools in each DOE region. Those numbers are converted to percentages which helps determine the number of spaces targeted in each region. The purpose of using DOE information is to ensure fair representation of students from each region, regardless of where in Hawaii they live. In addition to representation from all regions via region seat targets, KS gives special consideration to keiki who qualify under their orphan and indigent categories as indicated in Princess Pauahi’s will. Gender balance based on birth sex is also considered.
***Approximate percentages of total invitees selected from particular regions for admission to KS Kapalama
(in descending order)
Of course, these percentages are subject to change annually.
21% Oahu - KOOLAU (Waimanalo to the North Shore?)
18% Oahu - EWA (Waipahu to Kapolei?)
15% BIG Island - West Hawaii
13% Oahu - Kona (HONOLULU) ***Hawaii Kai to Pearl City?
11% Kauai and Niihau
8% Oahu - WAIANAE (including Nanakuli?)
7% Oahu - WAIALUA
5% Molokai, Lānai, Häna (East Maui)
2% Out of State
For the Academic Ability Test, the KS rating committee probably has set an unofficial minimum proficiency “cut score”. So an “above-average” score will prove at the very least that the applicant took the 3½ to 4-hour admissions test seriously. For the Personal Interview and the Timed Writing Sample (Middle grades only), the rating committee may use specific questions and prompts to uncover the applicant’s true heart and soul. While not perfect, the selection process strives to weed out students who are not serious about attending Kamehameha or who may be looking for a “free ride”. But because it’s a numbers game, each year many deserving keiki are placed in a wait pool or denied.
What your child will be TESTED on can include but may not be limited to:
READING COMPREHENSION:
- Main Idea, Supporting Ideas, Inference, Organization / Logic, Vocabulary, Figurative Language
MATHEMATICS:
- Number Sense & Operations, Geometric Concepts, Measurement, Algebraic Concepts, Data Analysis & Probability
From my experience working with students applying to KS as well as other private schools:
- KS MAP Stanine of 9+ is "Best of the Best!!!"
- KS MAP Stanine of 8 is "Excellent!!" (Punahou / Iolani range)
- KS MAP Stanine of 7 is "Very Good!" (HBA range and Punahou / Iolani waitpool range)
- KS MAP Stanine of 6 is "Good" (HBA / Mid-Pacific / Maryknoll range)
- KS MAP Stanine of 5 is "Above-Average" (Mid-Pacific / Maryknoll range)
- KS MAP Stanine of 4 is "Average" (Mid-Pacific / Maryknoll range)
- KS MAP Stanine of 3 is "Below-Average"
- I believe a “stanine of 3” may be an unofficial “cut score” for the KS admissions committee. So a stanine of 2 or lower may eliminate applicants who are not allocated as “orphan” or “indigent”.
A four-member Kamehameha Schools faculty rating committee reviews all applications for a single grade level in each district. For the Middle grades, the applicant is scored in each of the following areas:
(approx. %age breakdown in parentheses)
- (16.7 %) TESTING (Reading Comprehension and General Mathematics) About 3 to 4 hours
- (33.2 %) REPORT CARDS / TEACHER REFERENCE REPORTS
- (16.7 %) PERSONAL INTERVIEW - Middle grades only
- (16.7 %) TIMED WRITING SAMPLE - Middle grades only
- (16.7 %) EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES - THIS COULD MAKE OR BREAK AN APPLICATION!
For listed extracurricular activities, Proof of Participation
must be provided. This may include but is not limited to: letters, signatures, certificates, names, dates, contact information, etc.
- Hawaiian Culture: Hula, Ukulele, Song, Paddling, Lei Making, Weaving, Ecology
- Volunteer Work: Collect Food, Serve Meals, Clean Up, Beautify Community, Help the Elderly or Sick, Tutor or Care for Younger Children, Repair Work, Raise Money for Charity
- Church: Sunday School, Choir, Dancing, Bible Study, Community Outreach
- School-Related: Student Government, J.P.O., Fundraising, School Newspaper, Yearbook, Robotics, Computers, Foreign Language, Chess, Debate, Science Olympiad, MATHCOUNTS
- Sports, Music, Dance, Martial Arts, Theater, Painting, Soroban (math)
ALL-IMPORTANT TEACHER REPORT
Parents can spend lots of time preparing their kids for the Kamehameha Schools academic ability test and many hours filling out applications and securing letters of recommendation, and it all could become undone with a single sub-par teacher report. Most parents are aware of their child’s academic prowess, which prompts them to apply for KS in the first place. Some parents, however, may not be aware of certain attitude, behavioral and maturity concerns, no matter how minor they may be, which can show up on some obscure corner of a teacher report and turn the tide for their child in the competitive world of KS admissions.
Hawaii’s schools are filled with aggressive students and parents, which is a reason why the four-member faculty rating committee may take a single comment on a teacher report very seriously. Kamehameha has more than enough bright and talented applicants to choose from, and may even look for a reason, albeit a single one, to pick one candidate over another. A severe enough negative comment, even one immersed within a bunch of positive comments, may unseat an applicant with an outstanding standardized test score, personal interview, writing sample and extracurricular resume. Examples that stick out like a sore thumb include: Johnny / Jane . . .
- speaks out of turn
- doesn’t submit homework consistently
- is unfocused at times
- bothers other students
- doesn’t work well in groups
On the other hand, I have known more than a few students who did not have great test scores get accepted to KS due in no small part to an outstanding teacher report. Comments include: Johnny / Jane is . . .
- cooperative
- hardworking
- motivated
- resourceful
- compassionate
- positive
- responsible
- a joy to teach
Summary and Final Thoughts
Some conscientious parents take the teacher report so seriously that they take every opportunity (e.g. parent-teacher conferences, periodic email/phone conversations) to build a healthy relationship with perhaps the one person outside family who has the greatest influence on their child’s KS destiny. Some parents even volunteer at their child’s school while others make it a point to remind their child of the importance of making a good impression on his or her current teacher.
Parents are their child’s primary advocates, and should always support and protect their child’s well-being, but Kamehameha Schools has applications-to-spaces ratios of 3:1 to 15:1 depending on campus and grade level. Parents who take grievances to their child’s current school, most likely for a just cause, risk “making waves” and being labeled “red-flag parents” in the back offices of public school administrations. These unofficial grievances will not be documented on a teacher report or possibly anywhere, but could mysteriously make their way to the four-member faculty rating committee. Again, parents should always support and defend their child, but moving schools should become an option of last resort, especially if parents intend to apply to any top Hawaii private school. Moving schools is drastic, but better than having a “bad rap” haunt parents every year they apply for the same top private school, which keeps “unofficial records” itself.
TIMED WRITING SAMPLE
In this section, I cite specific writing strategies applicants can use to separate themselves from hundreds of other essayists. While grammar, syntax and flow are important, what really catches the eye of the Kamehameha Schools faculty grader is creativity, honesty, originality, uniqueness or humor. Below are some comparisons between “average” and “better” writing samples.
- Average: “The best day in my life was when our team won the championship.” Better: “The cheering of the crowd, the smiles on my parents’ faces and the celebration with my teammates changed my life forever.”
- Average: “The worst day in my life was when I broke my leg.” Better: “After I fell, pain shot through my body, but what hurt more was the fear of possibly being laughed at.”
- Average: “Outside family, the person who changed my life the most was my coach.” Better: “My coach touched my heart, and could see things in me I could not see myself.”
- Average: “If I had to plan a field trip, my class would go to the zoo.” Better: “Our field trip would be to the moon, where we could see and touch wonders only dreamed about in science class.”
- Average: “If I had nothing to do, I would call my friends and play Xbox all day.” Better: “If I had nothing to do, I would call my friends and dig a tunnel to the Big Island so we can see active volcanoes.”
- Average: “If I were principal, I would tell teachers to be less strict and mean.” Better: “Teachers must control classrooms, but this one time, my teacher said something to me that almost made me cry.”
Sample Writing Prompts
In my experience, there is a likelihood that one or more of the following writing prompts (or some variation of the prompt) will be administered to your child on the Kamehameha Schools “Test Day”. Parents may want to discuss these Writing Prompts with their child PRIOR to this day to best prepare for the all-important timed writing sample. A good essay should be at least 3/4-page, but preferably 1 to 2 pages in length. Quality essays that go over one page in length (especially with a time constraint) can really STAND OUT before a KS staff member, possibly a grade-appropriate language arts teacher.
- Tell us about the best (or worst) day in your life in as much detail as possible. / What is the greatest thing that has ever happened to you? Explain. / Write about an event that has changed your life as completely as you can.
- What is your favorite place in the whole wide world? Explain. / Describe your favorite room in your house (or at school). / Think about a place where you like to go to be alone. Write about this place and tell why you like to go there to be alone. / What is the most fun place in your neighborhood (or town or city) and why?
- Describe something you’re really good at in lots of detail. / Tell us about a time when you felt proud. Why?
- If you could become any animal, what animal would you choose to be? Why?
- You are assigned the task of planning a field trip. Where would you go and why?
- If you had three wishes, what would you wish for and why?
- Describe a superpower you would want to have. Explain.
- You have nothing to do for an entire weekend. Tell us what you would do in as much detail as possible.
- Describe a person OR celebrity OR historical figure who has had a big impact on your life. Why?
- If you were principal, what would you do to improve your school?
- You have been elected governor. What would you do to make (your state) a better place for everyone to live?
Summary and Final Thoughts
The Timed Writing Sample may be the most overlooked and underestimated aspect of the Kamehameha Schools admissions process, especially by students. It is the one and only “assignment” required and graded by KS faculty. As a result, penmanship, paragraph structure, idea formulation, spelling, grammar and syntax are scrutinized. Understandably, many applicants are exhausted from months of intense standardized test drill-and-practice, laborious homework assignments and school projects, and energy-sapping extracurricular activities. But the time to relax is after the Timed Writing Sample is completed. Essayists should spend as much time as permitted (usually about 20 minutes) working on the Writing Sample. An applicant who finishes the Timed Writing Sample in five minutes could see years of hard work go down the drain. Needless to say, a lazily written essay can eliminate an already longshot candidate from contention.
ADMISSIONS INTERVIEW (Middle Grades Only)
While parents should help their child for the all-important admissions interview, applicants who appear “over-coached” may bother or even annoy the KS faculty interviewer who is looking for honesty (but not brutal honesty), genuineness of personality and the applicant’s true heart and soul. Not every child is charismatic, articulate, passionate, energetic or optimistic, and any attempt to alter an applicant’s personality could lead to disaster. In my humble opinion, parents are the very ones in the best position to influence their child’s interview performance. So how can parents give their child an edge on the all-important admissions interview?
DRESS CLOTHES! SAY HELLO! SHAKE HANDS! YES SIR! YES MA’AM! EYE CONTACT! ENTHUSIASM!
COMPLETE SENTENCES! USE THE WORD “GREAT”! SAY THANK YOU! SHAKE HANDS! SAY GOOD-BYE!
The one thing applicants must do to enhance their interview skills is to be polite, thoughtful and respectful. A shy, inarticulate, nervous student without an all-American smile or laser eye contact can still make an impression on the KS faculty interviewer with good manners. Even a kid who does not answer an interview question but instead replies, “I’m sorry, could you please repeat the question” could impress the interviewer in subtle ways. Thoughtfulness and respect are universal, transcending the personality and racial background. Even the aliens on Star Wars used them in their intergalactic relations. In short, candidates who have “please”, “thank you”, “you’re welcome” and “my mistake” in their vocabulary have an advantage in a generation of competitive, high-achieving prima donnas.
Common Admissions Interview Questions:
- Why do you want to attend Kamehameha Schools? / Tell me what you know about Kamehameha Schools.
- What does it mean to you to be Hawaiian?
- What are some Hawaiian traditions or values? / Describe a Hawaiian tradition in your family.
- Tell me about your family or ‘ohana.
- What 3 words would you use to describe yourself? (e.g., smart, athletic, hardworking, respectful, friendly, kind, funny, creative, musical, artistic, etc.) Explain why you chose these 3 words.
- Describe yourself as a student (including academics, extracurricular, participation, teamwork).
- Tell me about your school. Describe your typical school day.
- What do you do with your family? What do you do with your friends?
- What are your hobbies? What do you like to do in your free time?
- Describe something you’re really good at or really proud of.
- What would you change about yourself?
- What extracurricular activities have you participated in?
- Do you like reading books? Tell me about the last book you’ve read.
- What are your favorite subjects in school?
- Who was your favorite teacher and why?
- Describe a person who has had a great influence on your life.
- Describe an event that has had a great impact on your life.
- What would you do on a weekend if you had no homework or other things to do?
- Any current events question.
