What is Kamehameha Schools?
Kamehameha Schools is a private educational institution that serves Native Hawaiians. The Schools were founded in 1887 under the Will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last surviving heir of Kamehameha I, monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom. When she died, a Westernized society in Hawai’i had pushed Native Hawaiians down to the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. Pauahi saw education as her people’s salvation and left her vast estate in trust for the creation and operation of schools that would focus on and uplift Native Hawaiian children. Students at Kamehameha, in addition to being Native Hawaiian, also come from almost every ethnic group in the world, including Caucasian, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, and other indigenous peoples.
