Pohakea Elementary School

When it was time for my children to begin school I was very wary of Pohakea. I even tried to get a geographic exception to a newer, more modern school. My request was denied and that was the best thing that could have happened to my kids. It is now 5 years later and my kids are doing great. The school has a wonderful inclusion program for special needs kids. My son (who is in special ed) gets to spend the whole day among his peers while getting his IEP goals met. They also have a great reading program where students are in classes by their reading level. Even if a child isn't in special education they get individualized reading instruction. My son just told me they have iPads and iTouches to use in the classroom. I've also seen in several of the classrooms awesome interactive boards.There are quite a few extra curricular activities as well as an after school tutoring program. All of which are free. I am proud to say my kids attend Pohakea Elementary School.
—Submitted by a parent

I was very surprised how awesome this school is because Iam used to a european school system, the teachers are very caring and serious about there job but they never forget about the fun. I have a special need child but this is not a problem, he is very very happy there, and he was in a private school before , they didn't really integrated him, he had to sit and watch the others often when they did something he couldn't do, he was very unhappy about this. This doesn't happen at Pohakea.
—Submitted by a parent

I have 5 children that attend Pohakea (they are in grades pre-K through 5th grade) and they love it. My children used to attend a school down the road but had to transfer to Pohakea due to our move. The school they used to attend is very new and so the teachers and staff are very new. There was never any pride or passion for teaching from the teachers at the other school. The lessons were straight from the book. It was very hard for my children to learn there let alone be happy and motivated. I am very happy that we chose to put our kids in Pohakea vs a private school. The teachers are very motivated to teach and they love what they do. My children are very happy and they have learned so much. Thank you Pohakea!!!
—Submitted by a parent

As a military family, we have been very disappointed and regularly angered by the lack of communication and blatant discrimination at this school, by both the children and a teacher (I won't speak to all of them, because that wouldn't be fair). The academic course is not rigorous at all, and the teachers have told us that homework is just busy work, anyway. My children are bored and I'm frustrated. Information about anything doesn't come home until right before an event. Being non-local is a serious problem, especially in the older grades; we've had many many problems. Be careful of the zoning on greatschools.org; in this district, the schools are zoned in a strange way, and unless you live across the street from the school, you can't be sure of where you're child will attend. Call the school first to make sure.
—Submitted by a parent

I have a special ed child and this school is not a place for a child that is suppose to be in special ed for reading!!! Th at have a reading program that does not go well for her! Her IEP states 45 minutes for reading instead she is put in a class with 20 students
—Submitted by a parent

Pohakea is a small school with many children who have diversed backgrounds. The teachers work hard to instill the mission and vision of high quality. The biggest problem I feel is the funding and also the amount of community support we have. Parents and the community must pull together along with the teachers to create a school that cares about their childrens learnings. As the principal once said when he first came, 'One band with one sound.' This I believe is soo true. The teachers can not do it alone. We need the parent involvment as well. Parents need to understand that they too must be accountable for their childrens education. This can happen if we all pull together.
—Submitted by a staff