Namahana School Celebrates a Historic Opening Day

On August 4, Kaua‘i North Shore residents witnessed a cherished community dream come true: the opening of the public, tuition-free, post-primary school for the districts of Koʻolau and Haleleʻa. This achievement by Namahana School capped six years of meticulous planning, including a thorough community engagement process, the charter school application and a continuing intensive fundraising campaign to build a dedicated campus. On that Monday morning, Namahana’s team and supporters proudly stood alongside hundreds of overjoyed family members and neighbors to cheer on the inaugural 7th and 8th grade classes as they arrived for their first day of school at a temporary campus for the 2025-2026 year.

“We are extremely grateful to Jeff Lindner and his family for granting Namahana temporary use of the Kula School campus,” said Namahana Education Foundation Executive Director Melanie Parker. “Their incredible generosity has made it possible for us to open on schedule, and our students will launch their Namahana journey just minutes away from our permanent site.”

This extraordinary milestone would not have been possible without the generous support of our extended community. We are deeply grateful to everyone who gave their time, energy, resources, and manaʻo in the weeks leading up to Namahana’s opening. Please click through to our Instagram for some special mahalos to the people and groups that helped bring this day to fruition.