The Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science Public Charter School has been accredited through June 30, 2020, by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Accrediting Commission for Schools. ADVERTISING The Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science Public Charter
The Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science Public Charter School has been accredited through June 30, 2020, by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Accrediting Commission for Schools.
“HAAS has been accredited since July 2008. The charter school wants to thank all of its staff, teachers, parents, students, and community for making this possible,” said director Steve Hirakami.
Chartered in June 2001, HAAS has grown to serve more than 600 students in grades K-12. The 2014 graduating class had 44 students. Nearly half – 43 percent – plan to attend college next year, and 25 percent received scholarships to colleges in Hawaii and on the U.S. mainland, said Hirakami.
He noted that HAAS students have tested above the State Language Arts proficiency benchmark for many years in a row and this year tested at 55 percent proficient in math, just 1 percent shy of the benchmark.
HAAS has made considerable gains in graduation rates, which had fallen below 70 percent two years ago, putting the school into the DOE’s “Focus” performance category. HAAS graduation rates have now rebounded, exceeding 80 percent for two years in a row.
Hirakami also pointed out that this year, HAAS has four valedictorians, all graduating early following their junior year. Also, two HAAS teachers, Jonathan Kissida and Terri York, were awarded the Circle of Excellence recognition for charter schools in 2013 and 2014, which is the equivalent to the Teacher of the Year honor for traditional public schools.
“Our purpose at HAAS is to educate children in a safe and healthy environment,” said Hirakami. “It’s also great to be recognized for the academic, financial management, and organizational structure that a visiting accreditation team looks over with a magnifying glass.
Many thanks go out to all our supporters, especially our community of learners.”
Student interest forms for enrollment are available on the website (www.haaspcs.org) and limited spots are available for School Year 2014-15.
