Waipahu High School received the highest level of national recognition for three of its career academies for a total of five recognized academies. This means Waipahu High is now a wall-to-wall national model academy high school.
“Receiving wall-to-wall national model certification for our academies validates the hard work and collective efforts of our industry, post-secondary partners, and everyone at Waipahu High School,” Principal Keith Hayashi said. “We are committed to preparing our students for Hawai‘i’s high skill, high wage, in demand, and future-focused workforce through learning experiences, college dual-credit offerings, industry internships and certifications.”
Presented by the National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC), this award recognizes college and career academies that show exemplary performance in the National Standard of Practice (NSOP). NCAC determines an academy’s performance as: model with distinction, model, certified or in progress. To reach the model with distinction level, the highest level of recognition, an academy must meet or exceed proficiency in all 10 areas noted in the NSOP.
“Our academies foster scholarly success and are designed to prepare Hawai‘i public school students for college and careers,” Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto said. “Congratulations to Principal Hayashi and Waipahu’s students, families and staff on their hard work and incredible achievement. We are grateful for our post-secondary and industry partners’ support.”
Waipahu High School academy recognitions include:
Waipahu High’s Academy of Health & Sciences and the Academy of Natural Resources were the first in the state to obtain this prestigious honor. Castle High School, Farrington High School, Kaimuki High School, Waiakea High School, and Waimea High School also received similar awards recognizing their various academies.
The school offers 23 Career Technical Education (CTE) programs and features an Early College program supported by the McInerny Foundation and post-secondary partners at the University of Hawaii at West Oahu, Leeward Community College, Honolulu Community College, Kapiolani Community College, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
