Kamehameha Schools announced that it will eliminate tuition fees for all students starting in the 2026-27 school year, pending Probate Court approval, with funding coming from the endowment provided by Bernice Pauahi Bishop. The school emphasized that "Tuition suggests a transactional exchange" and reaffirmed that "responsibility at Kamehameha has never flowed from payment."
The decision reflects a return to the school’s core values, stating, "It flows from aloha, ancestral connection, and preparation," as reported by KHON2. Previously, partial tuition fees were subsidized by the endowment, but the new model ensures that education is provided as a right rather than a commodity.
Kamehameha Schools will transfer tuition funds for the current school year to the Kaiāulu Fund, which provides scholarships and community grants. The school is also moving to a tuition-free system. This change comes while the school is facing a legal challenge over its race-based admissions policy, which is being reviewed in court. The results of the case are being closely watched, as per KITV.
