Hawaiian language immersion, known as Kaiapuni, is booming across the islands, but families and educators say classrooms are popping up faster than the state can staff them. Parents in communities such as Pearl City are pressing for middle and high school options so their children do not have to leave their home district, while principals warn that fluent, licensed teachers are increasingly hard to find. That imbalance has fueled petitions, lawsuits, and renewed calls for grow your own teacher pipelines.
Numbers Show Rapid Growth
The shift has been dramatic. Enrollment in Kaiapuni classrooms climbed roughly 68% over the past decade, and the number of state-run immersion campuses increased from about 14 to 26, according to reporting by Honolulu Civil…..