King Kamehameha III Elementary School, burned in the 2023 Lahaina wildfire, remains in a deteriorating temporary modular campus in Kapalua. A new $162 million permanent school is planned for a Ku’ia site, with an estimated opening date of 2029.
- Students and staff have been operating out of a $78.8 million temporary modular campus in Kapalua since April 2024, with conditions including warping floors, leaking windows, and wasp intrusions.
- The new permanent school will not be built at the original Front Street location due to concerns over ancestral burial sites and flood risk.
- A $162 million school is planned for roughly 14 acres of Kamehameha Schools land in Ku’ia, near Lahaina’s other public schools, with a tentative 2029 opening.
- State lawmakers allocated $244.6 million total for the project, covering buildings, roads, and off-site infrastructure like utilities and drainage.
- The campus design features a ring layout with classrooms surrounding a central courtyard, with roads encircling the property to support evacuations and serve as firebreaks.
Source: Maui Now
Share this article
