King Kamehameha III
Elementary School Project

Lāhainā, Maui
Ua ao Hawaiʻi ke ʻōlino nei mālamalama
Hawaiʻi is enlightened, for the brightness of day is here.
Hawaiʻi is in an era of education.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #2773
Ka waihona o ka naʻauao.
The repository of learning. A reference to a learned person.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #1650
E lawe i ke aʻo a mālama, a e ʻoi mau ka naʻauao.
He who takes his teachings and applies them increases his knowledge.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #328
Ua lehulehu a manomano ka ʻikena a ka Hawaiʻi.
Great and numerous is the knowledge of the Hawaiians.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #2814
E Kuahui like i ka hana.
Let everybody pitch in and work together.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #323
Lāhainā, i ka malu ʻulu o Lele.
Lāhainā, in the shade of the breadfruit trees of Lele.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #1936

A Shared Community Vision

Our Goal

We are rebuilding King Kamehameha III Elementary School — a new, permanent campus in Lāhainā to replace the school lost in the August 2023 wildfire. The new school is targeted to open in early 2029, giving West Maui’s keiki a safe, welcoming, and lasting place to learn.

Background

The original King Kamehameha III Elementary on Front Street was destroyed in the August 8, 2023 Lāhainā wildfire. Since 2024, students have attended a temporary campus at Pulelehua, near Kapalua. In 2025, the State selected the Kuʻia site — about 14 acres of Kamehameha Schools land, mauka of the Lāhainā Bypass — as the home of the new permanent campus.

Legislative and Federal Support

The project is funded through a combination of State and federal sources — including the State’s Act 123 (2026) appropriation and the Federal Highway Administration, supported by federal FEMA Public Assistance — totaling approximately $245 million across the replacement school, roads, infrastructure, and consultant services.

Role of the School Facilities Authority (SFA)

SFA is leading the project — community engagement, planning, design, and construction — to deliver the new campus as quickly and responsibly as possible.

Role of the Department of Education (DOE)

The Hawaiʻi Department of Education is an active participant in planning and design. School and complex-area leadership, together with DOE’s Facilities Development Branch, take part in recurring design and program charrettes, both on Maui and virtually, advising on the educational program the campus must support: how classrooms, shared spaces, and support spaces serve teaching and learning, and what the school needs to operate day to day. That advice shapes the design as it develops. After construction is complete, SFA will turn the school over to DOE to own and operate.

Project Team

SFA is working with an experienced team, including WRNS Studio (architect), Kamehameha Schools (landowner partner), Moʻolelo Group led by Kainoa Horcajo (culture and community engagement), and MKThink, among others.

Community Input

Community voice shapes this project. We take part in community meetings and welcome your manaʻo on the design, access, safety, and how the campus can serve Lāhainā.

Site & Concept

Ka ʻĀina

About 14 acres of Kamehameha Schools land at Kuʻia — mauka of the original campus and makai of the Lāhainā Bypass. Chosen through the 2024 site-selection process and planned with Kamehameha Schools and the County as part of a larger, connected community.

Aerial context map of West Maui showing the project site at Kuʻia in relation to the temporary school, the previous Front Street site, and the Lāhainā Bypass.

Ke Kula

A complete school, planned and designed to the budget — fully functional on day one and centered on a healthy, supportive environment for students and teachers. It is built to serve the wider community, every day and in emergencies, with room to grow as Lāhainā returns.

Campus concept diagram showing communal buildings, classrooms, a central gathering hub, and play fields within the site.

Preliminary renderings show how the campus could look and feel on the Kuʻia site. These are early views from the design team, shared to show the direction of the work. The design continues to develop.

Aerial view of the planned campus on the Kuʻia site, with classroom and communal buildings arranged around courtyards and a sports field, the slopes of the West Maui mountains behind and the ocean beyond.
The campus in its Kuʻia setting. Preliminary rendering; design in progress.
Ground-level view of the campus entry in the morning, with families walking in beneath tall palms past the cafetorium and classroom buildings.
Morning drop-off at the campus entry. Preliminary rendering; design in progress.

Project Timeline

August 2023
Wildfire destroys the original King Kamehameha III Elementary campus on Front Street, Lāhainā.
2024
Temporary campus opens at Pulelehua so students can keep learning.
October 2025
State selects the Kuʻia site (Kamehameha Schools land) for the new permanent campus.
2026
Design, environmental review, and community engagement; grading permit targeted for late 2026 and building permit for early 2027.
2027
Construction begins.
2028
Construction continues and the new school building is completed.
Early 2029
The new King Kamehameha III Elementary campus opens.
High-level project schedule for King Kamehameha III Elementary, from the August 2023 wildfire through bid, construction, and the new campus opening in January 2029.
Click to enlarge

Documents & Presentations

Materials shared at public meetings are available to view and download.

View Documents & Downloads → Read Our Newsletters →

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the Hawaiʻi School Facilities Authority (SFA)?

SFA is the State of Hawaiʻi agency responsible for planning, designing, and building public school facilities. SFA is leading this project, as well as the New Central Maui School.

What is being built in Lāhainā?

A permanent King Kamehameha III Elementary campus on the Kuʻia site — replacing the campus lost in the August 2023 wildfire.

Why this location?

The original Front Street campus was destroyed in the 2023 wildfire. The Kuʻia site — about 14 acres of Kamehameha Schools land, mauka of the Lāhainā Bypass — was selected after community input as a safe, suitable home for a lasting school.

Where do students attend in the meantime?

Students attend a temporary campus at Pulelehua, which opened in 2024, until the new permanent campus is ready.

When will the new school open?

The new campus is targeted to open in early 2029.

How can I get involved or stay informed?

The project team gave a progress update at the County of Maui’s Lāhainā Community Meeting on October 7, 2026, at Lahaina Intermediate School. The update covered how the project is led and funded, the path from August 2023 to today, the Kuʻia lands, what the community has shared about the design, the roads, stormwater and environmental work now underway, and the steps ahead to opening. The full presentation is available in the Documents & Presentations section above, and a recording of the meeting is posted on the County of Maui’s Facebook page.

To take part going forward, attend a community meeting, sign up for project updates, or share your manaʻo with the project team.

Will there be more opportunities to engage?

Yes. The project team takes part in community meetings in Lāhainā throughout the project, and those meetings continue as design and construction progress. Watch this site and the County of Maui calendar for upcoming dates.

Stay Involved

Attend a community meeting, sign up for project updates, or share your manaʻo with the project team.

Share Your Manaʻo →