In 1877 during the reign of King David Kalakaua, Koloa School, the first public school on Kaua‘i, which is presently named Koloa Elementary School, was established by the Board of Education with Mr. J. K. Burkett as its principal and
In 1877 during the reign of King David Kalakaua, Koloa School, the first public school on Kaua‘i, which is presently named Koloa Elementary School, was established by the Board of Education with Mr. J. K. Burkett as its principal and with its instruction given in both English and Hawaiian.
But the history of schooling in Koloa began much earlier, in 1841, when missionary the Rev. Peter Gulick built the first permanent school house in Koloa for Hawaiian children taught in the Hawaiian language, which was likely located just mauka of today’s elementary school.
Then in 1855, the Rev. Daniel Dole opened a boarding school for missionary children in a thatched house with clapboard sides built where the Koloa Public/School Library now stands. Dole’s school was moved across the street into a new building about 1857, and moved a second time back to its original site to an even-newer building of two school rooms joined by a smaller “dark room for unruly pupils” in 1860. In 1877, this building continued in use as part of the newly established public Koloa School.
Another earlier school, a boarding school for Hawaiian girls that was located makai of the present Koloa Missionary Church, was conducted by Dr. James W. Smith and his wife, Melicent, between 1862 and 1870.
When Koloa School opened in 1877, Burkett was assisted by Miriam Puniwai and John Unea, the Hawaiian-language teacher. Its 27 boys and 14 girls comprised the students who had previous attended Koloa district’s four common schools. When the school day was pau, Burkett would march the students up the road to the corner where the Chevron gas station now stands (Koloa and Po‘ipu roads) and dismiss them, and he was also known to ride to school on an old black horse, rain or shine.
