New renderings show future King Kamehameha III Elementary School

LAHAINA (HawaiiNewsNow) – More than three years after the Lahaina fire, the state is almost ready to start rebuilding a school that burned on Front Street.

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New renderings show what the future King Kamehameha III Elementary School could look like.

Construction is set to begin early next year.

Community meeting presentation

Cultural and community engagement leader Kainoa Horcajo presented the new information at last week’s Lahaina Community Monthly Disaster Recovery Meeting.

“Looking into the center courtyard, a place that has a lot of shade, that’s protected from the wind, that’s providing an opportunity for that kaiaulu, for that community sense of feel and a safe environment for the children,” Horcajo said.

Original site destroyed in 2023 fire

The elementary school, originally on Front Street, was destroyed in the 2023 Lahaina fire.

It cannot be rebuilt in its original spot because of the discovery of iwi kupuna and because the site is in a tsunami zone.

A temporary school was opened at Pulelehua in 2024.

The new school will be built in Kuʻia, makai of the Lahaina Bypass and mauka of the tsunami zone.

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Community outreach and funding

Sen. Angus McKelvey, D-West Maui, said community outreach is important.

“I’m stoked that they’re out there reaching out to the community, working to address concerns, and also people can understand that, hey, when this school is rebuilt, it will be worthy of the school that was lost,” McKelvey said.

The state has allocated $146 million for the rebuild.

McKelvey said he helped secure an additional $60 million for more evacuation roads.

He also said it is important that classrooms feel like community.

“We need to prioritize and preserve classroom and instructional space and learning centers, even if it means flexibility and phasing in on some of the pertinences like administration buildings,” McKelvey said.

Federal funding deadline

McKelvey said the school must open by 2029 or the state will lose out on federal funding.

“It’s in all of our desperate interest to get this done correctly for Lahaina, for the kids, for the teachers, for the people of this place,” Horcajo said.

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