HMS is accredited by
the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools
Welcome to HMS
Established in 1949, HMS is the first Buddhist school outside of Japan. Affiliated with the Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin, our mission and philosophy are rooted in Buddhist teachings and values.
HMS develops children academically, physically, socially, and spiritually through programs guided by Buddhist Values, though students do not have to be practicing Buddhists to attend our school. The aim is to make every HMS student an able, willing, and responsible learner. The hope is that every eighth grade graduate will be capable of enrolling and excelling in any private or public high school. Teaching is organized and carried out in classes that are small, personalized, and safe.
Hongwanji Mission School
2024 May Day Celebration
At Hongwanji Mission School, we celebrate May Day with a performance once every 3 years. This kind of schedule helps us to prepare a more complete event for families and students to enjoy participating in, and for families to watch. Because of the Covid pandemic, we had to cancel our last scheduled May Day celebration. We finally had our first May Day event in 6 years in the spring of 2024. We were fortunate to have entertainment by Starr Kalahiki, and our emcee was Kamaka Pili. The students all did an amazing job and everyone enjoyed the event. Please enjoy some highlights from the event and be sure to follow us on Instagram to see more updates.
More about our school:
At HMS, the student body is about 400 students from preschool through eighth grade. HMS is accredited by Hawaii Association of Independent Schools and Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Students receive individualized attention with teacher ratios of less than 18:1. The preschool program has been named “Best of the Best” in 2006, 2008, and 2009 by Honolulu Advertiser, and there is high parent involvement in school events.
HMS facilities are unique for an elementary and middle school with a technology center, gymnasium, swimming pool, library, and cafeteria. We offer a variety of 30+ different after school programs ranging from our Fort Gakuen Japanese Language School, to aikido, judo, clay, robotics, and swimming.
HMS athletics program participates in the local interscholastic league for volleyball and basketball for boys and girls in grades 5 -8.
© 2024 Hongwanji Mission School |1728 Pali Highway Honolulu, HI 96813
Ph: 808.532.0522 | Fax: 808.532.0537 | Email: connectwithhms@hongwanji.us
Site by inception designs