School choice in Hawaii
No state program pays private school tuition.
What exists in Hawaii
| State program | No state program pays private school tuition |
|---|---|
| What families can use instead | No Hawaii program pays private school tuition, and the state has no tuition tax credit or deduction. |
| Help paying | Nothing at the state level. |
| Coming up | There is no state application. Ask each school about its own financial aid deadlines. |
| Federal tax credit, 2027 | Hawaii was not on the IRS opt-in list for the federal scholarship tax credit as of September 14, 2026. |
Worth knowing: A 2026 resolution (HCR 74) urging the governor to reconsider is not binding.
We read this on from: HI529, tax benefits; Hawaii Department of Taxation, testimony on HB 707 (2025); Hawaii Legislature, HCR 74 (2026); Civil Beat, August 12, 2026, governor waiting for rules; Hawaii Council of Private Schools, licensing; IRS, participating states for 2027 (as of September 14, 2026). Rules change when the legislature meets, so check the official program site before you count on a number.
Private schools in Hawaii
We list 93 private schools in Hawaii, with grades, size and affiliation, by city and county.
Browse private schools in Hawaii
- Private schools in Kaneohe (43 nearby)
- Private schools in Kailua (35 nearby)
- Private schools in Honolulu (31 nearby)
- Private schools in Aiea (14 nearby)
- Private schools in Waipahu (14 nearby)
- Private schools in Wailuku (11 nearby)
- Private schools in Ewa Beach (10 nearby)
- Private schools in Makawao (10 nearby)
- Private schools in Kamuela (4 nearby)
Questions parents ask
Does Hawaii have school vouchers or an ESA?
No state program pays private school tuition.
What can families in Hawaii use instead?
No Hawaii program pays private school tuition, and the state has no tuition tax credit or deduction.
Will the federal scholarship tax credit help in Hawaii?
Hawaii was not on the IRS opt-in list for the federal scholarship tax credit as of September 14, 2026.
Other states
- Texas: TEFA
- Arkansas: EFA
- Oklahoma: PCTC
- Tennessee: EFS
- Missouri: MOScholars
- Florida: FES / FTC
- Arizona: ESA
- Iowa: Students First ESA
- Utah: UFA
- West Virginia: Hope
- North Carolina: Opportunity Scholarship
- Indiana: Choice Scholarship
- Ohio: EdChoice
- Alabama: CHOOSE Act
- Louisiana: LA GATOR
- Georgia: Promise Scholarship
- South Carolina: ESTF
- New Hampshire: EFA
- Idaho: PCTC
- Wisconsin: WI Choice
- Maryland: BOOST
- Nevada: Opportunity Scholarship
- Wyoming: Steamboat Legacy ESA
- Kansas: TCLISS
- Montana: SSO tax credit
- South Dakota: Partners in Education
- Rhode Island: RI scholarship tax credit
- Mississippi: ESA
- Maine: Town tuitioning
- Vermont: Town tuitioning
- District of Columbia: OSP
- California: no state program
- Pennsylvania: EITC / OSTC
- New York: no state program
- Illinois: no state program
- New Jersey: no state program
- Virginia: EISTC
- Michigan: no state program
- Washington: no state program
- Massachusetts: no state program
- Minnesota: no state program
- Oregon: no state program
- Colorado: no state program
- Kentucky: no state program
- Connecticut: no state program
- Nebraska: no state program
- New Mexico: no state program
- Delaware: no state program
- North Dakota: no state program
- Alaska: no state program