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Lower School

Grades K-6, All-Girls & All-Boys

Students begin their journey in the Lower School with the promise that they will be celebrated for who they are and who they wish to become each and every day. 
 
Our dynamic environment encourages community, collaboration, agency, and self-efficacy. Students learn to become informed, engaged global citizens who lead with courage, competence, respect, and empathy. Our students are the heart of the Lower School, it is a special place where they are inspired to imagine, create, explore and lead. 
 

WHY CHOOSE SINGLE GENDER EDUCATION?

Greater self-confidence and self-awareness.
 
Research says girls develop about six years earlier in language and fine motor skills and boys develop about four years earlier in targeting and spatial memory. Differences such as these can create challenges in elementary classrooms.
 
Educating boys and girls separately – when they are not being directly compared to each other or at risk for being ridiculed for their differences – helps grow the students’ confidence in and understanding of themselves.
 
The Lower School at St. Andrew’s maximizes the educational experience of our students with single-gender classrooms, yet also provides opportunities for boys and girls to interact and socialize.
The social and emotional experiences that children have in schools shapes their learning – and ultimately affects how they think and act. Our experienced faculty incorporates their understanding of the developmental stages of boys and girls into their teaching– scaffolding student learning to nurture a love of learning for life. 
St. Andrew’s Schools in downtown Honolulu is unique as the only school in Hawai‘i to offer a coordinate education for girls and boys.

By understanding and embracing the differences between boys and girls, we create the conditions for all students to learn and grow. Our students readily venture past societal expectations or stereotypes to reach their full promise.”

Head of School, Ruth R. Fletcher, Ph.D.

The Priory All-Girls School

Uniquely Priory

The Priory provides young girls with the opportunity to stretch, grow, thrive, and dream. The school’s nurturing yet challenging learning environment allows young girls to explore, innovate, and discover their strengths and talents.
 
Our girls are:
  • Challenged by a strong academic program
  • Enriched through our strong programs in world languages, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), visual arts, SEL (Social Emotional Learning), and music
  • Strengthened physically by our athletics programs
  • Grounded morally and ethically through our spiritual and service learning programs

 

 

Service

Service is an essential component of the St. Andrew’s experience. Students of all ages learn that they have gifts and talents that they can share to make a difference in the lives of others.

 

 

Leadership

We teach leadership skills with the expectation that our students learn to act with integrity. As we build strength of mind, heart, and will in each of our students, they understand the importance of making moral choices to promote social justice and create connections across cultures.

 

Character Development

Our students receive guidance, love, and support to act thoughtfully, make good decisions, develop healthy relationships, and interact with respect for themselves and others.

 

The Prep All-Boys School

Uniquely Prep

The Prep fosters a healthy learning environment that embraces and celebrates the energy, talents, and interests of boys.
 
Our boys are:
  • Encouraged to excel academically through project-based, hands-on, kinesthetic learning so they become confident learners
  • Given opportunities for choice in their learning, which enhances engagement and intrinsic motivation
  • Energized with frequent “brain breaks” and opportunities during the school day to play and engage in physical movement
  • Inspired to pursue their interests and appreciate the unique gifts and talents in themselves and others
  • Challenged to engage in moral and ethical decision-making

 

Outdoor Classrooms

Adjacent to the Lower School building is a flourishing community garden and outdoor classroom. Through this complete sensory experience of seeing, touching, listening, smelling, and even tasting, our goal is instilled in our students a love of the outdoors and respect for the sustainability of our ecosystems.

 

Big Brothers

Our kindergarten boys are paired with a fifth or sixth grade buddy, and they meet every Friday to get to know each other. The result is both wonderful and complex. Our fifth and sixth graders rise to the occasion of being big brothers and begin to show the leadership qualities that are integral to their future experiences in the middle and upper schools.  

 

Leadership

We teach leadership skills with the expectation that our students learn to act with integrity. As we build strength of mind, heart, and will in each of our students, they understand the importance of making moral choices to promote social justice and create connections across cultures.

TRADITIONS

*All school events are subject to modification or cancellation due to the most current COVID-19 restrictions and safety protocols.

Nā Kūpuna Day

One of the happiest events that takes place at the Lower School is Nā Kūpuna Day or Grandparents Day in November. This event focuses on honoring our kūpuna and strengthening the bonds between generations. The Lower School students take this time to celebrate and thank the kūpuna in their lives who have helped to raise, care for, and love them. Together they enjoy a catered luncheon, special activities, classroom visits, and keiki performances.

 

 

Queen Emma's Birthday

Queen Emma's Birthday is an annual school-wide event paying tribute to our founder, Queen Emma Kaleleonālani. Students participate in a special chapel service and hoʻokupu ceremony where each grade follows traditional Hawaiian protocols while presenting their gift of lei.

 

 

 

 

CURRICULUM

The Priory and The Prep are committed to creating opportunities that help our children learn and grow in a nurturing, learner-centered community, while tapping into their strengths and interests to promote lifelong learning. Reading and literacy, mathematics, and science are integrated into developmentally appropriate learning experiences that are personalized through differentiated instruction. Opportunities to reflect on their performance and learning encourages our students to develop metacognition – the important skill of “thinking about thinking.”

When you walk into a Lower School classroom, children are discovering new concepts, collaborating, and problem-solving with hands-on activities. We emphasize the process and the content of learning, recognizing that the skills students build through their search for knowledge are as important as the knowledge attained.In 5th and 6th grades, learners develop an increased level of independence as they move from class to class. They learn important lessons about organization and time management. In the Lower Schools, we build foundations instilling the confidence, knowledge, and skills that will enable our students to pursue whatever paths interest them and grow into the person they aspire to be, while fulfilling the Aims of a St. Andrew's Education.