Kahoʻiwai

What Kahoʻiwai does

Kahoʻiwai Center for Adult Teaching and Learning is a Hawaiʻi-based, non-profit, State Approved Teacher Education Program (SATEP) that prepares adult post-baccalaureate students for teaching careers in Native Hawaiian-focused schools. The institution's core offering is the Post Baccalaureate Certificate of Teaching (PBCT) program, delivered through two emphasis tracks — Elementary Education (K-6), a 31-month, 32 quarter-credit-hour curriculum with 17 credits of field work and clinical experience, and Secondary Education (6-12), a 31.5 quarter-credit-hour program covering Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, English, and Hawaiian Studies. The curriculum is grounded in Native Hawaiian epistemology, ʻāina-based community integration, and values-aligned pedagogy developed through formal research by Hewett (1998) and Fraser (2019), with five residential weekend intensives held at culturally significant sites across Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island.

The technology platform is a conventional hybrid learning stack rather than a proprietary system: Populi College Management System handles admissions inquiries, document management, and academic records; Open LMS (kkalo.mrooms.net) delivers coursework; and G Suite for Education supports collaborative work. These systems are shared with Kalo, the parent organization that provides institutional infrastructure under a shared email domain and operational umbrella. Graduates are eligible to apply to the Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board for a Provisional teaching license, and the program carries dual accreditation from the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC, valid through August 2028) and the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC, valid through June 2030).

The business model is grant-funded rather than tuition-driven. When grant funding is secured, admitted students receive full scholarships covering tuition, textbooks, instructional materials, and approved travel costs; students only pay a $200 one-time admissions fee and a $200 one-time graduation fee. The institution draws participants from all seven populated Hawaiian Islands, with preference given to applicants employed by or seeking to teach in Hawaiian-focused charter schools. Revenue is therefore concentrated in grantor relationships and government appropriations, exposing operations to federal funding cycles — a vulnerability the institution itself acknowledges by noting that government shutdowns can temporarily shift costs to students until grant funds are released.

Name

Kahoʻiwai

Legal name

Kahoʻiwai Center for Adult Teaching and Learning

Website

https://kahoiwai.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Kahoʻiwai is a Hawaiʻi-based, non-profit teacher education institution offering a hybrid Post Baccalaureate Certificate of Teaching program with Elementary and Secondary tracks, preparing post-baccalaureate students to teach in Native Hawaiian-focused charter, DOE, and immersion schools. All costs are grant-funded, with students paying only nominal fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Teacher Certification Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Virtual & Blended Learning Programs (District-Run) (EDAJAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Virtual World Language & Electives Providers (K–12) (EDAJADAK)

Keywords

• Teacher certification programs
• Native Hawaiian education
• Post-baccalaureate education
• Hybrid learning programs
• Cultural immersion education

Headquarters

HQ city

Kamuela

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Grant-Funded Education Services: As a grant-funded institution, Kahoʻiwai does not charge tuition when grant funding is secured. All educational services, textbooks, instructional materials, and approved travel costs are fully covered by grant funds. Admitted students receive scholarships covering program costs for the duration of enrollment. Revenue is derived from grant funding and government appropriations rather than student tuition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kahoʻiwai Center for Adult Teaching and Learning is a nonprofit educational institution offering a hybrid Post-Baccalaureate Certificate of Teaching (PBCT) program for adult learners. The program combines five residential weekend intensives at culturally significant sites across Hawaiian islands with online coursework, field-based clinical experience, and Native Hawaiian ʻĀina-Based community integration. Students may elect an Elementary (K-6) or Secondary (6-12) emphasis track and upon completion are eligible to apply for a Provisional teaching license in Hawaii.

Product overview

Kahoʻiwai is a hybrid teacher education institution offering a Post Baccalaureate Certificate of Teaching (PBCT) program as its core product. The program provides two emphasis tracks: Elementary Education (K-6) and Secondary Education (6-12). All programs combine residential intensives, online learning via Populi LMS, and field-based clinical experience. Kahoʻiwai also offers Professional Development Opportunities. The institution operates grant-funded, covering tuition when funding is secured, with students only paying a $200 admissions fee and $200 graduation fee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Post Baccalaureate Certificate of Teaching (PBCT) Program A hybrid teacher certification program featuring residential, online, and field-based components designed to prepare teachers for Hawaiian-focused charter schools. Students can elect elementary (K-6) or secondary (6-12) emphasis.
• Elementary Education Emphasis (K-6) A 31-month, 32 quarter credit hour program including 17 credits of field work and clinical experience aimed at graduating elementary (K-6) teachers. Graduates can apply for licensing upon program completion.
• Secondary Education Emphasis (6-12) A 31.5 quarter credit hour program aimed at graduating secondary teachers in Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, English, and Hawaiian Studies. Graduates can apply for licensing upon program completion.
• Professional Development Opportunities Professional development programs offered to educators. Contact [email protected] for further information.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• KalocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKalo is the parent organization for Kaho'iwai. The organization operates under Kalo's umbrella with shared infrastructure including Populi LMS (kalo.populiweb.com), Open LMS (kkalo.mrooms.net), and shared staff email domains (@kalo.org). Kalo coordinates institutional operations and technology systems.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Kamehameha Schools: Hawaii-based private school system exclusively serving Native Hawaiian students, with an educator preparation pathway (Ho'ola Teacher Training Program) focused on culturally grounded instruction. Most comparable to Kaho'iwai in cultural specialization and target population of Hawaiian-focused schools.
• Western Governors University Teachers College: Large online competency-based university offering accredited teacher licensure programs across multiple states via a low-cost, distance model. Comparable in online delivery and accreditation structure (DEAC-affiliated) but with vastly broader geographic reach and scale.
• University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Education: Public Hawaii flagship university with a College of Education that offers state-approved teacher preparation programs across elementary and secondary tracks, training the majority of Hawaii's licensed teachers. Directly comparable to Kaho'iwai in target licensure outcome but vastly larger in scale and broader in curriculum.
• Chaminade University of Honolulu: Private Hawaii university offering state-approved teacher education programs with a strong focus on service to Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. Comparable as another Hawaii-based SATEP provider producing licensed teachers for the same job market.

Direct peers

• Relay Graduate School of Education: National alternative teacher certification program offering hybrid and online pathways leading to state licensure, with explicit mission to serve underserved communities. Comparable as a hybrid-format, mission-driven alternative-certification provider operating at much larger scale.
• Teach For America Hawaii: Alternative pathway placing non-traditionally trained teachers into Hawaii classrooms, including high-need and indigenous-serving schools. Comparable as an alternative-certification route targeting the same underserved Hawaii teacher pipeline that Kaho'iwai serves.

Others

• National Center for Teacher Residencies: Network supporting university-district teacher residency programs, including residencies serving indigenous and underserved populations. Comparable as a peer network for residency-style, culturally grounded teacher preparation models.

Regional players

• Brigham Young University-Hawaii: Private Hawaii university with a School of Education offering elementary and secondary teacher licensure programs serving the same Hawaii labor market. Comparable in producing licensed teachers but with broader, non-indigenous curricular focus.
• Alaka'i Na'auao (Native Hawaiian Education Programs at Hawaii DOE): Hawaii Department of Education's internal professional development and induction programs supporting teachers serving Native Hawaiian students. Comparable as a regional provider of culturally relevant teacher training and PD, though operated by the public school system rather than an independent nonprofit.

Emerging players

• iTeach Texas / Texas Alternative Certification Programs: Network of state-approved alternative teacher certification programs that operate primarily online with field-based components, designed for career-changers entering teaching. Comparable as an online-plus-field hybrid model producing licensed teachers via an alternative pathway.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/kahoiwaiteacherprogram

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kahoʻiwai