1 / 6

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Kapua Ong does math homework at her home in Honolulu, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)

HONOLULU – After water polo practice at her school atop a hill overlooking Honolulu Harbor, Kapua Ong marvels at the sunset.

“I do feel proud of myself for getting in because not everyone gets accepted,” said Kapua, 14, a freshman at Kamehameha Schools, a competitive private school with affordable tuition that gives preference to Native Hawaiians . “I'm just, like, grateful for being able to have those opportunities."

Kapua was just a baby when her parents set the stage for her acceptance at the school by adding details of her Native Hawaiian ancestry to a genealogy database. As an incoming seventh grader, she also

See Full Page