Honolulu School Closings Today — Live Status & Delays (Hawaii)

Are Honolulu schools closed today? Check live status below — updated every 10 minutes.

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Live status monitored for Honolulu District, Leeward District, Central Oahu District, and Windward District (Hawaii Department of Education).

## How Honolulu School Closures Are Announced

The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) is the single statewide public school authority for the entire state — there is no separate “Honolulu school board.” Honolulu District is one of four Hawaii DOE administrative districts on Oahu, made up of the Farrington-Kaiser-Kalani and Kaimuki-McKinley-Roosevelt complex areas, stretching from urban Kalihi through Kaimukī, Kahala, and Hawaiʻi Kai. When weather or emergency conditions require a closure, the DOE issues official announcements through its website at hawaiipublicschools.org, through coordinated press releases distributed to local media, and through SchoolMessenger notifications pushed directly to families enrolled in the parent portal system. Most closure decisions for the following school day are announced by 5:00–6:00 AM Hawaii Standard Time, though during major approaching storms the DOE may announce the evening before so families can arrange childcare.

Individual Honolulu schools sometimes close on their own even when the rest of the district stays open — most often due to localized flooding, a campus power outage, or facility damage. For day-to-day communication, school offices rely on SchoolMessenger phone, text, and email alerts to reach enrolled families directly. Hawaii News Now (KGMB CBS 5 and KHNL NBC 13), KITV4 ABC, and KHON2 Fox also broadcast closure information on-air and on their websites during significant weather events. This page monitors all of these sources automatically, alongside the neighboring Leeward, Central Oahu, and Windward districts, so families across the island can check one source instead of visiting each outlet separately.

## Weather Risks That Trigger Honolulu School Closures

• Flash flooding from Kona storms: Slow-moving low-pressure systems tracking in from the south bring intense rainfall that can flood streets and stream valleys in Kalihi, Mānoa, and Pālolo within a short window, cutting off safe access to some campuses.
• Hurricane and tropical storm warnings: When the National Weather Service issues a hurricane or tropical storm warning for Oahu, the Hawaii DOE typically closes all public schools island-wide in coordination with the Governor’s office and county emergency management.
• Tsunami warnings: A Pacific Tsunami Warning Center alert covering Oahu triggers closures and evacuations for coastal and low-lying Honolulu schools as part of coordinated civil defense protocols with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA).
• High surf and coastal flooding: Large winter swells generated by North Pacific storms can bring dangerous surf and coastal flooding to shoreline communities such as Waikīkī and Hawaiʻi Kai, occasionally affecting nearby schools and bus routes.
• Volcanic vog (sulfur dioxide haze): During periods of elevated volcanic activity on the Big Island, vog can drift across the islands and reach Honolulu in concentrations that affect students with respiratory conditions. Widespread closures for vog are rare, but the DOE may modify outdoor activities.
• Power outages: Large-scale Hawaiian Electric outages can force individual school or complex-level closures, particularly where backup systems are insufficient to safely operate a campus.

## Frequently Asked Questions — Honolulu School Closings

### How early does Honolulu District announce school closures?

The Hawaii State Department of Education aims to announce school closures by 5:00–6:00 AM Hawaii Standard Time (HST) on the day of the closure, giving families enough time to arrange childcare before the school day begins. For events anticipated well in advance — such as an approaching hurricane or tropical storm — the DOE may announce closures the evening before. During active emergencies, updates are issued continuously through the HIDOE website and via SchoolMessenger notifications to enrolled families.

### Do all Honolulu schools close at the same time, or can it vary by school?

It varies. Island-wide or statewide closures — triggered by a hurricane, tropical storm, or tsunami warning — apply to every Honolulu District school at once. But individual schools can also close independently, most often due to localized flooding, road access problems, or a campus power outage, even when the rest of the island remains open. Always check the live status above for each district and, when in doubt, your specific school’s office.

### Why do Honolulu schools close — it rarely snows here?

Honolulu school closures are almost never caused by snow. The primary triggers are flash flooding from Kona storms, hurricane and tropical storm warnings, tsunami warnings from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, high surf and coastal flooding along shoreline neighborhoods, and occasionally elevated volcanic vog drifting from the Big Island. The Hawaii DOE coordinates all closure decisions with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and county civil defense.

### Which TV stations report Honolulu school closings?

Hawaii News Now (KGMB CBS 5 and KHNL NBC 13), KITV4 ABC, and KHON2 Fox are the primary Honolulu television stations that broadcast school closing information for the island. All three maintain updated closure lists on their websites and air announcements during morning newscasts when closures are in effect. This page consolidates all three alongside official Hawaii DOE announcements.

### How often is this page updated?

Status checks run automatically every 15 minutes under normal conditions, or every 5 minutes during active weather alerts. During Kona storm season (October through April), when flash flooding and severe weather are most likely to affect Oahu, the page refreshes more frequently in the background to capture rapid HIDOE announcements. Always confirm critical closure decisions directly with the Hawaii DOE at hawaiipublicschools.org or through your child’s school office.

### What’s the difference between Honolulu District and the other Oahu districts on this page?

Hawaii has a single statewide school system, the Hawaii Department of Education, divided into administrative districts for management purposes. On Oahu these are Honolulu, Central Oahu, Leeward, and Windward. Honolulu District covers the urban core from Kalihi through Kaimukī, Kahala, and Hawaiʻi Kai. This page monitors Honolulu District alongside its three neighboring Oahu districts so island-wide storm closures and individual-school closures are both visible in one place.

## Honolulu District School Roster

### High Schools

• Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School
• Henry J. Kaiser High School
• Kalani High School
• Kaimukī High School
• President Theodore Roosevelt High School
• President William McKinley High School

### Middle Schools

• Governor Sanford B. Dole Middle School
• Kaimukī Middle School
• King David Kalākaua Middle School
• Niu Valley Middle School
• President George Washington Middle School
• Prince David Kawānanakoa Middle School
• Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani Middle School
• Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School
• William P. Jarrett Middle School

### Elementary Schools

• ʻĀina Haina Elementary School
• Haha‘ione Elementary School
• Ka‘ewai Elementary School
• Kāhala Elementary School
• Kalihi Elementary School
• Kalihi-Kai Elementary School
• Kalihi-Uka Elementary School
• Kalihi-Waena Elementary School
• Kamiloʻiki Elementary School
• Kapālama Elementary School
• King Liholiho Elementary School
• Koko Head Elementary School
• Linapuni Elementary School
• Mayor John H. Wilson Elementary School
• Mayor Joseph J. Fern Elementary School
• Puʻuhale Elementary School
• Waikīkī Elementary School
• Ala Wai Elementary School
• Aliʻiolani Elementary School
• Hōkūlani Elementary School
• Kauluwela Elementary School
• King William C. Lunalilo Elementary School
• Lanakila Elementary School
• Maʻemaʻe Elementary School
• Mānoa Elementary School
• Noelani Elementary School
• Nuʻuanu Elementary School
• Pālolo Elementary School
• Pauoa Elementary School
• President Abraham Lincoln Elementary School

List reflects the 30 most prominent elementary schools in the Farrington-Kaiser-Kalani and Kaimuki-McKinley-Roosevelt complex areas. Honolulu District has a small number of additional elementary schools not listed here — the full roster is available at the Hawaii DOE Complex Area Directory.

### Special & Immersion Schools

• Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf & the Blind
• Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻO Ānuenue (Hawaiian-language immersion)