Kailua

Points of Interest

Nuuanu Pali Lookout

Lanikai Beach

Kailua Beach Park

Kailua Town

Pillbox Hike

Big Plus

Kailua is only a ten minute drive to Marine Corps Base Hawaii and easy commute to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on the H3, which is much less-congested than the H1.

Being on the Windward Side, you’ll have the trade winds to keep you cool. Open those windows and live as high up as you can to take full advantage of nature’s air conditioning!

Kailua is a thriving beach town with trendy shops, local restaurants and small town character. An upscale grocer, farmer’s market, amazing pastry and coffee shops and talented local artisans’ studios round out the eclectic commercial offerings.

Things to Consider

Be prepared for sticker shock. You’ll be hard pressed to find a single family home under $800,000 in Kailua, and that’s the fixer-upper rate.

The Windward Side sees more rain, though light, than the Leeward Side. The systems move in and are blocked by the Ko’olau Mountain Range on the western border of Kailua. However, with the rain comes super green landscapes with exotic flora and lush mountainsides.

How’s the Market?

The median home value is $942,000 according to the Zillow Home Value Index.

Home Values are forecasted to increase by 1.7% in the coming year.

According to Zillow’s Rental Index, the median rental rate for single-family homes in Kailua is $3,299.

School Scoop

Kailua contains 16 schools. One of the best schools is Kalaheo High School, which has a rating of 10 according to GreatSchools.org.

Hawaii is the only state with a unified school system, meaning all taxes are distributed to the schools at the state level and schools are not grouped into districts.  

When looking at Oahu’s test scores and GreatSchools.org ratings, we advise you to look at the entire picture. Hawaiian public schools are evaluated based on Common Core standards, but many areas suffer a fairly large achievement gap due to socioeconomic disparities, despite offering a better quality education than the ratings imply. Many spouses report that the rankings don’t always reflect a school’s quality of education, so we encourage you to talk to friends, or Scouts, about specific schools.

Geographic Exemptions (GE’s) are available if you wish for your child to attend a different school from where your family is zoned, but these are granted on a space available basis and are at the principal’s discretion. Keep in mind – if your child attends a school while in a temporary lodging facility, he/she will have to move schools when you move out of the TLF if your new home is zoned to a different school. You may apply for a GE, but it isn’t guaranteed. Priority goes to those zoned to a failing school (based on No Child Left Behind standards), children of teachers at the school, and children who already have siblings at the school.

Highlighted Areas

Lanikai

Waimanalo