Wahiawa

Points of Interest

Dole Plantation

Polynesian Cultural Center

Ka’ala, the highest peak on Oahu, is nearby and overlooks Schofield Barracks.

Wahiawa Botanical Garden

Big Plus

Wahiawa is extremely close to Schofield Barracks and Wheeler Army Airfield and is also convenient to North Shore.

Affordable homes can be found here, but it is not recommended to purchase or rent sight unseen.

Things to Consider

Houses are more affordable here, but definitely research crime statistics. Many areas have been neglected and some can even be downright dilapidated.

Traffic is heavy, especially on the main road leading into the bases. Noise can sometimes be an issue depending on how close your home is to the main roads.

Older homes in Wahiawa and elsewhere on the island are built with “single-wall construction.” This is the main reason for the lack of centralized air conditioning (nowhere to run the ducts) and also makes it hard to cool the home even with window or single room units.

How’s the Market?

The median home value is $516,400 according to the Zillow Home Value Index.

Home Values are forecasted to increase by 1.5% in the coming year.

According to Zillow’s Rental Index, the median rental rate for single-family homes in Wahiawa is $2,319.

School Scoop

Wahiawa contains 14 schools. One of the highest rated schools is Mililani High School, which is rated a 10 by 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

Wahiawa is a really small town and the homes are fairly concentrated, making it difficult to differentiate between separate “neighborhoods” or subdivisions.