Overview

HSDB is a pre-K to 12th grade plus school that serves Deaf and Hard of Hearing students throughout the State of Hawaii – Oahu and the six neighboring islands. We are the only bilingual-bicultural school in Hawaii offering Deaf and Hard of Hearing students educational experiences, individualized supports and services to prepare our students with 21st-century college and career readiness skills. We believe that ALL students can learn. Our methodology is a student-centered, holistic methodology that emphasizes social, emotional, and academic growth equally. We respect and value the visual communication needs and the diversity of the students in our unique community – students who come from many different ethnicities – Asian/Pacific, Micronesia, Hawaiian, and many more.

Students graduating from HSDB leave with a broad base of academic knowledge and life skills knowledge, including the skills needed for students and workers in the 21st century such as analytical reading and writing, clear communication, critical thinking, creativity, flexibility, goal setting and initiative, social skills, productivity, and leadership. These skills are embedded in the Hawaii Common Core Standards for ELA and mathematics.

All students have access to technology. Elementary students have an iPad while middle school and high school students have Mac laptops. All students are expected to be computer literate. Computer science classes, including coding, are offered to students beginning with 1st grade all the way to 12th grade. HSDB’s LEGO and robotic teams compete with hearing schools throughout Hawaii.