In 2001, plans were created for an independent college preparatory Buddhist high school. Its purpose would be to nurture future generations of intelligent, self-aware leaders with the courage to cultivate peace in their communities.
A generous donation of $1.5 million from the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha (the Nishi Hongwanji headquarters in Kyoto, Japan) made it possible to renovate two buildings to house classroom and office facilities.
In 2003, PBA opened its doors to the the first class of 17 students
Pacific Buddhist Academy has gone on to graduate over 250 graduates. Since then, 100% of PBA's graduates have been accepted into colleges and universities across the nation and internationally.
A member of the Hawai'i Association of Independent Schools (HAIS) since 2003, PBA was first accredited by HAIS and then the Western Association of School and Colleges (WASC) in 2009. PBA is also a member of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH) and Pac-Five Athletics.
Pacific Buddhist Academy's
class of 2023
In 2017, PBA completed the expansion of its campus.
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation donated $1.5 million dollars to turn our dreams into a reality.
We celebrated the grand opening in September of 2017.
The new building features:
- Over 12,000 square feet of classroom space (plus 5,000 square feet of land space)
- 8 new classrooms
- A high-tech science lab
- A room dedicated to the art of tea ceremony
- Large areas for student gathering.
A generous donation of $2.3 million dollars from the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, donations from temple members of Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai'i, and members of the community helped PBA complete a $9 million capital campaign.
