Education

Hawaii is the only state with a single, unified public school system, with administration being centralized in the state department of education. An elected state board of education sets policy and appoints the superintendent of public instruction, who heads the department of education. Hawaii's compulsory attendance law requires children 6 to 18 years old to attend school.

Hawaii's first schools were established by Christian missionaries in the 1820's to teach adults reading and writing. Schools for children soon followed. A public school system was established in the 1840's.

The University of Hawaii, a land-grant institution, was opened in 1908. The main campus is at Manoa in Honolulu. Also part of the University of Hawaii system are a branch at Hilo, the West Oahu branch at Pearl City, and several community colleges—Hawaii, Honolulu, Kapiolani, Kauai, Leeward, Maui, and Windward. The university operates Mauna Kea Observatory, the highest astronomical observatory in the world.