WHY CARDEN?


In its goal of developing the whole child, the Carden Academy education features a number of qualities that sets it apart from other schools on Maui.

Read on to learn about our qualities, school Quick Facts, Q & A’s, and more…

Academic Achievement:
Carden Academy prepares students for success wherever they may go after completing our program. Our alumni regularly matriculate into the school of their choosing and are often invited to enroll in honors or Advanced Placement courses in high school. They also report how grateful they feel for the preparation Carden has provided them.

Small Class Size:
Each grade is limited in size, enhancing opportunities for each student to receive personalized attention and exposure to an array of intelligence experiences and activities.  Currently, our classes are capped at the following sizes: Pre-K (12), Kindergarten (16), and Grades 1-8 (18).

Enrichment Courses:
Recognizing artistic expression that comes from within, Carden Academy offers a curriculum that includes Dance, Drama, Art, Music, Foreign Language, Physical Education, and Hawaiiana.

Character Education:
Carden Academy seeks to instill values and virtues to last a lifetime. Character training is a central element of the educational scheme from the earliest years. Students learn that concern for others enhances their own well-being and enriches their learning experiences.  We offer direct instruction through our virtue program and social-emotional learning curriculum.

Nurturing Environment:
By fostering a joy of learning, the Carden Method awakens children “to the realization that learning is a privilege, an answer to an inner need, and a very interesting adventure” (Mae Carden). Carden’s pleasant, purposeful atmosphere serves to make school a positive experience where children are engaged and encouraged to do their best.

Middle School Curriculum:
In addition to these features, the Middle School curriculum involves real-world problem solving projects, so that knowledge and skills are acquired through an extended inquiry process. The goal is to produce students who “think globally and act locally”. Project-based learning is a rigorous, relevant, and engaging instructional model that enhances the quality of learning. The school also incorporates 21st century skills and proficiencies into the curricula to produce students ready for the world beyond the classroom. Middle School also offers electives that involve Maui community members who provide mentoring and service-learning experiences in small, nurturing groups that increase the personal attention directed to each student.Gutentor Advanced Text


QUICK FACTS

Pre-K to 8th Grade
Maximum Enrollment: 184
Maximum Class size: PreK-3 (12), PreK -4 (12), Kindergarten (16), Grades 1-8 (18)
Faculty/Scholar Ratio 1:10
Degreed, Experienced, and Highly Trained Teachers and Staff
Non-Religious Independent School

Mission:
To educate the whole child through a balance of academic excellence, character development, and enrichment through the arts in a nurturing, small classroom setting.

Vision:
Carden Academy of Maui’s vision is to foster a joyful and respectful community of lifelong learners who embody the principles of authenticity, resilience, and global stewardship.

Accredited by the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools (HAIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Member of the Carden Educational Foundation


Q & A

WHAT IS CHARACTER EDUCATION?

Character Education is an integral part of our Carden culture and curriculum. Our goal in this area is to build and strengthen each student’s self-esteem, sense of honor and integrity, and positive social interactions with others.  Teaching the students about virtuous personal qualities is one way we accomplish this mission. A new virtue is introduced each week and reinforced throughout the day. This builds and reinforces individual confidence, self-awareness, personal accountability, and positive social values. These virtues are modeled by the entire Carden staff and kept alive throughout the school year, which culminates with our remarkable Virtues Assembly.  During this annual event, each student is publicly honored by their teacher for a distinct virtue they consistently demonstrated throughout the year.  In addition, we currently use the acclaimed Second Step curriculum for social-emotional learning in Grades PK-5.  Our Middle School is piloting a new program this year, as well as incorporating group meetings, mediation strategies, and leadership skills training.

HOW ARE PARENTS INVOLVED AT CARDEN ACADEMY?

Parents are encouraged to become involved on a volunteer basis. The school is governed by a volunteer board of directors, many of whom are parents. The Carden Parent Teacher Ohana (CPTO) helps to organize and assists with special events, including all school picnics, fundraising events, and other activities. Individual parents also chaperone field trips and assist in the middle school electives program.

ARE STUDENTS UNDER A GREAT DEAL OF PRESSURE TO SUCCEED?

At Carden Academy, to succeed is to learn and to enjoy learning. The school culture avoids pressure and rivalry. It encourages stamina, good sportsmanship, and the development of personal responsibility. We avoid nervous strain and tension because competition is not a part of the learning experience. In addition, we believe that learning should be a joy and that children should have fun while at school.

IS CARDEN ACADEMY AFFILIATED WITH ANY RELIGIOUS GROUP?

No. We are a non-religious school.

IS THERE A LOT OF HOMEWORK FOR STUDENTS?

No. Nightly reading is assigned for all grades. Apart from that, however classroom instruction is focused during the school day. Homework begins in the 3rd grade with a minimal amount of math and reading, and increases from year to year as students increase their stamina and ability. However, except when special projects are due, it should rarely take as long as an hour to complete. In Middle School, there are papers, projects, and tests given to ensure preparedness for high school. We believe that school time is for learning and, if students are to have a balanced life, they should not have to use their “free” time for additional schooling.

ARE COMPUTERS PART OF CARDEN ACADEMY’S PROGRAM?

The Middle School program has instituted a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy that permits students to use one approved personal electronic device for educational purposes under the direction of their classroom teachers. In addition, 6th grade students are offered a technology class. The goal of this class is to integrate the use of computers as an educational tool for research, writing, and presentation of various projects throughout the middle school years. It also focuses on internet safety and digital citizenship.

DOES THE SCHOOL ACCEPT STUDENTS DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR, OR MUST INTERESTED STUDENTS WAIT UNTIL THE FALL?

Children are sometimes accepted during an on-going school year if there is room in the class and it is determined that the child will make a successful transition.

DOES CARDEN ACADEMY OFFER TUITION ASSISTANCE?

Yes, the school has a tuition assistance program. Please refer to our Admissions page for more information.


ABOUT MAE CARDEN


“The purpose of education is not to raise spectators. To become a spectator is to be robbed of all the experience of creation and all the normal emotional outlets. A spectator has to be constantly entertained from without, and so loses his peace of mind that comes from thinking from the inside out. He loses this step of development that gives freedom of expression.”

– Mae Carden


Mae Carden (1894–1977) was an American educator who developed the CARDEN METHOD ®. She was born in Hawaii where she began her own elementary school education. It was during these early years that she found that her teachers did not explain the lesson completely to their students. So, young Mae Carden would take her classmates home after school and teach them herself. Her amazing organizational talents surfaced at this young age when she began categorizing words which eventually led to her own pitch based phonemic program.
Miss Carden graduated from Vassar College in 1918 and continued her studies in Europe focusing on art and music. Inspired by the art masters and great composers of Europe, Miss Carden returned to the United States set on becoming a music teacher and attended Columbia University for her post graduate work. She went on to write her own textbooks and manuals and in 1934 opened her own school, which she operated successfully for fifteen years.

In the course of her career, Miss Carden wrote over 400 textbooks and manuals. Because of the many requests for her method from both public and private schools, Miss Carden closed her school in 1949 to devote the rest of her life to training teachers in the techniques and methodology of her unique curriculum. Today there are over 80 Carden schools across the U.S.. In order that the integrity of the Carden Curriculum be preserved, the Carden Educational Foundation was established in 1962. It provides basic and advanced training for teachers and has established an ongoing development program in keeping with current advancements in education.


Carden Academy of Maui is a member of the 
Carden Educational Foundation, and is accredited by the 
Hawaii Association of Independent Schools and the 
Western Association of Schools and Colleges.