Obama Attended Elite Punahou School in Hawaii After Indonesia

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After spending a year and a half attending a Muslim school in Indonesia, Barack Obama returned to Hawaii and enrolled at the prestigious Punahou School, one of the most expensive private schools in the state. Obama reportedly received a scholarship to attend Punahou, although the school has refused to release his financial records, leading to speculation about whether he applied for financial aid as a foreign student.

Why it matters

Obama's educational background, including his time in Indonesia and at the elite Punahou School, has been a source of ongoing interest and debate. Questions remain about how he was able to afford tuition at such an expensive private school, and whether he may have received special treatment as a foreign student.

The details

After returning from Indonesia in 1971, 10-year-old Barack Obama enrolled in the sixth grade at Punahou School in Honolulu. Tuition at Punahou in 1979, the year Obama graduated, was $1,990, a significant expense given Hawaii's median family income was around $22,750 that year. Obama reportedly received a scholarship to attend Punahou, but the school has refused to release his financial records, leading to speculation about whether he may have applied for financial aid as a foreign student after being adopted by his Indonesian stepfather and registered as an Indonesian citizen in Jakarta schools.

• Obama attended Punahou School from 1971 to 1979, spanning his elementary and high school education.
• In 1979, the year Obama graduated from Punahou, tuition for high school students was $1,990.

What’s next

The school has not released Obama's financial records, so it remains unclear exactly how he was able to afford tuition at the expensive private school.