Catholic schools across Hawaii are gearing up to mark 200 years of Catholic education, a milestone that's good news for communities that have leaned on these schools through fires, closures, and other setbacks.

Only four Catholic schools remain on Maui, and each is working on a special project to celebrate the anniversary next year.

Sacred Heart School in West Maui has served its community for more than 160 years, but lost more than half its campus in the 2023 Lahaina fire. Students are still at a temporary site in Kaanapali, with a return to their original Dickenson Street campus planned by 2028, when it will become the only school left in old Lahaina town.

Other schools are also persevering: Christ the King Child Development Center in Kahului has run for 52 years, and Saint Joseph's Early Learning Center upcountry is marking four decades of service. Saint Anthony School in Wailuku, Maui's only Catholic high school, closed this year, but its principal says the shift to a new multi-age classroom model is going well for students.

Outlook: Hawaii's Catholic schools plan to keep operating and rebuilding through next year's 200th-anniversary celebrations, even as some campuses consolidate or relocate.