But many of the old canefields have been converted into country estates. Movie stars and moguls keep homes here, but the heart of the old town retains a significant number of retired Kilauea Sugar Co. plantation workers and their offspring. The plantation closed a little more than 30 years ago.

Rose said the school continues to have a diverse student population.

"It's still a fairly well-balanced school. We have kind of a nice mix of ethnic groups," he said.

If there is a threat to the balance, it's that the region's popularity with the rich and famous is driving housing prices — rentals as well as purchases — out of the range of many of the traditional residents of the town.

"I'm a little concerned that with the rise in land values its going to start freezing some of those people out. We've had families have to leave because landlords raise rents — sometimes they have doubled — and there's no place else to go," he said.

For now, the school is a busy one. Some of the buildings on the 6-acre campus date back 80 years, but they have generally been kept in good repair, Rose said. Seven portable buildings have been added to account for growth.

If there is a problem, it is the lack of a large meeting room. The largest, the cafeteria, is too small to hold all of the students.

"It rains so much that if we have a school function, we don't have much of a choice. The cafeteria is miniscule. If we get 150 in there, it's just packed tight," Rose said.

The school has a broad lawn out front as well as in back of the school building complex, with poinciana trees lining the driveway. The school grounds are clean and well-maintained, he said.

"Our custodians do a good job of taking care of the grounds. It's almost a park-like atmosphere," the principal said.

What are you most proud of? "I think that it is still small enough that it has a sense of 'ohana here. The school is really a part of the community. A lot of the teachers have been here for years and years, and in fact some are graduates of Kilauea School," said principal Fred Rose.

Best-kept secret: "We have a nature center real close to our campus with big trees and a stream running through it. We're adding native Hawaiian species. It could be considered like an outdoor lab."

Everybody at our school knows: Librarian Gloria Aqui is a school veteran who knows the kids well, and knows many of their parents. Aqui is a graduate of the school.

Our biggest challenge: "Being a small school, there's just as much to do as at a big school, but there's less staff to do it with."

What we need: "A library. We've got a library, but it's in a converted classroom, and it's real tiny."

Special events: "Our spring art fair is kind of unique to the school. There's a pretty significant artistic community here, and we put a big circus tent out front on a Saturday. Lots of different things kids can try along with displays, food and games. We're going to change it to an art and science fair."