The disparity, says principal Levi Chang, is that "for so many years this school has been on the downside — always on the low end of everything."

But now, Chang says, the school is in the process of changing that. "We're trying to elevate it," he said.

The school — the first in the Leeward District with high school and intermediate classes under the same administration — literally began at sea level.

In 1967, the crowded Nanaikapono Elementary and Intermediate School, next to the ocean at 89-195 Farrington Highway, divided to become Nanakuli High and Intermediate School at the east end of the campus and Nanaikapono Elementary on the west. By 1972 the Nanakuli High and Intermediate had separated entirely from Nanaikapono and moved to its present location at 89-980 Nanakuli Ave.

Today, says Chang, the school has its sights set on living up to its vision statement: "Second to none."

"The honesty of the kids and the genuine aloha for people," said Chang. "These kids still have respect. They're real. If they like you, they show it. If there's something wrong, they tell you that, too."

• The best kept secret:

"It's the beauty of the school. We're on top of a little mountain and we overlook the Pacific.

"Everybody comes up here and they go, 'Wow! What a view!' They don't believe their eyes. Usually, the mountains are brown this time of year. But we've had a lot of rain this year, so this time it's the blue ocean on one side and green mountains behind us."

• Everybody at our school knows:

"There are two people. One is Margaret Bailey, our career college counselor — she's been here for 40 years. And Hugh 'Tuffy' Taufaasau, who has been our athletic director here for 34 years."

• Our biggest challenge:

"As you can see, our vision statement is 'Second to none,' " said Chang, pointing to the sign above his office door. "And I guess the challenge is to get the students, staff and the community to feel that this school really is second to none."

• What we need:

"To hire qualified teachers and keep them here, so we can maintain some consistency."

Chang said the teacher turnover rate runs from 10 to 15 percent a year, although that figure has dropped a little recently. Still, he said, the school loses up to 10 teachers every year. He said the greatest need is for math and special-education teachers.

"Special ed leads the charge. The department as a whole is having trouble finding special-ed teachers. And the population for special-ed students on the Leeward side of O'ahu is high. For my school, which has 1,325 kids, we have about 270 special education students. That's a high percent — almost 20 percent."

• Projects:

"The big project, which will start in October, is our new athletic complex.

"We're a Title IX school, so we needed to be in compliance, and the locker room facilities we have were built 30 years ago. So, we had to redo the whole complex.

He said the new facility will cost just under a million dollars and will include boys' and girls' locker rooms, a weight room and a state-of-the-art training room.

"It will take about a year to complete," said Taufaasau, who said it has been a goal of his to see the new complex completed before he retires in two years.

• Special events:

Four annual shows highlighting each of the four components that make up the school's Learning Center.

"We are very proud of our Learning Center, which is an integration of four different content areas," Chang said. "And they work together to produce shows. For example, the art department will do the background work for the stage, the audio-visual department will film the shows, the band will play the music and the drama club will do the acting."