Karlynn Kawahara of Munekiyo & Hiraga Inc., the firm hired by the Department of Education to conduct the site studies, said the preferred spots would not be shared publicly until a 6:30 p.m. meeting of the Kihei Community Association at the Kihei Community Center on Lipoa Street. The gathering is open to the public, and requests for input and questions from residents will be taken.

Earlier this year, Kawahara listed seven sites under consideration for the high school at a community meeting. They ranged from land offered by Japanese financier Gensiro Kawamoto near Maui Meadows to a county parcel once designated for a South Maui park.

Requirements for a high school site include a minimum of 50 acres of usable land, vehicle access from at least two sides, utility access (water, sewer, electricity) and a location close to existing or proposed residential areas.

Developer Everett Dowling has indicated interest in building the high school on a 50-acre county-owned parcel mauka of Piilani Highway near its intersection with Ke Alii Alanui and Kamalii Elementary school, the campus he built for the state more than 10 years ago.

Kawahara said her firm's study of the sites and Dowling's preference are proceeding on separate tracks, although, the Department of Education has been made aware of all the information.

Based on preliminary studies and meetings with landowners, four of the seven sites were eliminated recently from consideration. Kawahara said the owners of those four sites indicated they had other plans or believed it would not be an ideal spot for a high school.

The purpose of Tuesday night's meeting will be to reveal the last three preferred sites as well as solicit public input and answer questions.

Meanwhile, Munekiyo's consultants in engineering and traffic analysis are studying the three sites and preparing their own report for the DOE. Kawahara said she hopes to wrap up her firm's final report by mid-August.

Comments on Tuesday night can be submitted by writing on forms that will be provided at the meeting or orally.

Interest in a new high school for South Maui dates back more than a decade.

Approximately 170 students were enrolled this school year in grades 9 through 12 at the Kihei Public Charter High School. The majority of the high school-aged students in South Maui travel into Central Maui to attend either Maui High School or Baldwin High School, both considered to be over capacity.

The estimated completion for a Kihei high school campus is 2011.

Planning and design money for a campus has been appropriated in the state Legislature during the last two years.