KILAUEA, Kaua'i — Kula School on the north shore of Kaua'i prides itself on choice — giving kids a say in the school's curriculum.

There are core classes, but students can select from a wide range of electives, said David Mireles, principal of Kula Intermediate and High School.

"We provide academic rigor in a safe, nourishing setting. We have a very strong art program. We also have a varied elective program in which students have a choice, from arts to agriculture, yoga, surfboard shaping, marine science, digital media. It's exploratory in nature," he said.

Mireles is proud that kids from Kula get into good colleges, but also that their other interests show promise. The tiny school placed fifth in the state in canoe paddling, and its artists won five of 12 awards in the calendar contest sponsored by Kaua'i Island Utility Cooperative, he said.

"It's all about choice. I think many schools don't offer choice any more, and that's antithetical to how our society works," he said.

Carla Bissell, the parent of a seventh-grade daughter at Kula, said her family is thrilled with the school.

"We looked at all the schools, and Kula, to me, takes in the whole child. There's a huge assortment of electives that the kids can take in the afternoon, and the kids get physical fitness every day except Friday, when it's health. The school is small and intimate, and she gets lots of individual attention," Bissell said.

Kula started 13 years ago as a middle school and has grown to add a high school. Recently, it merged with a private Kilauea elementary school, Na Kamalei. Its principal is Mireles' wife, Lisa. While they're still operating on two campuses, they will soon combine the whole K-12 student body on what is now the high and middle campus on Kapuna Road.

Most of the students come from the north shore communities from Ha'ena to Kilauea, but Kula now has 20 kids from the Kapa'a-Wailua area, its fastest-growing market for students.

The combined enrollment is now 155, and Mireles said the school hopes to expand to 220 in coming years. Tuition runs $9,500 annually for the high school, $8,500 for middle school and $7,650 for elementary, and there is an active scholarship program, Mireles said.

The school has a mix of full-time and part-time teachers that adds up to about 20 full-time positions.

What are you most proud of? "Our students' accomplishments in the arts, digital media, robotics and college admissions," David Mireles said.

Everybody at our school knows: "Denise Dion-Scoyni. She is a tireless, selfless, giving individual who lives life to the fullest extent every day to help students achieve their potential," Mireles said of the art teacher.

Our biggest challenge: Increasing enrollment. "Knowledge of the exceptional education our students receive — getting that word out," he said.

What we need: An expanded donor base. Major benefactors now include the Lindner family, McInerny Foundation, G.N. Wilcox Trust, Frear Eleemosynary Trust, Larry Bowman Family Foundation, Garfinkle family, Norman family, others.

Special events: The annual Rock-N-Bowl fundraiser Dec. 2 at Lihue Bowling Center; Kula Jam, a concert that has featured Jackson Browne and Graham Nash among others; and the Enchanted Eventing, at Princeville Resort.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.