Punahou School needs no introduction.

But there are a few things you might not know about the institution, one of the state's premier preparatory academies and a bastion for forward-thinking curricula and innovative teaching.

For instance, the school is serious about creating an environmentally friendly campus and instilling the values of sustainability in its students. The new Case Middle School, which has won top awards for its energy-efficiency and sustainable design, is just the start. Teachers, from kindergarten to 12th grade, are now attempting to integrate the principles of environmentally friendly architecture, policies and design into the classroom.

"There's really kind of a schoolwide emphasis on sustainability through the grades," said David White, a seventh-grade science teacher at Case Middle School, which opened in 2005.

"A building like this heightens our awareness."

And, if you think the 3,760 students who attend Punahou are all the sons and daughters of doctors, lawyers and CEOs, think again.

About 11 percent of students at the school — whose tuition is about $15,000 a year — attend with the help of needs-based financial aid.

Punahou was founded in 1841 at the entrance to Manoa Valley for the children of missionaries, most of whom were being sent to boarding schools on the Mainland or overseas.

The first class had 15 students.

Over the years, it grew from a small, missionary school to a respected campus for quality, nonsectarian education. A decade after its founding, it was attracting students from the Pacific and the Mainland.

There are more than a few notable people who call themselves Punahou alumni. Steve Case, namesake of the middle school and co-founder of America Online, graduated in 1976. And presidential candidate Barack Obama was in the class of 1979.

"We have a really strong tradition of academic excellence," said spokeswoman Laurel Bowers Husain. "That is extended to the individual child in developing their own passions."