Waiʻanae High School is located on the Leeward Coast of Oahu, 35 miles from Honolulu. Waiʻanae High School students come from the rural communities of Maili, Waianae and Makaha. The Nanakuli and Waiʻanae Complexes (which include Waiʻanae High School and our feeder schools) are targeted to be part of the Zone of School Innovation (ZSI) under Hawaii's Race-To-The-Top (RTTT) educational reform model. Schools in the ZSI will be required to implement Hawaii's RTTT initiatives. Waiʻanae High School is in the process of redesigning our academy structure to meet the 21st century needs of our students, and is working towards providing more personalized education, more rigor and relevance in our classrooms, increasing parent communication and involvement, and fostering and supporting a professional learning community for teachers and staff.

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     To support this vision, Waiʻanae High School's academy structure promotes a smaller learning community (SLC) philosophy beginning with our Ninth Grade Success Academy (NGSA) for all incoming 9th grade students. The SLC support structure continues into 10th grade as students move into either our Sophomore Academy or into the Searider Productions Academy – a New Tech Network School. Two career academies service WHS's upper grade students. Upper grade career academies are organized into the following areas of student interest: Natural Resources/Arts & Communication (NR/AC), and the Business, Industrial, Engineering and Technology/Health and Human Services (BIET/HHS) academies.

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     Waiʻanae High School uses a 4x4 block schedule to accommodate student needs and interests. The 4x4 block also provides students with opportunities to participate in Running Start and early admission courses as college credit options. Waianae High School was accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges for a period of three years with a mid-term review. This school's accreditation term expires in 2026.