Hualalai Academy, was a K-12 college preparatory school, it was the first accredited private, independent, K-12 school in the Districts of North and South Kona on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. Hualalai was founded in 1985 as a K-5 satellite of Hawaii Preparatory Academy in Waimea, by parents who wanted local education for their children, and business owners who needed to draw young professionals to the area. Since it became independent in 1996, Hualalai earned accreditation from the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, established a middle school and high school, and built a campus on 14.875 acres (60,200 m2) that was certified a “Wildlife Habitat” by the National Wildlife Federation in 2007.