Family layer · Halawa Heights · Honolulu County MHA
Camp H.M. Smith: the family map
Schools, childcare, and the commute — the three things that decide where a family lands around Camp Smith. Every name and figure below is pulled from a public source with the date shown; confirm anything address-specific before you sign.
Licensed childcare within reach
Oahu's licensed providers aren't published as a downloadable list, and we won't reprint a partial one. Use the authoritative finders, then verify each provider's current license before visiting:
- Hawaii DHS child care licensing & provider finder — the official source for licensed providers and license status.
- PATCH statewide child care referral line: 808-839-1988 — free referrals by town and age.
- MilitaryChildCare.com — the on-base CDC waitlist for Camp Smith. Waitlists are the real constraint; request the day orders drop. Income-banded fees and CCDF fee assistance can land well below market.
For what care costs and whether the second job pencils, see The Second Paycheck Report — e.g., a licensed center-based or group child care home runs a median of $900/mo (2023 Hawaii Child Care Market Rate Study).
Before you visit any provider, confirm its current license status directly with the state — licenses lapse and change. This site publishes no provider roster; use the official finders below.
Public elementary schools near the gate
The nearest open public elementary schools to Camp Smith, from the federal directory. This lists public schools only (private/parochial to come). We do not rank schools and we never publish attendance boundaries — your exact zoned school depends on your address; confirm at the DOE school finder before you sign a lease, and see the DOE Geographic Exception process for out-of-zone requests.
| School | Town | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gustav H Webling Elementary School | Aiea | PK-6 | 435 |
| Red Hill Elementary School | Honolulu | PK-6 | 416 |
| Aiea Elementary School | Aiea | PK-6 | 288 |
| Alvah A Scott Elementary School | Aiea | PK-6 | 425 |
| Makalapa Elementary School | Honolulu | PK-6 | 592 |
| Pearl Ridge Elementary School | Aiea | PK-6 | 404 |
| Salt Lake Elementary School | Honolulu | PK-6 | 659 |
| Moanalua Elementary School | Honolulu | PK-6 | 678 |
| Waimalu Elementary School | Aiea | PK-6 | 342 |
| Aliamanu Elementary School | Honolulu | PK-6 | 643 |
| Pearl Harbor Elementary School | Honolulu | PK-6 | 446 |
| Waiau Elementary School | Pearl City | PK-6 | 479 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data via Urban Institute Education Data API, 2023-24 directory (latest). Pulled 2026-08-06. Ordered by proximity to the installation reference point (internal only — distances not published). Enrollment and grade span as reported to NCES.
Commute reality
Which pockets reach Camp Smith in what free-flow time. Peak bands are pending (shown as —). Full grid: the Commute Reality Grid.
| Free-flow band | Pockets |
|---|---|
| ≤10 min | Aiea, Pearl City, Salt Lake / Moanalua |
| 10–20 min | Waipahu, Kalihi, Mililani, Downtown / Kakaako |
| 20–30 min | Kaneohe, Ewa Beach / Kapolei, Wahiawa, Kailua |
Source: Free-flow drive time between pocket and installation reference coordinates via OSRM public routing (no traffic model), rounded to 5 minutes. Peak bands (peak_min) pending traffic-aware sampling per the family-layer spec windows; render as em-dash until sampled. H-3/H-1 incident variance applies; reference coordinates are pocket/installation centroids, not addresses. Pulled 2026-08-06.
The spouse-work picture
A PCS to Oahu usually means a career interruption for the accompanying spouse — and a set of programs built to soften it. Hawaii recognizes many out-of-state professional licenses through military-spouse provisions; federal hiring has a spouse-preference path; and the MSEP partner network, NAF/MWR, and the exchanges hire locally. The remote-work option is real but runs into the time-zone math. The spouse-jobs directory links each official starting point — no placement pitch, just the doors.
Bringing a family to Camp Smith?
Join the list for the school-year and childcare refreshes for these pockets, timed to your report window. No spam. Leave anytime.