Keith T. Hayashi
Superintendent, Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Keith T. Hayashi is superintendent of the Hawai‘i public schools system, overseeing 160,000 students, 258 campuses and more than 40,000 employees.
Hayashi’s more than 30-year career with the Hawai‘i State Department of Education spans the school, complex area and state level. He led Waipahu High School as principal for 12 years, a position for which he received numerous accolades, including Hawai‘i High School Principal of the Year and the collegiate Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction. He is credited with pioneering the Early College program in Hawai‘i public schools and earned the distinction for Waipahu High as the state’s first nationally recognized wall-to-wall academy model school.
As superintendent, he was honored in 2023 with the state’s inaugural “Workforce Development Hero” Lifetime Achievement Award for his support and advocacy around strengthening the state’s education pipeline to support workforce needs. He was also recognized as the Hawai‘i United Okinawa Association 2023 Legacy Honoree for his innovative approaches and commitment to student success. And he was named Inspirational Leader of the Year in 2024 by the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders for his vision and integrity as a leader and strong supporter of CTL’s commitment to equip and empower young leaders to solve Hawai‘i’s most entrenched problems.
The Board of Education on May 19, 2022, voted to hire Hayashi as superintendent for a term that began July 1, 2022. He served as interim superintendent before that, and was one of three finalists (PDF) for the permanent position.
Hayashi began his education career at Lehua Elementary as a teacher and went on to serve as a district resource teacher in Leeward O‘ahu. He also served as a vice principal and principal at the elementary, middle and high school levels before becoming Pearl City-Waipahu Complex Area Superintendent. At the state level, he served as interim deputy superintendent and as interim superintendent in 2017. Hayashi earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He also holds two Master of Education degrees — in curriculum and instruction, and educational administration — from UH Mānoa.
Hayashi’s more than 30-year career with the Hawai‘i State Department of Education spans the school, complex area and state level. He led Waipahu High School as principal for 12 years, a position for which he received numerous accolades, including Hawai‘i High School Principal of the Year and the collegiate Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction. He is credited with pioneering the Early College program in Hawai‘i public schools and earned the distinction for Waipahu High as the state’s first nationally recognized wall-to-wall academy model school.
As superintendent, he was honored in 2023 with the state’s inaugural “Workforce Development Hero” Lifetime Achievement Award for his support and advocacy around strengthening the state’s education pipeline to support workforce needs. He was also recognized as the Hawai‘i United Okinawa Association 2023 Legacy Honoree for his innovative approaches and commitment to student success. And he was named Inspirational Leader of the Year in 2024 by the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders for his vision and integrity as a leader and strong supporter of CTL’s commitment to equip and empower young leaders to solve Hawai‘i’s most entrenched problems.
The Board of Education on May 19, 2022, voted to hire Hayashi as superintendent for a term that began July 1, 2022. He served as interim superintendent before that, and was one of three finalists (PDF) for the permanent position.
Hayashi began his education career at Lehua Elementary as a teacher and went on to serve as a district resource teacher in Leeward O‘ahu. He also served as a vice principal and principal at the elementary, middle and high school levels before becoming Pearl City-Waipahu Complex Area Superintendent. At the state level, he served as interim deputy superintendent and as interim superintendent in 2017. Hayashi earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He also holds two Master of Education degrees — in curriculum and instruction, and educational administration — from UH Mānoa.