The History of Academia Language School
Academia Language School is the oldest language school in Hawaii, founded in Honolulu in December 1969 by husband and wife Joseph Alexander and Magda Alexander. It began with the language classes the couple taught part-time, grew into a school teaching European and Asian languages and providing translation and interpreting, and later English (ESL) became its largest program.
- Since at least 1999, classes have been held in the same building in Ala Moana (1600 Kapiolani Blvd.)
- Accredited by CEA (Commission on English Language Program Accreditation) in 2012, with a 10-year reaccreditation in 2017
- In 2023, a then-current student purchased the school and became its owner; the school has run under new management since January 2024
Timeline of Academia Language School
This timeline is based on documents kept at the school and records from Academia Language School’s former official website. Where the exact year is uncertain, we say “around” or “by.”
The founders: Joseph and Magda Alexander
Academia Language School was founded by husband and wife Joseph Alexander and Magda Alexander.
Joseph came from an Italian-American family in Boston, Massachusetts. His first job in Hawaii was as a manager in transportation services, with no connection to language schools. He later recalled that when he came to Hawaii, he never would have thought that 40 years later he would own a language school.
Magda was born in Bordeaux, France. Her parents had fled the Spanish Civil War to France, and she grew up speaking Spanish at home and French outside, becoming bilingual at a young age. After earning diplomas in French, business and Spanish in France and working in Paris, she moved to the United States. In Boston she taught at language schools, worked in a university French department and earned a degree in education from Boston University.
The couple met and married in Boston, then left the cold East Coast on a long road trip west. When they reached Hawaii, it was love at first sight, and they decided to make Honolulu their home. On her second day in Hawaii, Magda called the Alliance Française of Hawaii (a nonprofit that promotes the French language and culture); they happened to be looking for a teacher, and she began teaching French. She also taught French at the YWCA.
How it began: from part-time language classes to a Hawaii language school
Academia Language School began with the Italian, French and German classes the couple taught part-time in Honolulu. Little by little, more people came to learn, and in December 1969 Academia Language School was born as the couple’s small language school.
The school set up its classrooms near Ala Moana and offered day and evening classes so that working adults could attend. Magda taught all of the French and Spanish classes, and the school also taught German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Tagalog and English for people from abroad (ESL). On request, it arranged teachers and classes in other languages as well.
Alongside its classes, the school was supported by translation and interpreting work. Besides translating documents, it sent interpreters to conferences, courts and medical settings, and its reach extended from Hawaii across the Pacific. From the late 1980s, it also provided language training and interpreting for U.S. government agencies for more than 20 years. Academia Language School grew into a school with over 300 students, teaching more than 25 languages.
In the late 1990s, under the name “Academia Schools,” it ran computer training and a program training people to work in Japan’s tourism industry, in addition to the language school. The couple built the school over about 40 years, then handed it over and retired in 2007. Magda still supports French-language activities in Hawaii as a Regent of the Alliance Française of Hawaii.
From a school of many languages to an English school
As international students from around the world came to learn English in Hawaii’s climate and environment, English (ESL) eventually became the school’s largest program. In 2003 the school prepared to accept student visa (F-1) students, laying the foundation for today’s curriculum of grammar and conversation by level.
Our logos over the years
Academia Language School’s logo has changed over time. From around 2007 the school used a logo combining the sun and the earth; in 2024 it used a 55th anniversary logo; today’s logo carries the words “since 1969” to show the year the school was founded.
Accreditation and the only TOEIC test center in Hawaii
In 2012, Academia Language School was accredited by CEA (Commission on English Language Program Accreditation), an accrediting agency for English language programs recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. In 2017 it received a 10-year reaccreditation, through 2027.
As an authorized test center of ETS, the organization that runs the TOEIC®, the school also holds the TOEIC Listening & Reading public test every month. Academia Language School is the only place in Hawaii where you can take the TOEIC public test.
TOEIC is a registered trademark of ETS. Academia Language School is an ETS-authorized test center.
2023: a student buys the school and becomes its owner
In fall 2023, the company that ran the school told students it planned to close the school by the end of the year. Hironori Yamaguchi (Yamahi), then a student at the school, decided to buy the school himself so that his classmates studying on student visas would not have to stop learning. He reviewed the school in November, signed the purchase agreement on December 1 and became its owner. The story was also covered in Forbes JAPAN (December 30, 2023; in Japanese).
Since January 2024, under new management, the school has carried on its teachers and curriculum (including a schedule that meets student visa requirements in four days a week) while expanding programs such as Academia Aloha Camp for children and Academia Tutor School for children aiming for Hawaii’s private schools.
As a student, I took over as owner of a school that was facing closure. We will offer the education that today’s world needs, and we aim to be a school that brings joy to more and more people.
Frequently asked questions
When was Academia Language School founded?
It was founded in 1969 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is the oldest language school in Hawaii. According to Better Business Bureau records in the United States, the business started on December 30, 1969.
Who founded the school?
Husband and wife Joseph Alexander and Magda Alexander. The school grew out of the language classes the couple, who had moved from Boston, taught in Honolulu, and they founded Academia Language School in December 1969.
Where is the school?
It is in Ala Moana, Honolulu, at 1600 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1225. Classes have been held in the same building since at least 1999.
What accreditation does the school have?
It has been accredited by CEA (Commission on English Language Program Accreditation) since 2012 and received a 10-year reaccreditation in 2017. It also accepts student visa (F-1) students.
Sources
- Academia Language School former official website, “About” (2008; version saved by the Internet Archive)
- Academia Language School former official website, “Staff” (2007, 2009, 2016; same), “Translation” (2005), “Government Programs” (2009), home page “Academia Schools” (1998)
- Alliance Française of Hawaii, “Magda Alexander”
- Academia Language School, “Accreditation” (2018 CEA reaccreditation notice; same)
- CEA accreditation letters (December 2012, December 2017) and the school’s self-study reports (2012, 2017)
- Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) business registration, “ACADEMIA LANGUAGE SCHOOL, INC.” (File No. 89219 D1, registered October 12, 1992), searchable on Hawaii Business Express
- Better Business Bureau (BBB) business profile, “Academia Language School” (business started December 30, 1969; BBB file opened 1977)
- Forbes JAPAN, interview on a Japanese student buying a language school in Honolulu (December 30, 2023; in Japanese)
This information is current as of November 5, 2026. We will continue to add to this page based on interviews with long-serving teachers at Academia Language School.
