When Evelynn Iosua stepped onto the Iolani School campus three years ago for a basketball tournament, she knew she wanted to attend classes there.

"It was nice and they really had smart people there," she said.

Never mind that the private school's tuition puts it out of reach for most of Evelynn's neighbors in the Kuhio Park Terrace public housing complex. Or that the school offers full or substantial scholarships to only about 40 of its 1,830 students. Or even that only one out of every six applicants is accepted.

Evelynn knew she could do it — as did her Dole Middle School classmates, cousins Keenan Hoohuli and Georgette Lopes-Liutolo — who joined her in applying to the prestigious private school.

"They did have a kind of determination about coming here," said Pat Liu, Iolani's director of admissions.

They also had what it takes to make it through the screening process. "All three of them have a lot of integrity and strength of character," Liu said. "They're just really good kids."

Eighth-graders Evelynn and Georgette will start their first year at Iolani next week, with the $12,200 tuition, books and meals covered by a full scholarship. The school awarded Keenan a half-scholarship to attend the ninth grade, and he received a scholarship from Palama Settlement to help make up the difference.

The students will have to take a 45-minute bus ride from Kalihi to Iolani School, a daily trip that will take them into a world different from what they are accustomed to at home.

But Liu said the three should have no trouble adjusting, in part because of their strong work ethic. "If they're hard workers at Dole and they've kind of set those expectations for themselves, they're going to succeed here, too, even if it's hard," she said.

Evelynn, Georgette and Keenan anticipate the social scene will be easier to navigate at Iolani, where they each took two classes this summer. "The students are easier to get along with than at Dole. Iolani is friendly," Georgette said. "You have to be tough at Dole. You have to know people."

One thing all three students have in common is regular participation at the Teen Center run by Parents and Children Together in their housing complex.

All three students play sports through the Teen Center, which means the PACT staff monitors their progress at school.

"We check their report cards and follow up with their homework," said PACT youth specialist Greg Andrasick. "Their grades were always good."

Keenan is quick to credit Andrasick, an Iolani alumnus, with shepherding all three of them through the application process.

"We had a lot of success during the school year," said Keenan, who earned all A's and B's and served as his class president. "Greg let us have the chance to apply for Iolani."

Andrasick got the applications and helped prepare the kids for the interview and entrance tests.

"They have very humble, positive personalities," he said.

"I knew they would be a good fit at Iolani."

Andrasick and Liu both pointed out that the positive support from their families gave these kids an edge.

Sheri Lopes-Liutolo, who takes an active role in all her children's educations, said of her daughter Georgette: "I just hope she does good in school so she can graduate and be what she wants to be. Right now the whole family is so proud of her getting into Iolani."

After picking up all Georgette's school books, Lopes-Liutolo knows the three kids will have a lot of reading and homework to do, which she sees as a good thing.

"It will keep them busy and out of trouble," she said.

All three students talked about the opportunities that attending Iolani will offer, such as a wider array of electives, a better chance of getting into a good college and new challenges to surmount.

"This is the chance for them to prove themselves," Lopes-Liutolo said.

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.