Barack Obama was 10 years old when he started at Punahou School, the private school in Hawaii, in 1971.

Quick Scoop

  • He returned to Hawaii from Indonesia and enrolled in the sixth grade.
  • His age at that time was 10, which matches his 1961 birth year and the 1971 school start.

Simple math

  • Born: 1961.
  • Started Punahou: 1971.
  • Difference: 10 years.

TL;DR: Obama started the private school in Hawaii at age 10.