Clubs The school offers a variety of clubs. Notable clubs based on organizations include
CyberPatriot,
DECA,
National FFA Organization, and
HOSA. Notable service clubs include
Key Club and
Leo Club.
Athletics McKinley competes in the
Oahu Interscholastic Association. As of the 2024-2025 school year, McKinley has 56 teams competing in 19 sports. These sports include cheerleading, cross country running, football, volleyball,
soft tennis,
bowling, air riflery, softball, basketball, soccer, swimming, golf, wrestling, canoe paddling, baseball, tennis, judo, boys volleyball, track and field, water polo, and flag football. McKinley has fielded girls teams in basketball, volleyball, and swimming as early as in the 1910s. Some years even fielded girls baseball team before softball became recognized as its own sport. The yearbooks of those early years noted games often against St. Andrew's Priory, YWCA, Palama, Normal School (later merged with University of Hawaiʻi's College of Education), and even College of Hawaii (now known as
University of Hawaiʻi). McKinley was a founding member of the
Interscholastic League of Honolulu in 1909 alongside
Punahou and
Kamehameha. In 1970, McKinley left the ILH with four other Honolulu area public schools to join the
Oahu Interscholastic Association. The 1933 football team traveled across the Pacific Ocean and went on to defeat Weber College (now known as
Weber State University),
Brigham Young University freshmen team, and
Ricks College (now known as Brigham Young University–Idaho). Ricks College traveled to Honolulu the following year. McKinley won again by the score of 24–6 in a game attended by about 19,000 fans.
Football The McKinley Tigers varsity football team competes in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red-East division. Joseph Cho has served as the team's head coach since 2010. For the 2010 and 2011 seasons, McKinley's Tiger football team competed in the Oahu Interscholastic Association White Division (Division II) along with seven other Oahu public schools including rival
Kaimuki High School. In 2012, the football team was promoted to the OIA Red-East Division (Division I) where it currently competes with six other Oahu public schools. The Tigers' homefield is currently the 3000 seat Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium on the
Roosevelt High School campus. In September 2012, the McKinley football team traveled to
Corvallis, Oregon to play the
OSAA 4A champions
La Salle High School Falcons on the campus of
Crescent Valley High School. McKinley won 43–22.
Season records McKinley Athletic Complex In September 2008, it was announced that McKinley was planning to upgrade its aging athletic facilities. Expected to cost more than $121 million, the upgrade has 14 elements including a 1,200 stall parking lot, construction of a second gym, renovation of the current gym, construction of a girls softball stadium, construction of a baseball stadium, construction of a 50-meter swimming pool, and construction of a 10,000 seat football stadium. In December 2024, the school broke ground on the Athletic Complex. In 2011, ground was broken on the softball stadium. When completed, the softball stadium would be designated as the OIA softball championship field; The stadium was completed in 2015.
Championships ==Noted alumni==