He was then sent to Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire from 1913 to 1914. His family's money may have been a part his being let into the high-end private school. He was only seventeen, but he was let in as a student the same level of a sophomore. While in New England, Hawks went to the movie houses in Boston. In 1914, Hawks went back to Glendora and graduated from Pasadena High School that year.