NCES CCD 2024-25 16 schools HI

Best-Resourced Schools in Hilo, HI

Compiled from official source data by .

16 public K-12 schools in Hilo from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

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16
Schools
7,933
Students
34.1/100
Avg Resource Index
13.8:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

National city placement

Lean reported-resource profile

According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Hilo has more public-school enrollment than 73% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Hilo's average Resource Investment Index falls in the lower portion of the 4,487-city comparison set. The index is a resource snapshot, not an academic grade: it reflects the federal staffing, counselor, gifted-program, and attendance fields available for local campuses. The most useful next step is to open the individual schools below and identify which component is pulling each score down, because the same city average can hide very different campus-level constraints.

Combined-grade campuses shape the local portfolio

12 of Hilo's 16 listed schools use NCES's combined or “other” grade-level classification. Citywide averages therefore blend campuses serving unusually broad or nonstandard grade spans with conventional elementary, middle, and high schools. Grade configuration is a first-order comparison here, not a minor label.

Governance mix is central to a fair comparison

4 of 16 listed Hilo campuses are reported as charters, so district-run and charter records occupy substantial shares of the same city view. They may follow different governance, enrollment, and program structures even when their mailing city matches. The 24-point gap between Waiakea Intermediate School and Hilo Union Elementary School should be read within that context, not as a single-system league table. Check charter status and district affiliation before comparing two nearby schools, and verify current admissions rules with the operator.

City enrollment
Top 27%
School count
Top 21%
Resource Index average
22nd percentile
Teacher staffing
69th percentile

Hilo school enrollment varies 36× across entities

Hilo school enrollment ranges from 33 students (lowest) to 1,183 students (highest), a spread of 1,150 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme heterogeneity inside a single city, with small specialty programs listed alongside large comprehensive campuses. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Hilo operates one school district — a single-district system

Hilo's listed schools share one district boundary, budget authority, and reporting chain. That makes citywide and districtwide governance easier to compare, but it does not make individual campuses uniform: grade configuration, staffing, programs, and student need can still vary materially within the same school district.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Hilo student-teacher ratio is 13.8:1 — low (typically associated with smaller schools or per-school staffing investment that often correlates with stronger per-student supports)

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

4 of Hilo's 16 listed schools are charters

25% of the city's listed public-school campuses are reported as charter schools in NCES CCD. Charter status identifies a different governance arrangement; it does not establish admissions availability, academic quality, or the share of city students enrolled in those campuses. Open each school record to compare enrollment and staffing directly.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

# School Score
1. Waiakea Intermediate School 47
2. Hilo Intermediate School 43
3. Connections - New Century Pcs 41
4. Haaheo Elementary School 41
5. Waiakea High School 40
6. Keaukaha Elementary School 39
7. Kua O Ka La - Ncpcs 34
8. Waiakeawaena Elementary School 33
9. Kaumana Elementary School 33
10. Ke Ana Laahana - Pcs 32
11. Hilo High School 31
12. Ka Umeke Kaeo - Pcs 29
13. Waiakea Elementary School 27
14. Chiefess Kapiolani Elementary School 27
15. Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School 26
16. Hilo Union Elementary School 23

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Hilo

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 Haaheo Elementary School 79.0/100
  2. 2 Waiakea High School 78.4/100
  3. 3 Waiakea Intermediate School 76.6/100
  4. 4 Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School 76.2/100
  5. 5 Connections - New Century Pcs 75.3/100

What do families ask about schools in Hilo?

Which Hilo school has the highest Resource Investment Index? ▼

Waiakea Intermediate School has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Hilo schools in this federal-data comparison at 47/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.

How many schools are in Hilo, HI? ▼

Hilo has 16 public schools with a total enrollment of 7,933 students. 4 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 13.8:1.

Other Cities in Hawaii

Honolulu
74 schools
Kailua
13 schools
Kaneohe
12 schools
Ewa Beach
11 schools
Wahiawa
11 schools
Waianae
11 schools

Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in Hawaii →

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.