Enrollment
422
Hawaii · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 150003000027
Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School — Hilo, HI
Federal NCES profile for Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 23/100.
👥 Class size 19
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 27
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Hawaii Department of Education · Hawaii
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.3:1
vs 14.3:1 Hawaii avg
+42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.8%
vs 40.0% Hawaii avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School compares with Hawaii and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School reports 422 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 42% above the Hawaii state mean of 14.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 28% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 22.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 43% below the Hawaii average and 56% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 422 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hawaii Department of Education spends $19,381 per pupil district-wide, above the Hawaii average of $19,381 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 0.8% from local sources (property taxes), 84.7% from the state, and 14.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Hawaii state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Hawaii | Hawaii avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.3:1 | ▲ 42% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.8% | ▼ 43% | 40.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 422 | top 44% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
22.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 43% below the Hawaii average of 40.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
20.3:1
students per teacher
— 42% above state mean
Top 99% in Hawaii — lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
29.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$19,381
per pupil, district-wide
— above Hawaii avg of $19,381
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 422 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 422 Top 44% in Hawaii — larger than 56% of 295 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 20.3:1 +42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 22.8% -43% vs state
NCES ID 150003000027
Student demographics
Two or More 35.8%
Hispanic or Latino 22.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 15.6%
Asian 14.2%
White 11.6%
Largest group: Two or More at 35.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 422:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hawaii Department of Education, which includes Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School.
$19,381
Per student
+0%
vs Hawaii
Avg $19,381
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 0.8%
State 84.7%
Federal 14.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,890
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,538
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,382
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 2,094
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 1,966
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
Similar other schools in Hilo
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Waiakea Elementary School
Standard public school
706 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Waiakeawaena Elementary School
Standard public school
669 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Hilo Union Elementary School
Standard public school
449 students 11.7:1 students per teacher
Chiefess Kapiolani Elementary School
Standard public school
354 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Connections - New Century Pcs
Standard public school
352 students 11.7:1 students per teacher
Keaukaha Elementary School
Standard public school
341 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School
How many students attend Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School?
Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School has 422 students enrolled. It is a other school in Hilo, HI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School is 20.3:1, which is 42% higher than the Hawaii average of 14.3:1 and 28% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School?
22.8% of students at Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Hawaii average of 40.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School is Two or More at 35.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hilo, HI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School?
Ernest Bowen Desilva Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.