Enrollment
129
Hawaii · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Kaaawa, HI
Kaaawa Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Kaaawa Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 150003000004
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 74
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kaaawa Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Hawaii schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Hawaii.
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.1:1
- large classes for Hawaii
- 42.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 129
- students enrolled
Kaaawa Elementary School has class sizes larger than 81% of Hawaii schools. Computed live against every Hawaii school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Hawaii Department of Education · Hawaii
NCES ID 150003000004 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 14.1:1 Hawaii avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.1%
vs 40.0% Hawaii avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kaaawa Elementary School compares with Hawaii and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kaaawa Elementary School
Kaaawa Elementary School is a small combined-grade school in Kaaawa, Hawaii, enrolling 129 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Hawaii schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 42.1% lands close to the Hawaii typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 95% of Hawaii schools, with 129 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 295 scored Hawaii schools.
Its student body is led by Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (39%) and Hispanic or Latino (24%) (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 129 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Hawaii Department of Education also operates James Campbell High School (2,890 students) and Waipahu High School (2,538 students) alongside Kaaawa Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Kaaawa Elementary School compares
Kaaawa Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Hawaii and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Hawaii | Hawaii avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▲ 14% | 14.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.1% | ▲ 5% | 40.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 129 | top 95% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
129
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% above the Hawaii average of 40.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 81% in Hawaii - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
45.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,420
per pupil, district-wide
- above Hawaii avg of $17,420
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 129 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 38.8%
Hispanic or Latino 24.0%
Two or More 20.9%
White 13.2%
Asian 3.1%
Largest group: Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander at 38.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.0, Kaaawa Elementary School is more mixed than the Hawaii school average of 69.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hawaii Department of Education, which includes Kaaawa Elementary School.
$17,420
Per student
+0%
vs Hawaii
Avg $17,420
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Kaaawa Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Campbell High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Waipahu High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mililani High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Moanalua High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kaaawa Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,890
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 2,538
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,382
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 2,094
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,966
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Hawaii, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~129 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kaaawa Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Kaaawa Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Hawaii Department of Education's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Kaaawa Elementary School
How many students attend Kaaawa Elementary School?
Kaaawa Elementary School has 129 students enrolled. It is a public school in Kaaawa, HI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kaaawa Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Kaaawa Elementary School is 16.1:1, which is 14% higher than the Hawaii average of 14.1:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kaaawa Elementary School?
42.1% of students at Kaaawa Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Hawaii average of 40.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kaaawa Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Kaaawa Elementary School is Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander at 38.8% of enrollment, in Kaaawa, HI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kaaawa Elementary School?
Kaaawa Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Kaaawa Elementary School a good school?
Kaaawa Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Hawaii schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Hawaii. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Hawaii Department of Education?
Besides Kaaawa Elementary School, Hawaii Department of Education also operates James Campbell High School (2,890 students), Waipahu High School (2,538 students), and Mililani High School (2,382 students). See the Hawaii Department of Education district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.