Enrollment
488
Hawaii · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pahala, HI
Kau High & Pahala Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Kau High & Pahala Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 150003000038
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 67
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kau High & Pahala Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Hawaii schools.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.1:1
- small classes for Hawaii
- 64.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 488
- students enrolled
Kau High & Pahala Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 88% of Hawaii schools. Computed live against every Hawaii school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Hawaii Department of Education · Hawaii
NCES ID 150003000038 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.1:1
vs 14.1:1 Hawaii avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.7%
vs 40.0% Hawaii avg
+62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kau High & Pahala Elementary School compares with Hawaii and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kau High & Pahala Elementary School
Kau High & Pahala Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Pahala, Hawaii, enrolling 488 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.1:1, Kau High & Pahala Elementary School is leaner than roughly 88% of Hawaii schools and 21% under the state's 14.1:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 64.7% of students qualify for free meals, 62% above the Hawaii average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 488 students, its enrollment sits close to the Hawaii median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 295 scored Hawaii schools.
Against 36 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #9.
Its student body is led by Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (47%) and Two or More (16%) (diversity index 71/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 163 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 77.9% 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 Kau High & Pahala 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 Kau High & Pahala Elementary School compares
Kau High & Pahala 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 | 11.1:1 | ▼ 21% | 14.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.7% | ▲ 62% | 40.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 488 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.1:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
488
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 62% above the Hawaii average of 40.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.1:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 12% in Hawaii - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
77.9%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 163 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 57 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.3 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 46.5%
Two or More 15.8%
Hispanic or Latino 15.0%
Asian 13.3%
White 8.6%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander at 46.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.1, Kau High & Pahala Elementary School is about as mixed as the Hawaii school average of 69.6.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hawaii Department of Education, which includes Kau High & Pahala 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 Kau High & Pahala Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Campbell High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Waipahu High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mililani High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Moanalua High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kau High & Pahala 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 (~488 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kau High & Pahala Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Kau High & Pahala 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 Kau High & Pahala Elementary School
How many students attend Kau High & Pahala Elementary School?
Kau High & Pahala Elementary School has 488 students enrolled. It is a public school in Pahala, HI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kau High & Pahala Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Kau High & Pahala Elementary School is 11.1:1, which is 21% lower than the Hawaii average of 14.1:1 and 29% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kau High & Pahala Elementary School?
64.7% of students at Kau High & Pahala Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Hawaii average of 40.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kau High & Pahala Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Kau High & Pahala Elementary School is Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander at 46.5% of enrollment, in Pahala, HI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kau High & Pahala Elementary School?
Kau High & Pahala Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Kau High & Pahala Elementary School a good school?
Kau High & Pahala Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Hawaii schools. 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 Kau High & Pahala 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.