Enrollment
259
Hawaii · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Kapaau, HI
Kohala High School
Federal NCES profile for Kohala High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 150003000043
👥 S:T ratio 53
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kohala High School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 83% of Hawaii schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Kapaau · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Hawaii
- 40.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Kohala High School has class sizes smaller than 83% of Hawaii schools. Computed live against every Hawaii school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kohala High School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Kapaau, HI.
School address
District: Hawaii Department of Education · Hawaii
NCES ID 150003000043 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 14.1:1 Hawaii avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.7%
vs 40.0% Hawaii avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kohala High School compares with Hawaii and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kohala High School
Kohala High School is a mid-sized high school in Kapaau, Hawaii, enrolling 259 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Hawaii schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 40.7% lands close to the Hawaii typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 259 puts it in the smaller third of Hawaii schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 295 scored Hawaii schools.
Against 40 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #18.
Its student body is led by Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (34%) and Two or More (21%) (diversity index 77/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 259 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 59.5% 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 Kohala High 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 Kohala High School compares
Kohala High 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 16% | 14.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.7% | ▲ 2% | 40.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 259 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
259
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% 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
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 17% in Hawaii - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
59.5%
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 259 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 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 33.6%
Two or More 20.5%
Asian 19.7%
Hispanic or Latino 13.9%
White 12.4%
Largest group: Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander at 33.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 77.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 77.2, Kohala High School is more mixed than 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 Kohala High 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 Kohala High 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 | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mililani High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Moanalua High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kohala High 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 high 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 (~259 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kohala High School's federal record.
- Compare Kohala High 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 Kohala High School
How many students attend Kohala High School?
Kohala High School has 259 students enrolled. It is a high school in Kapaau, HI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kohala High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Kohala High School is 11.8:1, which is 16% lower than the Hawaii average of 14.1:1 and 25% 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 Kohala High School?
40.7% of students at Kohala High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Hawaii average of 40.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kohala High School?
The largest demographic group at Kohala High School is Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander at 33.6% of enrollment, in Kapaau, HI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 77.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kohala High School?
Kohala High School has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Kohala High School rank among public schools in Kapaau?
By Resource Investment Index, Kohala High School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Kapaau, HI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Kapaau on the city page.
Is Kohala High School a good school?
Kohala High School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 83% 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 Kohala High 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.