Other / mixed grade configuration · Waianae, HI

Makaha Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Makaha Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 150003000124
0/100100/10037/100
👥 S:T ratio
58
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
59
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Makaha Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of Hawaii schools.

#2 of 8
schools in Waianae · Resource Index
37
Resource Index · Typical
10.5:1
small classes for Hawaii
73.2%
free-lunch eligible

Makaha Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 93% of Hawaii schools. Computed live against every Hawaii school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Makaha Elementary School ranks #2 of 8 schools in Waianae, HI.

Enrollment

409

Hawaii · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

39.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

10.5:1

vs 14.1:1 Hawaii avg

-26% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

73.2%

vs 40.0% Hawaii avg

+83% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Makaha Elementary School compares with Hawaii and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Makaha Elementary School

Makaha Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Waianae, Hawaii, enrolling 409 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 10.5:1, Makaha Elementary School is leaner than roughly 93% of Hawaii schools and 26% under the state's 14.1:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Economic need is high: 73.2% of students qualify for free meals, 83% above the Hawaii average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

With 409 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 27 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #8.

Its student body is led by Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (41%) and Hispanic or Latino (39%) (diversity index 66/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 205 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 72.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Waianae's public schools, it stands alongside Nanakuli High & Intermediate School (928 students): Makaha Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.5:1 vs 12.2:1).

Hawaii Department of Education also operates James Campbell High School (2,890 students) and Waipahu High School (2,538 students) alongside Makaha 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 Makaha Elementary School compares

Makaha 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 10.5:1 ▼ 26% 14.1:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 73.2% ▲ 83% 40.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 409 top 59% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

10.5:1
Leaner classes than 86% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
409
Bigger than 49% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
73.2%
free-lunch eligible - 83% 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
10.5:1
students per teacher - 26% below state mean
Top 7% in Hawaii - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
72.1%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 205 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 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 40.8%
Hispanic or Latino 38.6%
Two or More 13.4%
White 4.2%
Asian 2.0%
African American 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%

Largest group: Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander at 40.8% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 66.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 66.4, Makaha Elementary School is less mixed than the Hawaii school average of 69.6.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hawaii Department of Education, which includes Makaha 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 Makaha 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 Makaha Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Hawaii Department Of Education · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Waianae

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Makaha Elementary School's federal record.

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 Makaha Elementary School

How many students attend Makaha Elementary School?

Makaha Elementary School has 409 students enrolled. It is a public school in Waianae, HI.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Makaha Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Makaha Elementary School is 10.5:1, which is 26% lower than the Hawaii average of 14.1:1 and 33% 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 Makaha Elementary School?

73.2% of students at Makaha Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Hawaii average of 40.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Makaha Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Makaha Elementary School is Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander at 40.8% of enrollment, in Waianae, HI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Makaha Elementary School?

Makaha Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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).

How does Makaha Elementary School rank among schools in Waianae?

By Resource Investment Index, Makaha Elementary School ranks #2 of 8 schools in Waianae, HI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Waianae on the city page.

Is Makaha Elementary School a good school?

Makaha Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% 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 Makaha 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.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.