Enrollment
170
Hawaii · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Waimanalo, HI
Malama Honua Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Malama Honua Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 150003000299Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Malama Honua Charter School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Hawaii schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Waimanalo · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17:1
- large classes for Hawaii
- 40.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Malama Honua Charter School has class sizes larger than 90% of Hawaii schools. Computed live against every Hawaii school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Malama Honua Charter School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Waimanalo, HI.
School address
District: Hawaii Department of Education · Hawaii
NCES ID 150003000299 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 14.1:1 Hawaii avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.0%
vs 40.0% Hawaii avg
+0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Malama Honua Charter School compares with Hawaii and U.S. medians
What stands out at Malama Honua Charter School
Malama Honua Charter School is a small charter elementary school in Waimanalo, Hawaii, enrolling 170 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17:1 is larger than about 90% of Hawaii schools and 21% above the 14.1:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 40.0% 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 93% of Hawaii schools, with 170 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 295 scored Hawaii schools.
Among 17 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Hawaii schools statewide, it ranks #15, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (55%) and Two or More (19%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 340 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.4% 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 Malama Honua Charter 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 Malama Honua Charter School compares
Malama Honua Charter 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 21% | 14.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.0% | ▼ 0% | 40.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 170 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
170
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 0% 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
17:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 90% in Hawaii - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.4%
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
- 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 54.7%
Two or More 18.8%
Hispanic or Latino 14.1%
White 11.2%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander at 54.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.3, Malama Honua Charter 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 Malama Honua Charter 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 Malama Honua Charter 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 | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mililani High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Moanalua High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Malama Honua Charter 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 elementary 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 Malama Honua Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Malama Honua Charter 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 Malama Honua Charter School
How many students attend Malama Honua Charter School?
Malama Honua Charter School has 170 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Waimanalo, HI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Malama Honua Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Malama Honua Charter School is 17:1, which is 21% higher than the Hawaii average of 14.1:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Malama Honua Charter School?
40.0% of students at Malama Honua Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Hawaii average of 40.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Malama Honua Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Malama Honua Charter School is Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander at 54.7% of enrollment, in Waimanalo, HI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Malama Honua Charter School?
Malama Honua Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower 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 Malama Honua Charter School rank among public schools in Waimanalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Malama Honua Charter School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Waimanalo, 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 Waimanalo on the city page.
Is Malama Honua Charter School a good school?
Malama Honua Charter School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% 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 Malama Honua Charter 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.