Enrollment
406
Hawaii · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Paia, HI
Paia Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Paia Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 18/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 150003000076
👥 S:T ratio 23
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paia Elementary School earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Hawaii schools.
- 18
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.3:1
- large classes for Hawaii
- 48.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 406
- students enrolled
Paia Elementary School has class sizes larger than 98% of Hawaii schools. Computed live against every Hawaii school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Hawaii Department of Education · Hawaii
NCES ID 150003000076 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 14.1:1 Hawaii avg
+37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.8%
vs 40.0% Hawaii avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paia Elementary School compares with Hawaii and U.S. medians
What stands out at Paia Elementary School
Paia Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Paia, Hawaii, enrolling 406 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.3:1 is larger than about 98% of Hawaii schools and 37% above the 14.1:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 48.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 406 students, its enrollment sits close to the Hawaii median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 295 Hawaii schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 72 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Hawaii schools statewide, it ranks #68, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (31%) (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 406 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 69.5% 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 Paia 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 Paia Elementary School compares
Paia 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 | 19.3:1 | ▲ 37% | 14.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.8% | ▲ 22% | 40.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 406 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.3:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
406
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
48.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% 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
19.3:1
students per teacher
- 37% above state mean
Top 98% in Hawaii - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
69.5%
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 406 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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 49.8%
Hispanic or Latino 30.5%
Two or More 12.3%
White 5.2%
Asian 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander at 49.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.1, Paia 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 Paia 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 Paia Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Campbell High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Waipahu High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mililani High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Moanalua High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paia 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 (~406 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paia Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Paia 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 Paia Elementary School
How many students attend Paia Elementary School?
Paia Elementary School has 406 students enrolled. It is a public school in Paia, HI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paia Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Paia Elementary School is 19.3:1, which is 37% higher than the Hawaii average of 14.1:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Paia Elementary School?
48.8% of students at Paia Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Hawaii average of 40.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paia Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Paia Elementary School is Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander at 49.8% of enrollment, in Paia, HI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paia Elementary School?
Paia Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (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).
Is Paia Elementary School a good school?
Paia Elementary School earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% 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 Paia 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.