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Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS

Q: Is Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS a good school?

Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS ranks in the bottom 7.4% of Hawaii alternative schools.

Q: How many students attend Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS?

In the 2024-25 school year, 292 students attended Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS?

Students at Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS are 60% Pacific Islander, 23% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 2% White, 1% Asian.

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades PK, KG-12

189^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 204 Hawaii Alternative Schools

Better than 7% of Hawaii alternative schools

Summary

Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS is an alternative public charter school located in Hilo, Hawaii, serving grades PK-12 with a total enrollment of 275 students. This school is part of the Hawaii Department of Education district, which is ranked 1 out of 1 in the state and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

One of the standout features of Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS is its impressive 100% four-year graduation rate for the 2024-2025 school year, significantly higher than the nearby Hawaii Academy of Arts & Science PCS (89%) and Connections - New Century PCS (79%). However, the school does face challenges with a relatively high chronic absenteeism rate of around 29%, though it is still lower than the 59% rate at Connections - New Century PCS. Academically, Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS has lower proficiency rates in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts (24%) and Mathematics (19%) compared to the nearby schools, but its Science proficiency rate of 27% is higher than Connections - New Century PCS (26%) and on par with Hawaii Academy of Arts & Science PCS (41%).

Another notable aspect of Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS is its higher percentage of students (around 65%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a larger proportion of students from low-income families compared to the nearby schools. Additionally, the school has significantly higher spending per student at $18,455, compared to $9,655 at Hawaii Academy of Arts & Science PCS and $10,316 at Connections - New Century PCS. These differences in resource allocation and student demographics suggest that Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS may be serving a unique population with specific needs, and the school's strategies for supporting student success and addressing challenges could provide valuable insights for the broader educational community.

292

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,455

Per pupil spending ?

67.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1500 Kalanianaole Ave
Hilo, HI 96720

(808) 961-0470

District: Hawaii Department of Education

Racial breakdown:

Pacific Islander:

60.3%

Hispanic:

22.6%

Two or more races:

13.7%

See top rated Hawaii elementary schools

Compare Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 25th percentile in 2024 → 16th in 2025

Strengths

✓100% graduate within 4 years

Worth a look

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped from its 25th-percentile peak (2024) to 16th (2025)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

Elementary school

189^th of 204

Hawaii public elementary schools ?

Bottom 7%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

72^nd of 84

Hawaii public middle schools ?

Bottom 14%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 7% (2015) to bottom 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

52^nd of 62

Hawaii public high schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 5 pts since 2024

From bottom 21% (2024) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Hawaii High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^th of 22Alternative Schools in the Hawaii Department of Education

1^st of 1Hawaii Department of Education among Hawaii districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	10.4	189 of 204	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.7	183 of 207	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	5.9	198 of 207	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	7.7	185 of 194	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	19.8	178 of 196	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	34.6	146 of 195	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	50.1	97 of 191	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	24.8	155 of 191	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	28.1	152 of 192	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	76.7	33 of 194	83.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	46.1	134 of 203	34.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	99.9	1 of 198	99.5%	★★★★★

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	0.0	183 of 196	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	39.6	146 of 207	29.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	1.0	171 of 171	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	188 of 202	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	10.4	72 of 84	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.7	67 of 89	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	5.9	71 of 82	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	10.6	66 of 73	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	12.8	67 of 72	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	35.4	53 of 76	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	25.6	60 of 73	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	8.2	69 of 71	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	13.2	63 of 68	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	46.1	44 of 87	49.4%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	99.9	1 of 81	98.8%	★★★★★

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	0.0	75 of 81	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	39.6	43 of 89	51.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	1.0	74 of 74	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	72 of 86	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	10.4	52 of 62	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.7	53 of 67	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	46.1	39 of 65	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	99.9	1 of 59	98.3%	★★★★★

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	0.0	54 of 61	11.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	39.6	41 of 67	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	1.0	51 of 51	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	55 of 64	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

English Language Learner (2024)99th percentile+88 vs school

Asian (2024)34th percentile+22 vs school

Special Education (2024)29th percentile+18 vs school

Pacific Islander (2024)7th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)<1st percentile-7 vs school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2024)99th percentile+74 vs school

Special Education (2024)52nd percentile+27 vs school

Asian (2024)49th percentile+25 vs school

Pacific Islander (2024)7th percentile-17 vs school

White (2025)<1st percentile-14 vs school

High school

English Language Learner (2024)98th percentile+77 vs school

Asian (2024)40th percentile+19 vs school

Special Education (2024)39th percentile+18 vs school

Pacific Islander (2024)11th percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)<1st percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Hawaii (2024-2025) ?

Science27%

English Language Arts24%

Mathematics19%

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, January 5, 2020

My kids love this school. small school , like ohana, I feel much aloha from kumu. Close Quote

Schools Near Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				HSA Science (2025)	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2025)	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	HSA Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS	Public, Charter, Alternative	PK, KG-12	1500 Kalanianaole Ave	Hilo	96720	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 961-0470	292	23	12.6	67.5%	7 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (22.6%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	176 (60.3%)	40 (13.7%)								(n/a)	27.0	24.0	19.0	$18,455	$9,187	$9,268
Connections - New Century PCS	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	174 Kamehameha Ave	Hilo	96720	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 961-3664	352	30	11.9	75.0%	53 (15.1%)	6 (1.7%)	87 (24.7%)	11 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	121 (34.4%)	74 (21.0%)								(n/a)	26.0	23.0	7.0	$10,316	$1,747	$8,569
Kua o ka La - NCPCS	Public, Charter, Alternative	PK, KG-9	345 Makalika	Hilo	96720	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 981-5866	185	13	14.8	74.1%	28 (15.1%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (26.5%)	5 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (35.1%)	38 (20.5%)								(n/a)	22.0	47.0	24.0	$17,711	$6,696	$11,015
Hawaii Academy of Arts & Science PCS	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	15-1397 Post Office Rd	Pahoa	96778	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 965-3730	738	48	15.5	76.7%	307 (41.6%)	6 (0.8%)	163 (22.1%)	12 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (13.6%)	150 (20.3%)								(n/a)	41.0	48.0	26.0	$9,655	$1,209	$8,446

Frequently Asked Questions about Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS

What district is Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS in?

Hawaii Department of Education

Is Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS a good school?

Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS ranks in the bottom 7.4% of Hawaii alternative schools.

How many students attend Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS?

In the 2024-25 school year, 292 students attended Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS.

What is the racial makeup of Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS?

Students at Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS are 60% Pacific Islander, 23% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 2% White, 1% Asian.

Rate Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS!

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Schools in Hilo, HI

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Hawaii State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.