Summary:
The city of Pahoa, Hawaii is home to 4 schools, including 2 elementary schools, 1 high school, and 1 alternative public charter school. The schools in this area serve a population with high rates of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 73% to 85% across the schools.
The standout school in Pahoa is Hawaii Academy of Arts & Science PCS, a public charter school that outperforms the other schools in the area. It has the highest 4-year graduation rate at 89% and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 25%. This school also has the highest test scores across English Language Arts, Math, and Science compared to the other schools. In contrast, Pahoa High & Intermediate School, the only traditional high school in the data set, has lower test scores and a higher chronic absenteeism rate of 53%.
The other two schools, Keonepoko Elementary School and Pahoa Elementary School, also have lower test scores and higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to the charter school. Spending per student varies widely, from $9,655 at the charter school to $19,147 at Pahoa High & Intermediate School, but this does not appear to be directly correlated with academic performance. Overall, the data suggests that the Hawaii Department of Education has an opportunity to learn from the success of the charter school and apply those strategies to improve outcomes across the district.
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